Flares into Darkness
Friday, April 24, 2026
Cry Me A River
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Taroko Gorge
The Taroko National Park in Taiwan is centered around a rather spectacular gorge. The marble cliffs that surround the river that created the gorge are steep and very tall. Along with marble, there are a lot of jade deposits. It is a very impressive natural wonder.
I've been to it. In fact, the hotel he shows is the place that I stayed in. Within walking distance of it is a small village with street stalls, the tall pagoda, and various other temples and monasteries. Throughout the gorge are many other temples. It is well worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood. The gorge itself is spectacular.
Sunday, April 19, 2026
George du Maurier's illustrations
|
| Click any image to enlarge |
George du Maurier (1834-1896) was a French novelist and artist who settled in London. He was a caricaturist whose illustrations appeared primarily in the satirical Punch weekly magazine. His subjects were the upper class of the Victorian era.
|
| George du Maurier' |
Friday, April 17, 2026
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Happy Tax Day!
|
|
16th Century Russian tax collectors conducting an audit |
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower
|
| Click any image to enlarge |
Henri Rivière (1864-1951) was French artist. When Japan opened up in the 1850s a wave of goods had entered Europe, including woodprints which considerably influenced European artists. They were to influence Rivière as well.
In 1888 the construction of the Eiffel tower began. Inspired by Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji Rivière decided to do a similar portfolio featuring the tower. He started by trying to replicate the Japanese printing process, although he actually didn't know how it was done. His experimentation led to two prints, but it was a costly and time-consuming process, so he abandoned it for lithography for the rest of the series.
These images are from the Public Domain Review' post Henri Rivière’s Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower (1888–1902). There are more images at that post, as well as a discussion of his series.
|
| Henri Rivière |












