This week's links. Enjoy.
Early Colour Photography
Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii made color photographs in the early 1900s using a clever filtering system years before color photography would be widely available. Amazing. Check out the Library of Congress site to see an exhibition of his work that ran several years ago, too. Via Kottke.
An Old Master Emerges From the Grime
Recently, decades after acquiring it in 1949, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York decided to thoroughly clean the circa 1630s painting Portrait of a Man of its multiple layers of darkened varnish and paint from bad retouching (additions made centuries later to make the canvas look more old-masterish and entice buyers). What they found confirmed what they'd long suspected — it was painted by Velázquez. An exciting story of detective work in the art restoration world.
Picture Show: Places of Education
A slide show featuring images from photographer Lissa Rivera's project Places of Education — an inside glimpse of public and private schools, universities, Greek societies, and community colleges in Massachusetts, focusing on the interiors of buildings themselves rather than the students. Via Good.
Fairy Tales Have an Ancient Origin
Seeking to trace the origin of various folk tales, Dr Jamie Tehrani, a cultural anthropologist at Durham University, studied 35 versions of Little Red Riding Hood from around the world. Adopting techniques used by biologists to create the taxonomic tree of life, which shows how every species comes from a common ancestor, Dr. Tehrani discovered that the tale, believed to have originated in France around the 17th century, actually shares a common ancestor dating back more than 2,600 years, with variants found all around the world. Via The Telegraph.
Reading the Landscape
Margaret Drabble picks her top ten literary landscapes. She writes, "...walking in the footsteps of great writers, and seeing landscapes and buildings through their eyes is one of the most enjoyable and sustaining of pleasures."
The Freelancer's Toolbox: 33 Useful Apps and Websites for the Freelance Designer
Great roundup of resources from Designer Daily, for managing your time and business as a freelance designer (or other creative). Via Swiss Miss.
click*
A lovely new blog by the wonderful photographer Shirley, click* features photography, illustration, magazines, interiors and more — all with a Japanese sensibility. Keep an eye on this one.
Orecchiette with Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes and Garlic Chives
Easy, quick and delicious recipe that uses seasonal ingredients. Yum! Via Tastespotting.
(photograph by Michel Arnaud, via my archive of Domino Deco Files)