Portrait of Hippolyte Adolphe Taine, by Léon Bonnat, engraved by Synnberg Photo-Gravure Company, Chicago, published by Open Court Company, Chicago, 1898. Via WikimediaCommons. in the Public Domain. [[File:Portrait of Hippolyte Taine by Bonnat.jpg|Portrait_of_Hippolyte_Taine_by_Bonnat]] In a series of visits to Britain between 1862 and 1870, outspoken Frenchman Hippolyte Taine wrote lengthily about his impressions, and his comments-at-a-distance... Continue Reading →
‘Robust, Unattractive Women’: A Frenchman’s View of the English (Snippet: 1)
Florence Georgiana Spooner Carr (later Gray) formal portrait in Egret-feathered Hat ca 1878. Photographers C&R Lavis, Eastbourne, Via Wikimedia Commons. In a series of visits to Britain between 1862 and 1870, outspoken Frenchman Hippolyte Taine wrote lengthily about his impressions, and his comments-at-a-distance give us a clear and fascinating view of our ancestors in a... Continue Reading →
Whistlestop Xmas History Tour : how your ancestors decorated for Christmas!
[A version of this article first appeared in Discover Your Ancestors Online Periodical - December 2015]. http://www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk/ Link to buy my books Amazon.co.uk: Ruth A Symes: books, biography, latest update Girl's Own Paper December 20th 1884, Vol VI, No.260. Greenery and fruit, sparkle and snow, colourfully-dressed tables and walls inscribed with Yuletide mottos - Christmases past were decorated using much... Continue Reading →