Early photography’s stoic poses
In the early days of photography, the 1840s to early 1860s, the exposure time was long and the subject had to stay perfectly still or the image would come out blurry. Along with the use of brace and stands, the subjects often have their hands folded or on armrests, are leaning against walls, tables and similar.
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Microdots: Using spy technology to security mark memorabilia
Art, artifacts, collectibles and other valuables are often security marked in case of theft, loss, dispute or other later need to identify the item and/or owners. The markers range from overt holograms and serial numbered stickers to invisible tags, and allow the marked items, and often the rightful owners, to be identified.
An interesting covert marking system uses microdots. Microdots are microscopically small metal discs that have identifying information microetched on them. The information can be read under a microscope. The dots can be the size of standard printed period (.). The etched information can be a unique serial number that identifies the object’s owner.
Applied via clear adhesive to a valuable painting or sculpture, the dots will go completely unnoticed by the average thief, but can be used to trace the item back to the rightful owner. The adhesive contains dye that can be seen only under black light, so that the area where the microdots are can be found.
Microdots and related covert ‘shrinking down text’ is an old-time application. German spies used microdots to covertly pass information during WWII. Even as early as the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, carrier pigeon messages were photographically shrunk so the bird could carry more text.
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Psychology and the perception of authenticity
1800s Harper's Woodcuts, or woodcut prints from the 1800s magazine Harper's Weekly, are popularly collected today. The images show nineteenth-century life, including celebrities, sports, US Presidents, war, high society, nature, historical events, and daily life.
Though originally black and white, some have been hand-colored over the years. As age is important to collectors, prints that were colored in the 1800s are more valuable than those colored recently. The problem is that modern ideas lead collectors to misdate the coloring.
Due to their ideas about the 'old fashioned' Victorian era, most people assume that vintage 1800s coloring will be subtle, soft, pallid, and conservative. However, 1800s coloring was typically bright, gaudy, bold, and even tacky to modern taste. As Victorian people didn’t have color televisions, motion pictures or video games, and were restricted in their travel, they liked their images of exotic places and faraway celebrities to be colored exciting.
A learned forger might knowingly use historically incorrect colors, knowing the average person today would consider authentic colors to be fake.
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Quote(s) of the week: What other famous composers and musicians thought of J.S. Bach:
"The most stupendous miracle in all music!"- Richard Wagner
"Bach is Bach as God is God"-- Hector Berlioz
"In Bach, the vital cells of music are united as the world is in God."-- Gustav Mahler
"Bach is the terminal point. Nothing comes from him; everything merely leads to him."-- Albert Schweitzer
"Not Brook but Ocean should be his name."- Beethoven ("Bach" is the German word for "brook")
"Music owes as much to Bach as religion to its founder."--Robert Schumann
"If one were asked to name one musician who came closest to composing without human flaw, it would be Bach"-- Aaron Copland
"Bach is the supreme genius of music"-- Pablo Casals
"Whether the angels play only Bach praising God, I am not quite sure."-- Karl Barth
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