The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy and the beginning of planned obsolescence. Never heard of the Phoebus Cartel? Is the guy above talking about one of those silly conspiracy theories? Unfortunately, no. It’s true and was the beginning of planned obsolescence. Want …
Today, I permanently lowered the price of my two-part documentary, No Bridge Too Far, from $12.95 to $9.95. If you were unaware of my historical documentary, read-on… No Bridge Too Far, a WWII documentary, written, directed and produced by Marion …
My next project was going to be a sci-fi story about trees (now on temporary hold), however, after careful consideration, I decided to compile all the personal WWII veteran’s stories shared with me over a 15-year period.
While these memoirs exist on my website, I’d like to present them in book form for their families, friends and other interested readers. I know “my boys” (as I lovingly called them), would be thrilled.
The book’s main focus will regard combat engineers in the ETO (my dad was one). Along with the individual histories, will be vignettes about the second world war in Europe, tying everything together.
I’m excited and can’t wait to get started.
Have you ever looked at a photograph from the Victorian era and wondered how people looked so “perfect?” Perhaps you observed slim figures. One of the biggest myths that circulate in social and fashion history today.
A common myth was that “everyone was skinnier back then.” We might think this when we see photographs and museum exhibits that feature small-waisted garments. With many examples of small-figured people, we might think that body diversity wasn’t around. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Body diversity did exist. There are surviving clothing items throughout history with waist sizes from 25 to 50” to prove it.
But the myth still persists. There are many reasons why it’s still prominent, from museum collecting biases to visual aids such as photographs, advertisements, and portraiture. Today’s blog post examines mid-to-late Victorian era photography and how photo editing skills feed into the myth.
Even though we think of photo-shopping as a recent invention, you’ll be surprised to know that they were using this practice (although on a much more primitive level) in various publications.
The Victorians manipulated negatives using pencil markings and scraping techniques to draw, erase, and touch up perceived beauty flaws. Period books, such as The Art of Retouching Photographic Negatives (1898), provide methods for altering the bust, neck, arms, mouth, hair, eyes, and dress.
Many years ago, I felt inspired to write about the memories of my father, and my search for his WWII history. Below is the revised version of that document.
Life is Like a Box of Chocolates – Marion J Chard
Most of you will be familiar with the popular quote from the movie Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” Well, it also rang true for me.
I don’t remember the first time that well-worn sepia-toned box with the raised gold filigree and the words “Bunte – Chicago – Mi Choice Chocolates” appeared in my life. Still, it seems it was always a part of my world. The objects within held a strange and constant fascination for a young girl trying desperately to hold on to the fleeting war memories relayed by her dad to his loving family and friends. The rectangular box was never far from my side and was kept in a nightstand as I moved from house to house and city to city. Occasionally, I would sit on the floor, carefully remove the tattered lid, and lovingly lay each item before me. Maybe I was hoping a name would mysteriously appear on the back of a photo, giving me some clue as to who these young men were who stood next to my father, smiling back at me. Maybe it was a source of comfort and a way for me to try and hold on to a part of my life, for my father had passed away when I was only twelve. Maybe it was all those things and more. However, the one thing I did not know and could not know was the critical role the fraying box would play later in my life.
A month before Neil Armstrong’s infamous Apollo 11 flight, he, at the request of Life Magazine, reflected on the meaning of the soon-to-be moon landing.
