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Another Lange Photo
So you think you could be a professional photographer. After all, you take great selfies. Well, look at this picture by Dorothea Lange. It’s a mother and her two daughters on the road in California in 1939. Note the composition, which was not planned, but was instinctively seen by Lange. Read more…
Anecdote
NO ONE NAMED GISGO
Before the Battle of Cannae, Hannibal and his generals looked across the battlefield at the huge Roman army they would soon be facing. One of his generals, named Gisgo, voiced his concern about how many Romans there were. Hannibal responded in a loud voice: “You are right, Gisgo. The Read more…
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Florence Owens Thompson
One day in 1936, photographer Dorothea Lange pulled up at a pea-pickers camp in California and snapped some pictures. Seven of those pictures were of Florence Thompson and her kids. One of those pictures, entitled “Migrant Mother”, became the most famous photo of the Great Depression. Lange’s notes read: “Destitute Read more…
Anecdote
THE NECK VERSE
In the Middle Ages, “benefit of clergy” referred to the ability of clergy members to avoid conviction for crimes. This benefit was later extended to cover anyone who could read a verse from the Bible. It was usually the first verse from the 51st Psalm. “Have mercy upon me, Oh Read more…
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Dorothea Lange
“I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions.” Dorothea Lange in “The Assignment I’ll Never Forget: Migrant Mother” Dorothea Lange Read more…
Anecdote
FACTS ABOUT LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
The phrase “the shot heard ‘round the world” comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “Concord Hymn” from 1837. “One if by land and two if by sea” comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” from 1861. The British could have marched across the neck of Boston (by land) or Read more…
Uncategorized
The Death of Reynolds
John Reynolds graduated in the middle of his West Point class of 1841. He first achieved recognition serving under Gen. Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War. His artillery battery played a key role in the victory at Buena Vista. He started the Civil War as a Brigadier General and was Read more…