Robert Burns Dedicated 1880 Sculptor: Sir John Steell Medium & size: Bronze, over lifesize. Location: Central Park, on the Mall. If the city's street grid continued in the Park, it…
Point of impact By 1775, American colonists and the British were on a collision course. The Stamp Act, imposed in 1765 to defray the cost of defending the colonies from…
Second in a series: the first, with the introduction and the years 1801-1806, is here. 1807 Major events: Peninsular War (1807-1814) began as the French invaded Portugal, which offended Napoleon…
Prowling through my database of art recommendations past, present, and future, I noticed that quite a few of the artworks come from the first 15 years of the nineteenth century.…
From February 2017 until the end of the year, I sent 157 items to my Sunday Recommendations list. For recurring supporters, I recommended 31 more. The items in this post…
“The Bird,” by Victor Hugo Be like the bird, who Pausing in his flight On limb too slight Feels it give way beneath him Yet sings Knowing he has wings.…
This essay is adapted from Chapter 36 of Outdoor Monuments of Manhattan: A Historical Guide. I’ve kept cross-references to other chapters in the book. Outdoor Monuments has been "translated" into a fabulous app…
I entered college with a year of Latin, three years of French, and writing skills that earned me a National Council of Teachers of English scholarship. What to take instead…
To illustrate this post, I went yesterday to take photos of the reliefs in the lobby of the Chanin Building. From the full length of the lobby (a city block…
Three major bridge replacements have been in progress in the Tristate area during the past few years. The Goethals Bridge, dating to the 1920s, connects Elizabeth, New Jersey, with the…