Vivian Maier, a Street Photographer.

 Vivian Maier (New York 1926 - Chicago 2009) comes from a family of jews refugees. She was born in New York City but moved to France, where she spent most of her youth.

When she was four years old she was abandoned by her father and lived with her mother for some time with the surrealistic photographer Jeanne J. Bertrand and that fact could be a turning point in her life that boosted her passion towards photography. In 1951 she returned to the United States and worked as a nanny and care-giver. She first lived in New York and later on, in 1956, she moved to Chicago, where she would spend most of her life.

She always carried her camera with her in the long walks with the children she looked after. She left more than 100,000 negatives of photographs together with undeveloped rolls of film and audio tapes, all of which had been kept on a storage locker until she could not afford to go on paying for it and the content was bought at an auction by John Maloof who, at the time, was searching for information to write a History book on Chicago NW side.

When he started to develop part of the material he realized that what he had in his hands was very valuable. Maier's main interest focused on street portraits which reflected different social classes and the dramatic living conditions and suffering of some people. Many of the photographs were taken at chest level. As people stared at Maier holding her camera she would take the chance to take the shot she pursued. People from high classes were reluctant to be photographed and their susrprise, and some times anger, is usually reflected in the portraits. However, when taking photos of people from the lower classes, their attitude was pretty different, they didn't show annoyance and at times willingly posed for the photograph.

Looking at Maier's photos leaves the viewer with a mixture of strange feelings and thoughts. Maloof decided to continue his investigation on Vivian's life her photos and the rest of the material she left, which finally saw the light in 2007. Her work has meant a renewed interest in the art of Street Photography.

One of the tapes contained Maier's idea of the passsing through life:

"Well, I suppose nothing is meant to last forever. We have to make room for other people. It´s a wheel. You get on, you have to go to the end. And then somebody has the same opportunity to go to the end and so on"

There is an exhibition of her photography at Fundación Canal (Madrid). It can be visited till August 16th. Free entrance.

You can´t miss it.

Angelines.

Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn. Unknown artist. (c. 1533-1536)

There is some dispute over the year in which Anne was born – most likely between 1501 and 1507. Anne's father was the courtier and diplomat Sir Thomas Boleyn and her mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk.

Childhood

Anne spent some of her childhood and teenage years in Europe. She was a lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Margaret in the Netherlands. In 1514, Anne's father arranged for her to be a lady-in-waiting at the French court to Queen Mary, King Henry VIII's younger sister. 

 

Mary Tudor. Queen of France. (Unkknown artist). 16th century.

She later served Queen Claude of France for almost seven years.

Claude of France (Corneille de Lion). 1535-1540

Henry VIII

On her return to England in 1522, Anne was appointed as lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII's wife Catherine of Aragon. Anne's striking looks and sophisticated manners earned her many admirers at court and by 1523 she was betrothed to Lord Henry Percy. However this relationship was cut short by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.

Lord Henry Percy

Before pursuing Anne, Henry VIII had already had an affair with her sister, Mary. Henry showered Anne and her family with titles and gifts. Anne's ambitious father was created Earl of Wiltshire and her brother, Lord George Rochford, was appointed to the Royal Privy Chamber.

Mary Boleyn.

Henry VIII had grown tired of his wife, as she had not produced a male heir. He appealed to Pope Clement VII for an annulment to his marriage so that he could marry Anne. The Pope refused to annul the marriage as he was afraid to go against the will of Catherine's nephew Charles V, The Holy Roman Emperor.

Portrait of Charles I of Spain with a Dog. (Titian). 1532-1533

Marriage

Although she resisted Henry VIII's advances, by 1533 Anne was pregnant with her first child. Henry was forced into action. In January 1533 Henry VIII and Anne were married in a secret ceremony and Henry broke with the Catholic Church. He passed the Act of Supremacy, declaring that he was the head of the English church. In June 1533 Anne was crowned Queen of England in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

The Banquet of King Henry in York Place. 1832.

Henry and Anne's daughter Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth I) was born in September 1533. Two more pregnancies ended in miscarriage, in the summer of 1534 and in January 1536. When Henry discovered the second baby had been a boy, he became convinced the marriage was cursed. Henry was still desperate for a male heir and he blamed Anne for this misfortune. He took on Anne’s lady-in-waiting Jane Seymour as his mistress and looked for a way to end his marriage.

Downfall

In April 1536, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton, Mark Smeaton, Sir Henry Norris and Anne's brother Lord Rochford were arrested on suspicion of having had relations with the Queen. Anne was investigated by a secret commission which included her father, her uncle the Duke of Norfolk and Thomas Cromwell.

Thomas Cromwell. (Hans Holbein the Younger. 1532-33)

On 2 May 1536 Anne was arrested on charges of adultery with five men including her own brother, Lord George Rochford. At the trial, presided over by the Duke of Norfolk, Anne was accused of adultery and witchcraft. She was convicted and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Anne Boleyn in the Tower. Edouard Cibot (1835)

  Death

On 19th May Anne was led from her quarters to Tower Green where, spared the axe, she was granted the 'mercy' of beheading by a French swordsman.

Anne was the first English queen to be publicly executed. Rather than deny her guilt, she used her final moments to deliver a speech praising King Henry VIII, as she stated when she spoke her last words the day of her death, which was the 19th day of may, 1536.

" Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak any thing of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never; and to me was he ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord, have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul. "

And then she knelt down saying, "To Christ I commend my soul, Jesus receive my soul" diverse times, till her head was stricken off with the sword. And on the Ascension Day following, the king wore white for mourning.

Sources:
BBC History
Wikipedia

Angelines.

Katherine of Aragon

As we said when we talked about King Henry VIII, he married six times. In turns we will have a look at the lives of these famous women and the consequences of marrying such a man.

Katherine of Aragon. (Michel Sittow)

Katherine of Aragon (1485-1536) was the daughter of the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. She was betrothed to the English heir, Prince Arthur, when she was three years old. The wedding took place in 1501, when she was sixteen but Arthur lived a short life  as he contracted "sweating sickness"and died five months later.

Arthur around the time of his marriage (c.1501)

After her husband's death she stayed in England and was betrothed to Henry, Arthur's younger brother but the wedding didn´t take place until 1509, after receiving a dispensation from the Pope and Katherine´s marriage to Arthur was annulled. She was crowned Queen of England alongside Henry in Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey from Tothill Fields (John Barley) 1832

In January 1510 she gave birth to a daughter, but she was stillborn. A second child, Prince Henry, was born in 1511 but he died soon afterwards. She had 6 children during her marriage, three of them sons, but they all died except for one girl, born on 18 February 1516, who was called Mary after Henry´s younger sister, Mary Tudor.

As time passed and Katherine didn´t have a male heir, in 1527 Henry VIII decided to end his marriage to Catherine with the idea of getting married again. The argument he gave to the Catholic church was that Katherine had been married to his brother. The king didn´t get the support of Katherine since she argued that her marriage to Henry was legal and indisoluble as her previous marriage to Arthur had remained unconsummated. 

Katherine´s  nephew, Charles V, the holy Roman Emperor, supported his aunt's position and Pope Clement VII didn´t approve of Henry´s wishes.

As King Henry decided he didn´t need the Pope´s approval, that led to the separation of the Church of England from the Catholic Church and Parliament approved that the king would become the Head of the Church of England and not the Pope. Henry then asked Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, to annul his marriage to Catherine.

Katherine was isolated and sent far away from court and from her daughter. Katherine died in 1536. Her daughter, Mary Tudor, would become queen of England in 1553.

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/catherine_of_aragon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon
http://www.biography.com/people/catherine-of-aragon-38666#synopsis

Angelines.

Henry VIII

Henry VIII at the age of 18.

This time we are going back to the 14th and 15th centuries to the times of the Tudor Dinasty.

Henry VIII

Henry VIII  (1491–1547) was King of England  from 1509 to 1547. Henry was the second monarch of the Tudor Dynasty. He was the second son of King Henry VII (the first Tudor monarch) and Elizabeth of York.

He is famous for having married six times and having beheaded two of his wives. His first wife was Catherine of Aragon,  the daughter of the Spanish King and Queen, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Catherine had first married Henry´s brother, Arthur, and after his death she became King Henry VIII´s wife. After the many years they were married they only had one daughter, Mary Tudor. Willing to marry Ann Boleyn and because of his disagreements with the Pope he separated from the Roman Catholic Church and declared himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. His other wives were Jane Seymour,  Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr. 

Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Young. 1539-40

It´s not Puppy Love.

John Steinbeck (1902-1968), prolífico escritor americano condecorado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura en el año 1962, y ampliamente conocido por su novela ganadora del Premio Pulitzer “The Grapes of Wrath” (Las Uvas de la Ira) en 1939, no solo escribió novelas, su pluma también exploró el terreno de lo epistolar, que cultivó a lo largo de su vida.

En 1958, su hijo Thom se enamoró de una chica llamada Susan mientras estudiaba en un internado lejos de sus padres. Confuso y desorientado ante este inocente despertar de sentimientos encontrados que parecían desbordarle, escribe a sus padres en busca de consejo. John Steinbeck responde a su hijo y le expone su propia forma de entender el amor verdadero, como queda reflejado al comienzo de su carta. Resulta interesante esa faceta más íntima y personal del escritor, esa conexión entre padre  e hijo ante una situación cotidiana pero de extraordinaria importancia. He aquí la carta, a la que he dado el siguiente título:

It´s not Puppy Love

(A Letter from John Steinbeck to his son)

New York

November 10, 1958

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First — if you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second —There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you — of kindness and consideration and respect — not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply — of course it isn’t puppy love.

But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it — and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone — there is no possible harm in saying so — only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another — but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens —The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

Love,

Fa.

(From “ A Life in Letters” by John Steinbeck)

 My own translation:

No es amor adolescente.

(Carta de John Steinbeck a su hijo)

Querido Thom:

Recibimos tu carta esta mañana. Te contestaré desde mi punto de vista y Elaine lo hará desde el suyo.

En primer lugar, estar enamorado es bueno, es lo mejor que le puede pasar a uno en la vida, no dejes que nadie te lo presente como una cuestión menor. En segundo lugar, existen diferentes tipos de amor. Uno es egoísta, mezquino, codicioso, vanidoso, que solo sirve para darse importancia. Este es el tipo de amor feo y dañino. El otro es un torrente de todo lo bueno que hay en ti –de amabilidad, consideración y respeto- y va más allá del respeto a las convenciones sociales, implica un respeto de mayor enjundia, como es el reconocimiento de otra persona como única y valiosa. El primer tipo te puede hacer enfermar y sentir pequeño y débil, pero el segundo puede liberar en ti fuerza, coraje, bondad e incluso una sabiduría que ignorabas tener.

Dices que no se trata de amor adolescente, si lo sientes tan profundamente, por supuesto que no lo es. Pero no creo que me preguntaras por lo que tú sentías, eso lo sabes tú mejor que nadie. Lo que quieres es que te ayude sobre qué hacer al respecto y en ese sentido puedo decirte lo siguiente: enorgullécete de él y siéntete contento y agradecido por tenerlo. Amar es lo mejor y más bello que existe, intenta estar a la altura que merece. Si amas a alguien, no hay ningún mal en decirlo, solo debes recordar que algunas personas son muy tímidas y al decirlo hay que tener en cuenta esa timidez.

Las chicas tienen una forma de saber y percibir lo que sientes, pero generalmente también les gusta oírlo. A veces sucede que lo que sientes no es recíproco, por una u otra razón, pero eso no quiere decir que tu sentimiento sea menos valioso y bueno.

Por último, sé lo que sientes porque conozco el sentimiento, y me alegra que tú lo tengas. Nos encantará conocer a Susana. Que sea bienvenida. Elaine se encargará de todo porque ese es su territorio y lo hará complacida. Ella también sabe lo que es el amor y es posible que te pueda ayudar más que yo.

Y no te preocupes si pierdes, si es el amor adecuado, lo sabrás. Lo importante es no tener prisa. Si es bueno, permanecerá.

Con cariño,

Papá.

Isn´t it absolutely fantastic? Wishing you all a wonderful St. Valentine´s Day.

Angelines.

Hope

Emily Dickinson. (1830-1886)

Hope is the thing with feathers

 (By Emily Dickinson)

Hope is the thing with feathers   

That perches in the soul, 
And sings the tune without the words, 
And never stops at all, 
  
And sweetest in the gale is heard;         
And sore must be the storm 
That could abash the little bird 
That kept so many warm. 
  
I’ve heard it in the chillest land, 
And on the strangest sea;        
Yet, never, in extremity, 
It asked a crumb of me.

La esperanza es aquella cosa con plumas.

La esperanza es aquella cosa con plumas

que se aloja en el alma

y entona una melodía sin palabras

que ante nada se amilana,

y dulcísima se escucha en el vendaval;

y encrespada habría de ser la tormenta

que pudiera intimidar al pajarillo

que a tantos dio calor.

La he escuchado en las tierras más heladas

y en los mares más extraños;

y aún así, nunca, ni en lo más extremo, 

pidió nada de mí. 

Traducción: Angelines.

Emily Dickinson, escritora estadounidense (1830-1886) nacida en Amherst, Massachusetts, identifica en este poema la esperanza con un pajarillo. La esperanza es algo tan ligero como una pluma, tan delicado como el sinuoso vuelo de un ave, pero irradia una fuerza extrema. Es el amigo interior que no nos falla y permanece con nosotros ante cualquier adversidad, nos sujeta, nos apoya, nos arrastra, nos da fuerza y vida. No tiene voz pero se escucha firme, se percibe, se siente.

La familia de Emily procedía de los primeros emigrantes puritanos establecidos en Nueva Inglaterra. Se educó, por tanto, bajo los estrictos cánones de la ortodoxia protestante donde no cabía ningún tipo de expresión artística ni lúdica.

Hija de Edward Dickinson y Emily Norcross Dickinson, tuvo dos hermanos, William Austin y Lavinia. Austin se casó con Susan Huntington Gilbert, con quien Emily mantuvo una sólida amistad durante toda su vida y  fue una de las pocas personas a las que permitió leer sus poemas en vida. Unos trescientos poemas parecen estar dedicados a Susan Gilbert. Lavinia admiraba el talento poético de su hermana y fue otra privilegiada con acceso a sus poemas.

Durante su vida, Emily conoció a hombres que ejercieron gran influencia sobre ella, sobre todo en lo referente a su formación como escritora aunque sus sentimientos hacia cada uno no están demasiado claros. Uno de ellos fue Benjamin Franklin Newton, amigo de la familia, diez años mayor que ella quien, tras pasar un tiempo con los Dickinson, se marchó en 1849, probablemente bajo la presión de Edward, el padre de Emily.

En 1855 viaja con su madre y con su hermana a Washington y posteriormente pasa dos semanas en Filadelfia, donde conoce a Charles Wadsworth con quien entabla una gran amistad de durará toda la vida, aunque solo se verían en tres o cuatro ocasiones.

Desde mediados de los 50 su madre queda postrada en cama como consecuencia de varias enfermedades crónicas y Emily adopta el papel de cuidadora, centrándose en su libertad creadora, apartándose cada vez más del mundo exterior y encerrándose en el suyo según pasan los años.

A finales de los 50 conoce a Samuel Bowles, editor jefe del periódico Springfield Republican, y le envía diversas cartas y unos cincuenta poemas, algunos de los cuales fueron publicados en su periódico.

En 1862 se dirige al crítico literario Thomas Wentworth Higginson y le pide que valore la calidad de sus poemas ya que su cercanía a ellos le impedía apreciar con rigor su trabajo, lo que invita a pensar que Emily pudiera estar sopesando la idea de publicar. Sin embargo, nunca lo manifestó de forma explícita ante Higginson y  éste alabó su trabajo pero no la animó a publicarlo pese a que siguieron intercambiando correspondencia desde entonces. No obstante, él fue un gran apoyo para ella y, pasados los años,  ella le confesó que la había salvado la vida en 1862.

Murió en 1886 a la edad de 55 años. En su funeral, Higginson, a quien solo había visto un par de veces, leyó uno de los poemas favoritos de Emily: No Coward Soul is Mine.

Fuentes:
Poetry foundation
Wikipedia