Sorry Cath and I have slowed down this week. Civic duty abounds in the AsianCajun household: Cath has been working late hours (Strategic Planning for the City of Decatur- woohoo) and I’ve had jury duty!
In between sitting through voir dires and thinking about a vision for Decatur in the next ten years, I’ve been reading about central Asia. My bf and I plan to hit up at least Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan next year, so I’m trying to brush up on my central Asia history (when I say “brush up,” I mean “learn from scratch”- apart from some Genghis Khan references in high school, I knew very little about The Stans and Mongolia).
Here’s where the abbreviated art history lesson comes in! Guess how old this photo is:
Here’s a hint: this man is the last emir of Bukhara (in what is now Uzbekistan). I know! That wouldn’t have helped me either!
It’s taken in 1911. 1911!!! The most amazing thing is that this photo was not doctored in Photoshop or even tinted back in the day by the original photographer. Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky received permission from the (last) czar, Nicholas II, to document the Russian Empire. Not only did Prokudin-Gorsky take over 3500 photographs (about half have survived and are housed at the Library of Congress), he also found a way to kinda/sorta take/create colored photographs while traveling around an exhaustive empire. He actually had a dark room built in a train car. Pretty spiffy, non?
I think black and white photography is beautiful, informative, and sometimes haunting, but there is something about seeing a subject in color that makes them seem more present and alive.
Here are a few more examples of Prokudin-Gorsky’s work to delight your workweek-wearied eyes:
These photos also capture the diversity in the Russian Empire/current central Asia.
We hope you guys have a lovely weekend! We’re off to Baltimore (and then to the beach for Cath) for a friend’s wedding- ’tis the season! What do you guys have planned?
ps- You can see a complete visual listing of photographs here. For larger images, enter the number in the LOC search bar.
THAT IS A-MAZING!!!!! didn’t know this was possible back in the early early 20th century! thanks so much for sharing this! I’m going to check out the rest of the photos.
i love the embroidery. there’s so much inspiration to be taken from if we just look outside our little box
MY GOD! These are the most amazing photos I’ve ever seen!!! My friend recently did a tour through Central Asia, I think he went through Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. How exciting that you and your bf are traveling there as well! Is it for pleasure/vacation? Anyway, thank you SO much for sharing the knowledge and the awesomeness. The dude’s pose in the first photo pretty much makes him my hero.
xo
Its true – there is so much inspiration in culture, and these pictures show it.
Love x
great post xxxxxx
I remembered when I first found these and continue to rave about them to my friends. I love that they continually pop up on the internet!
how i love your art history lessons.brings me back to my college days. you seriously need to post more of these. *sigh*
nothing much planned for my weekend.just enjoying the weather. it’s going to be BEAUTIFUL!
hope you gals have a fabulous weekend!!! 🙂
Oh wow, I can’t believe the first photo dates back to 1911. I’m amazed–this guy must’ve been some kind of photographic genius!
As for weekend plans, I’m probably going to take it easy. Tomorrow I’ll be doing yoga, then a spa facial (first time!), and roasting a chicken for the boy and me. Sunday I think I’ll be going to a couple of craft fairs with one of my best friends.
Great Photos !
I will be working more on my blog this weekend.
A big yes to the art history lesssons! You know that as a fellow art hist grad, I totally approve and love this.
I couldn’t quite believe how sharp those colours are in that first photo, for a photo thats almost 100 years old, it’s so great that it’s survived and conserved for people to enjoy! Not to mention, if this is our reaction today, then back then, this was a groundbreaking image! Wow.
You’re both such busy ladies! Goodness, now I don’t feel so bad about being so busy myself. Hope you have a swell weekend!
Holy crap! I just had to show my bf, I can’t believe the sharpness and quality of that photo. I love it you know how when you look at old photos and movies and think that life looked like that. It didn’t – it looked like today, same air, minor differences. That photo proves that 🙂
PS so SO jealous you get to go to Mongolia
Library of Congress is probably the most under-utilized internet tools by far. Sounds like an epic trip! My best friend (who traveled through Asia with me) went out that way when I was in Tokyo. Beautiful area for sure.
Sounds like a fabulous trip and I love that you’re studying up for it! These are great photos! Bec and I will be in Hong Kong this fall! Hope you girls can come to my slumber party! xo, mel
That first photo! If that was processed by him to come up with that clarity of colour in 1911 then MY GOD!
Oh my god, I would love to have one of those coats stat, please and thank you. LOL.
Hey, girls, I’m hosting a giveaway of some beauty products, if you’re interested, check it out and enter, maybe!
http://bit.ly/cBdg5O – Here’s the link to the giveaway post.
XX
Mae
Hey asiancajuns! I came across this article and immediately thought of you both. It is just the coolest thing. I think you might enjoy:
http://www.stylelist.com/2010/04/29/how-to-wear-the-same-dress-for-an-entire-year/?icid=main|main|dl3|link2|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stylelist.com%2F2010%2F04%2F29%2Fhow-to-wear-the-same-dress-for-an-entire-year%2F
Thanks so much for mentioning this, Chinny! We did a blog post about this lovely lady last year: http://asiancajuns.blogspot.com/2009/07/little-black-dress-365-ways.html. You know us well 😉
You will LOVE it.