#april fools day
So… you live by the sword… and you get pied by the sword… or something like that. Melissa is avenged.
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Unfortunately for us, a lot of the famous Shinsengumi members do not have extant photographs, or if they do, they date from much later in life. This is in contrast to the most famous Joui shishi, and may reflect how photographs of the losing side were less likely to be kept and treasured. Lately, however, researchers have began examination of an overlooked source for possible photographs of the Shinsengumi and their allies: the Bauduin collection’s fire-damaged photographs. These photographs taken in the 1860s are unsorted, without the identifying records that accompany the rest of the collection. They have been through a fire, and are faded, charred, melted or in scraps. Some of them are way too burnt to identify, but they feature contemporary samurai.
In particular, this photograph may possibly feature members of the Shinsengumi, but much more probably, this is the more elite Mimawarigumi:
But the most intriguing possible identification in the photos is this charred photo of a young samurai invalid:
We can never be completely sure, of course, but researchers have noted a striking resemblance of this young man to other members of the Okita family. Is this a photograph of Okita Souji, taken around the same time as we know Kondou Isami had his own photo taken?
More interesting Bauduin collection photographs under the cut.
No,this isn’t possibly Okita Souji, and that other photograph isn’t the Shinsengumi OR the Mimawarigumi.The burnt photograph section of the Bauduin collection is a real, creepy fun thing to browse, with a lot of unidentified people, but the photographs were taken circa 1865 in Nagasaki, far from the haunts of the Shinsengumi.
Previous April Fool’s Day Jokes on this Blog
2015 - “Ninjutsu” and Yamazaki Susumu: A Possible Link (Yamazaki’s a real ninja?)
2016 - 19th century Japanese Samurai Recognized as Martyr for Peace (Sakamoto Ryoma’s a saint?)
2017(Japanese) History Has Its Eyes On Him(Edo Period Ukiyo-e print of George Washington ready to cut down the cherry tree)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies, by Robert Michael Pyle
It may be April Fool’s Day today, but I assure you this is no joke. I’m happy to announce that I’ll be using another field guide to help with insect identification. Previously I only had the Insect and Spiders Guide (also the Rocks & Minerals and Reptiles & Amphibians guides), but this book just arrived today. I’ll be looking through it in depth, but having just briefly looked through its contents, it’ll be a big help. For those not familiar with Audubon Society Field Guides, the books are structured to make identification relatively easy. The Butterflies are sorted into their family groups, each section accompanied by a silhouette of a typical specimen. In each section are wonderful photographs of Butterflies out in the field (some have 2 pictures since the top and bottom of the wing can feature different colors or patterns), their common name and a page number. The page number is used to locate the description of the insect in the back of the guide. For example: In Picture 6 the Desert Swallowtail says, p. 329. Scrolling to that page you can find pointers identification, range, behaviors and other facts. Since the guidebook it covers all of North America, there’s bound to be a few species I’ll never see (and even a few species not in the book), but it’ll be fun to learn about them nonetheless. I’m looking forward to using this book in between insect hunts to figure out the identities of some more peculiar Lepidopterans!
Since this is a Butterfly guide, there are no pictures of Moths, but there are descriptions of Caterpillars,Chrysalids and eggs. And since Skippers are Butterflies, you’ll find them here too. Me personally, I’d like to see an Audubon guide to North American Beetles given the sheer variety of Beetles out there. For more information, check the guidebooks directly at the NAS webpage.
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BREAKING: AP: Hillary Clinton announces she’s running for president in 2016.*
Original photograph source unknown.
*Not yet, friends. Happy April Fools’ Day!
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Happy (belated) April Fools Day! On April 1 over the past several years, the Mount Holyoke News has printed special editions known as the Mount Holyjoke News or Mount Holyoke Snooze. These editions usually feature a lot of journalistic frankness, some funny parodies of Mount Holyoke stereotypes or some warped reality of Mount Holyoke where nothing makes sense. Featured above are some favorite headlines or articles at the Archives and Special Collections.
If you would like to read more articles from Mount Holyjoke or Mount Holyoke Snooze, view the Pinterest board here or visit the Archives and Special Collections in the basement of Dwight Hall.
The Mount Holyjoke News (Destroying All That Is Good Since 1917) :: Archives and Special Collections :: 1998
The MHC News (Skimming Ethics and Dating Mad Ladies Since 1917), page 1 :: Archives and Special Collections :: 2008
Mount Holyoke News (Bylines are so heteronormative), page 12 :: Archives and Special Collections : 2012
The MHC News (At least better than Smith’s. And Probably Amherst’s too. Since 1917), page 2 :: Archives and Special Collections :: 2013
Mount Holyoke News (At least better than Smith’s. And Probably Amherst’s too. SInce 1917), page 1 :: Archives and Special Collections : 2013
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