Long May She Reign

 

Courtly congratulations to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who on this day has achieved the distinction of becoming Britain's longest-ruling monarch. The Queen has officially surpassed the previous record held by her great-great-grandmother, Victoria. Elizabeth has been serving her country for 23,226 days (approximately 63 years and 7 months). Long may she continue to reign. 

Cecil Beaton. Coronation Portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II, 1953

Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Queen Victoria, 1859

A Rare Beauty

Gustav Klimt's 1894 portrait of Marie Breunig offers a rare glimpse at the master's style before his years with the Vienna Secession. No gold leaf. No mannerist contortions. No flattened fields of pattern and color. The staggered rectilinear shapes that form the background heralded the artist's mature period, but this work is rooted in a cool, restrained formality much in vogue among portrait artists of the time. There is even a touch of Ingres' handling in the anatomy of the lady's soft forearm and digits, the deftly painted jewelry, and the rich plushness of her gown. This splendid portrait resides in a private Austrian collection.

Gustav Klimt. Portrait of Marie Breunig, 1894

 
Cut in dressmaking is like grammar in language. A good design should be like a well made sentence and it should only express one idea at a time.
— Charles James

Irving Penn. Charles James, New York, 1948

Cecil Beaton. Charles James with Model, 1948