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Part of the 2015 display of the Waddesdon Bequest
Part of the 2015 display of the Waddesdon Bequest

The Waddesdon Bequest was left to the British Museum in 1898 by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild's will. Taken from his New Smoking Room at Waddesdon Manor, it consists of almost 300 pieces, including jewellery, plate, enamel, carvings, glass and maiolica. Earlier than most objects is the Holy Thorn Reliquary, probably created in the 1390s in Paris for John, Duke of Berry. The wide-ranging collection is in the tradition of a treasure house, such as those owned by the Renaissance princes of Europe. Most of the objects are from late Renaissance Europe; there are several important medieval pieces, and outliers from classical antiquity and medieval Syria. Rothschild selected intricate, superbly executed, highly decorated and rather ostentatious works of the Late Gothic, Renaissance and Mannerist periods for this collection. Few of the objects relied on the Baroque sculptural movement for their effect, though several come from periods and places where many Baroque pieces were being made. (Full article...)

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Générosité d'Alexandre
Générosité d'Alexandre

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Nicolas Philibert with the Golden Bear
Nicolas Philibert with the Golden Bear

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March 3: Liberation Day in Bulgaria (1878); Hinamatsuri in Japan

Poster for the premiere of Carmen
Poster for the premiere of Carmen
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The Hugo Award for Best Professional Magazine was one of the Hugo Awards given each year for professionally edited magazines related to science fiction or fantasy. Eligible magazines must have published four or more issues with at least one issue appearing in the previous calendar year. The award was first presented in 1953, the first year any Hugo Award was given, and with the exception of 1954 was given annually through 1972 when it was retired in favor of the newly created Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor. For the 1957 awards, the award was split into separate categories for American and British magazines, a distinction that was not repeated in any other year. During the nineteen nomination years, twelve magazines run by fifteen editors were nominated. Of these, only five magazines run by eight editors won. Astounding Science-Fiction (later renamed Analog Science Fact & Fiction) and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction each won eight times, out of eighteen and fifteen nominations, respectively. (Full list...)

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Woman Suffrage Procession

The Woman Suffrage Procession was a suffragist parade held in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 1913, the day before Woodrow Wilson's first presidential inauguration. It was organized by Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Thousands of suffragists marched down Pennsylvania Avenue "in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded". The march and the attention it attracted were important in advancing women's suffrage in the United States. This image shows the front cover of the official program of the Woman Suffrage Procession, illustrated by Benjamin Moran Dale. It depicts an elaborately dressed woman blowing a trumpet with a "Votes for Women" banner while riding on horseback in front of the United States Capitol.

Illustration credit: Benjamin Moran Dale; restored by Adam Cuerden

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