Thursday 10 November 2011

Sepia Saturday 100


I started with the thought that 100 would be a snip, I would simply surf the net and find one or two goodies, but it is strange, there was simply too much.  So much that I ended up like a schoolboy in a sweet shop - salivating, dribbling at the lips and picking things up and putting them down when my eyes fell upon something new and bright.  At one time I flirted with the idea of 100 images, but with a flit into the mathematical I settled for the square root of 100


Mathematically it would not be particularly significant if it wasn't for our use of a counting system based on Ten.  One Hundred is the square of 10 and the bases of percentages.


The SI prefix for 100 is Hecto or Hecta, and whenever I see it my mind turns to Hector; known not only for his courage but also for his noble and courtly manner.  Indeed Homer places Hector as the very noblest of all the heroes in the Iliad; he his both peace-loving and brave, thoughtful as well as brave, a good son, husband and father, and without darker motives (remind you of anyone?)



100 is somewhat special in the psyche of mankind - it is, or was, at the outer limits of mans' span and therefore something for a special celebration


100 years old Fuaja Singh  recently became the oldest person to ran the Toronto marathon.
During his life many things have happened, including the founding of Women's Weekly.

And so too the Chevvy
100 years ago in 1911, the Xinhai Revolution overthrew China's last Imperial Dynasty, the Qing (1644–1912), and established the Republic of China. The revolution consisted of many revolts and uprisings. The turning point is the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911 that was a result of the mishandling of the Railway Protection Movement. The revolution ended with the abdication of Emperor Puyi  on February 12, 1912, that marked the end of over 2,000 years of Imperial China and the beginning of Republican China
The picture above shows the Nanking Road after the Shanghai uprising showing the "Five Races Under One Union" flags used by the revolutionaries.
It was not only abroad that tensions were growing. In response to the Llanelli Railway Workers Strike a   local JP and Railway shareholder called in the Army.  

This resulted in two young men being shot to death.  In the following riot train trucks were fired and unfortunately an explosion of a wagon containing detonators led to four more deaths.

On a lighter note and thanks to Topfoto for the next three images

Mrs Elizabeth Shaw of Rothbury Road in Hackney Wick is celebrating her 101st birthday - Mrs Shaw is one of the first old age pensioners - her pension book is No 13 - photo shows Mrs Elizabeth Shaw and her pet cat on her 101st birthday. October 19th 1934
Born 1832, drew pension in 1909 aged 77


A Vacuum cleaner from the first decade - looks like harder work than sweeping.

A now for the Arts

Vaslav Nijinski, and Anna Pavlova in "Le Pavillon d'Armide". First season of the Russian ballets. Paris, 1909

18 comments:

  1. Very interesting Mike. You struck lucky with that Woman’s Weekly front cover. I wonder if anyone else will pick up on that. I bet it’s full of ‘vintage’ tips!

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  2. A great mix - all really interesting.

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  3. I wish I had that Woman's Weekly. I never heard of it, but that's not surprising since I am in the wrong country.

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  4. What an eclectic mix of fun facts.
    Nancy javier

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  5. What a collection : the kind of digital equivalent to one of those little cupboards the Victorians would keep all their keepsakes in. One of the great things about Sepia Saturday has been discovering so many other fascinating blogs and I certainly count "From Here To Sepia" among those

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  6. An eclectic mix from things past. I had not heard of that Llanelli incident. Getting a pension at 77 puts today's pension age in the spotlight.

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  7. Great post Bob. Very creative. I just love this week. So many great posts and I have learned and loved them all.
    QMM

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  8. This was excellent, so many images marking 100. I smiled through them. Good for Mrs. Shaw drawing that pension all those years and she looks so content. The opening about Hector was really a trip in memory, had not thought of the mythical heroes in a long time. You did a lot of work here. Enjoyed it all.

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  9. Ah, Woman's Weekly, my great aunt's favourite. She would have been 12 when that first issue came out.

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  10. Cheers, Bob - Mr Singh is my favourite - I'm half his age but couldn't run for the bus, never mind a marathon. I wonder what his secret is? Jo :-)

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  11. What a wonderful journey through 100s. Great post!

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  12. What an interesting collection. I'm inspired by Mr. Singh, but not by the vacuum cleaner.It looks as if it would blow dust about.

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  13. You certainly danced through some variations in this post! :)

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  14. What a fascinating and eclectic collection of 'one hundreds'. It made very interesting reading.

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  15. This post took me to times and places I'd not thought about before. Thanks so much. It was very interesting.

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  16. I wonder what it says on Mr. Singh's shirt. Maybe there's a hint there!
    Barbara

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  17. I think it says "Sikhs in the City," Barbara. An interesting set of images, thank you Mike.

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