Subject: ‘Theatre’

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Hero of Niagara

Posted in America, Artist, Famous news stories, Historical articles, History, Theatre on Tuesday, 26 November 2019

This edited article about Blondin originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 683 published on 15 February 1975.

Blondin, picture, image, illustration

Blondin (Francois Gravelet) pushes a wheelbarrow across a tightrope over Niagara Falls

Thousands of people stared fascinated at a rope stretched across Niagara Falls on 30th June, 1859. The rope was over a thousand feet long and a hundred and sixty feet above the roaring tumult of the river.

Suddenly the crowd froze with excitement. A man had started to walk along the rope from the American side. Half-way across, he lay down; then he proceeded to do a backwards somersault. He reached the far side and, as the cheers rang out, a band struck up the Marseillaise.

The tightrope walker started back to the American side carrying a chair. When he reached the middle of the rope, he balanced the chair on two legs and sat down on it.

The performer’s name was Blondin, and he was the greatest of all rope-walkers.

Over the centuries, the world of the circus and of acrobats has cast such a spell over so many people that it is surprising how few of its great performers are remembered by name. But there is no danger of Blondin being forgotten because, indoors as well as out, he took spectacular risks which caught the imagination of literally millions of people who never actually saw him perform.

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The best pictures from educational trade cards, 117

Posted in Ancient History, Architecture, Arts and Crafts, Best pictures, Boats, Customs, Educational card, Historical articles, History, Legend, Leisure, Politics, Sea, Ships, Theatre on Thursday, 26 November 2015

We have selected three of the best pictures from our large collection of 19th and early 20th century educational trade cards.
The first picture shows Croesus showing his treasures to Solon.

Croesus, picture, image, illustration

Croesus showing his treasures to Solon, 6th Century BC

The second picture shows the Marriage of the Doge and the Adriatic.

Doge, picture, image, illustration

Marriage of the Doge and the Adriatic in Venice

The third picture shows a Winter Carnival in St Petersburg in 1765.

carnival, picture, image, illustration

Winter Carnival in St Petersburg in 1765

High-resolution scans of all educational cards can be found in the Look and Learn picture library.

The best pictures from educational trade cards, 116

Posted in Actors, Architecture, Best pictures, Educational card, Fairy Tale, Famous Composers, Heroes and Heroines, Historical articles, History, Law, Magic, Music, Politics, Theatre on Thursday, 26 November 2015

We have selected three of the best pictures from our large collection of 19th and early 20th century educational trade cards.
The first picture shows Cinderella by the kitchen fire.

Cinderella, picture, image, illustration

Cinderella by the Kitchen Fire

The second picture shows townsfolk reading a Notice giving their town the right to levy local taxation.

Tax, picture, image, illustration

Notice of the right of a town to levy Octroi tax in the Middle Ages

The third picture shows the dying Violetta in the closing scene of Verdi’s La Traviata.

Traviata, picture, image, illustration

Rodolphe Asks For Forgiveness From Violetta Who Is Dying

High-resolution scans of all educational cards can be found in the Look and Learn picture library.

The best pictures from educational trade cards, 115

Posted in Actors, Africa, Ancient History, Best pictures, Boats, British Countryside, Christmas, Customs, Educational card, Fairy Tale, Famous Composers, Heroes and Heroines, Historical articles, History, Magic, Music, Rivers, Theatre, Transport, Travel on Thursday, 26 November 2015

We have selected three of the best pictures from our large collection of 19th and early 20th century educational trade cards.
The first picture shows a barge on the Nile.

Nile, picture, image, illustration

On a barge in the Nile

The second picture shows Christmas Eve in England in the 18th Century.

Christmas, picture, image, illustration

Christmas Eve in England, 18th Century

The third picture shows the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote.

opera, picture, image, illustration

The Queen of Night Meets Tamino and Papageno

High-resolution scans of all educational cards can be found in the Look and Learn picture library.

The best pictures from educational trade cards, 113

Posted in Actors, Best pictures, Customs, Discoveries, Famous Composers, Famous crimes, Famous Inventors, Historical articles, History, Inventions, Leisure, Science, Theatre on Thursday, 26 November 2015

We have selected three of the best pictures from our large collection of 19th and early 20th century educational trade cards.
The first picture shows a scene from Tosca.

La Tosca, picture, image, illustration

La Tosca by Sardou

The second picture shows a kite flying festival in the imperial gardens, China.

kites, picture, image, illustration

Kite flying festival in the imperial gardens, China

The third picture shows Nikola Tesla’s experiment producing light generated by an electric transformer, 1895.

Nikola Tesla, picture, image, illustration

Nikola Tesla's experiment producing light generated by an electric transformer, 1895

High-resolution scans of all educational cards can be found in the Look and Learn picture library.

The best pictures from educational trade cards, 98

Posted in Actors, Architecture, Best pictures, Educational card, English Literature, Famous battles, Historical articles, History, Invasions, Leisure, Literature, London, Politics, Religion, Royalty, Shakespeare, Theatre, War on Thursday, 26 November 2015

We have selected three of the best pictures from our large collection of 19th and early 20th century educational trade cards.
The first picture shows Shakespeare performing before Queen Elizabeth I in 1595.

Shakespeare, picture, image, illustration

Shakespeare performing before Queen Elizabeth I in 1595

The second picture shows Hernan Cortes, Spanish conquistador, receiving gifts from the Aztec Emperor Montezuma.

Hernan Cortes, picture, image, illustration

Hernan Cortes, Spanish conquistador, receiving gifts from the Aztec Emperor Montezuma, Mexico, 1518-1519

The third picture shows Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden attending an open air service before the Battle of Lutzen, Germany, 1632.

Lutzen, picture, image, illustration

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden attends an open air service before the Battle of Lutzen, Germany, 1632

High-resolution scans of all educational cards can be found in the Look and Learn picture library.

The best pictures from educational trade cards, 94

Posted in Actors, Ancient History, Architecture, Best pictures, Customs, Educational card, Fairy Tale, Famous Composers, Famous landmarks, Historical articles, History, Legend, Literature, Magic, Music, Politics, Sea, Ships, Theatre on Thursday, 26 November 2015

We have selected three of the best pictures from our large collection of 19th and early 20th century educational trade cards.
The first picture shows the words and music for the popular English song, ‘Rule Britannia’.

Rule Britannia, picture, image, illustration

Rule Britannia

The second picture shows Aladin and the magic lamp.

Aladin, picture, image, illustration

Aladin and the magic lamp

The third picture shows Ancient Greek theatre.

theatre, picture, image, illustration

Ancient Greek theatre

High-resolution scans of all educational cards can be found in the Look and Learn picture library.

The best pictures from educational trade cards, 76

Posted in Actors, Ancient History, Architecture, Best pictures, Educational card, English Literature, Famous battles, Famous landmarks, Heroes and Heroines, Historical articles, History, Literature, Politics, Royalty, Shakespeare, Theatre, War on Wednesday, 25 November 2015

We have selected three of the best pictures from our large collection of 19th and early 20th century educational trade cards.
The first picture shows Ancient Greek stonemasons using measuring instruments.

Greece, picture, image, illustration

Ancient Greek stonemasons using measuring instruments

The second picture shows Signalling towers in the 15th Century.

Signalling towers, picture, image, illustration

Signalling towers, 15th Century

The third picture shows Prince Hal and Falstaff after the Battle of Shrewsbury.

Falstaff, picture, image, illustration

Prince Henry and Falstaff after the Battle of Shrewsbury

High-resolution scans of all educational cards can be found in the Look and Learn picture library.

The best pictures from educational trade cards, 67

Posted in Artist, Arts and Crafts, Best pictures, Educational card, Famous battles, Historical articles, History, Leisure, Literature, Royalty, Theatre, War, Weapons on Wednesday, 25 November 2015

We have selected three of the best pictures from our large collection of 19th and early 20th century educational trade cards.
The first picture shows the workshop of a medieval mask maker.

masks, picture, image, illustration

Workshop of a medieval mask maker

The second picture shows Moliere at the table of Louis XIV.

Moliere, picture, image, illustration

Moliere at the table of Louis XIV

The third picture shows the Defence of Bazeilles during the Battle of Sedan.

Battle of Sedan, picture, image, illustration

Battle of Sedan, the Defence of Bazeilles

High-resolution scans of all educational cards can be found in the Look and Learn picture library.

The best pictures from educational trade cards, 66

Posted in Best pictures, Castles, Educational card, Famous battles, Historical articles, History, Invasions, Music, Politics, Theatre, War on Wednesday, 25 November 2015

We have selected three of the best pictures from our large collection of 19th and early 20th century educational trade cards.
The first picture shows Verdi’s first inspiration in music.

Verdi, picture, image, illustration

Verdi's First Inspiration in Music

The second picture shows the death of Simon de Montfort.

 de Montfort, picture, image, illustration

The Death of Simon de Montfort

The third picture shows Napoleon’s army crossing the Great St Bernard Pass into Italy, May 1800.

Napoleon, picture, image, illustration

Napoleon's army crossing the Great St Bernard Pass into Italy, May 1800

High-resolution scans of all educational cards can be found in the Look and Learn picture library.