Sightings

"Chinamania: Whistler and the Victorian Craze for Blue and White," a small thematic exhibition on view at the Freer Gallery until Aug. 2011, explores the significance of Chinese export porcelain in Victorian England, where it began as an object of serious aesthetic inspiration but soon proliferated as a status symbol. more »

"Although I was able to help put her at ease, the encounter was very emotional, producing in me both the cognitive and physiological aspects of anxiety, as well as a resolve to do everything possible to prevent such an unpleasant experience for future patients ... I recall privately counseling myself that the next operation would be 'the best carpal tunnel release that I have ever performed.' " more »

A new interactive White House kitchen tour recalls to mind Eleanor Roosevelt's own 'Dinnergate'. An FDR anti-epicurean affair related in Gourmet magazine revealed a cook's high-handed ways made the White House staff loathe her and it was soon apparent that apart from dessert, the meals she oversaw were going to be dreadful. more »

Although the dress was kept in such a low light level, the exposure to natural and bright artificial lights over many years caused irreversible deterioration of the fabric and fading of the colors. The portion of the skirt made with weighted silk became so weakened over time that it breaks nearly any time it is touched. more »