Was there some Freudian symbolism in Lucian’s botanical paintings?
In early paintings such as ‘Man with a Thistle’ (1946), ‘Still-life with Green Lemon’ (1946) and ‘Self-portrait with Hyacinth Pot’…
Feasts, flowers and plein-air painting at Benton End
Cedric Morris is often referred to as an artist-plantsman, and while as a breeder of plants, most particularly of irises,…
Fluttering to extinction: the tragedy of Britain’s butterflies
In 1979, despite the best efforts of scientists for more than a century, a butterfly called the British Large Blue…
The scourge of Christian missionaries in British-Indian history
Objectivity seems to be difficult for historians writing about Britain’s long and complicated relationship with India, and this makes the…
How pleasant to know Mr Lear
Edward Lear liked to tell the story of how he was once sitting in a railway carriage with two women…
The shocks and shells of the Somme
In the final months of 1914, medical officers on the Western Front began seeing a new kind of casualty. Soldiers…
The British army’s greatest catastrophe — and its most valuable lesson
‘July 1st 1916 was the most interesting day of my life,’ Philip Howe recalled, with characteristic English dryness, half a…
The other trenches: the Dardanelles, 100 years on
In August 1915, in his tent at GHQ on the Aegean island of Imbros, General Sir Ian Hamilton, commander-in-chief of…
Sophia Duleep Singh: from socialite to socialist
Princess Sophia Alexandrovna Duleep Singh (1876–1948) had a heritage as confusing as her name. Her father was a deposed Indian…
David Hockney, our most popular and hardworking living artist, returns to the easel
The first volume of Christopher Simon Sykes’s biography of David Hockney ended in the summer of 1975. The 38-year-old painter…
The long and disgraceful life of Britain's pre-eminent bounder
In his time, Gerald Hamilton (1890–1970) was an almost legendary figure, but he is now remembered — if at all…
From Scylax to the Beatles: the West's lust for India
From the Greek seafarer Scylax in 500 BC to the Beatles in 1968, there is a long history of foreign…
A truth too tender for memoir
It has been 14 years since Akhil Sharma published his first, widely acclaimed novel, An Obedient Father. Though its subject…
Brains with green fingers
‘Life is bristling with thorns,’ Voltaire observed in 1769, ‘and I know no other remedy than to cultivate one’s garden.’…
Lawlessness, corruption, poverty and pollution: the city where we're all headed
Rana Dasgupta, who was born and brought up in Britain, moved to Delhi at the end of 2000, principally to…
Pine by Laura Mason; Lily, by Marcia Reiss - review
After the success of their animal series of monographs, Reaktion Books have had the clever idea of doing something similar…
Francois Truffaut, by Anne Gillian - review
Almost 30 years after his death, François Truffaut remains a vital presence in the cinema. Terrence Malick and Wes Anderson…
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