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TheCapture of Wakefield occurred on 21 May 1643 during theFirst English Civil War when around 1,500Parliamentarians under the command ofSir Thomas Fairfax(depicted) attacked theRoyalist garrison ofWakefield,Yorkshire. They were outnumbered by around 3,000 Royalists led byGeorge Goring, but successfully stormed the town. Around 800 Parliamentarians had been taken prisoner after Fairfax wasdefeated at Seacroft Moor, and he planned the attack to take prisoners of his own toexchange for his men. He marched his force fromLeeds and divided it to attack from two different directions. After around two hours of fighting early in the morning, they broke into the town. Goring, who had been in bed suffering from either illness or a hangover, led a counterattack in his nightshirt, but to no avail. Fairfax took roughly 1,400 prisoners while, according to his own account, losing no more than seven men. (Full article...)
May 21:World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
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The Sleeping Gypsy is an 1897 oil-on-canvas by the FrenchNaïve artistHenri Rousseau. It is a fantastical depiction of a lion musing over a sleeping woman on a moonlit night. Rousseau first exhibited the painting at the 13thSalon des Indépendants, and tried unsuccessfully to sell it to the mayor of his hometown,Laval. It instead entered the private collection of a Parisian charcoal merchant, where it remained until 1924, when it was discovered by the art critic Louis Vauxcelles. The Paris-based art dealerDaniel-Henry Kahnweiler purchased the painting in 1924, although a controversy arose over whether the painting was a forgery. It was acquired by art historianAlfred H. Barr Jr. for theMuseum of Modern Art in New York, where it remains. Painting credit:Henri Rousseau Recently featured: |
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