Cabinets of Curiosity

painted by Charles Wilson Peale, 1822

Cabinets of Curiosity

Reflections of Rigolettoor how the hunchback gave his only daughter to die for our sins

A cabinet of curiosities starring Victor Hugo, Verdi, Saint-Simon, Louis-Philippe, Mr Punch

with a full cast of dwarfs, hunchbacks and puppets, the portrait of Mr Dorian Grey

and supported by the Thêatre Grand Guignol de Montmartre.

© James Beswick Whitehead, 2001

James Beswick Whitehead was born in Southport and educated at St. Mary's College, Crosby and the University College of North Wales, Bangor. Based near Central Manchester, his day job is teaching English.  His articles on films, literature and classical music, have been widely disseminated via the Internet and translated into several languages.  Since 2004, he has concentrated on film, with a special interest in Alfred Hitchcock, Carl Theodor Dreyer and European Cinema. He is currently working on a volume of film studies entitled, Did you see what I did? Do you know what it means? Part of it can be read on this website.

 

1600 Collection, Europe.  Walls and ceiling filled with objects and images.  The entire room becomes a cabinet.

The Picture Gallery of Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga, painted 1749 by Panini.

Inside the Louvre, painted by Samuel Morse, 1833.