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I was at the temporary Frick Museum location (in the old Whitney Museum location!) yesterday. One of the things I like to do when looking at portraits is decide who I’d be friends with, as if you can decide based on how some looks what kind of person they were. Among those I chose were Lady Hamilton and Grace Dalrymple Elliott.

This is Lady Hamilton. From the Frick website: “Emma Hart (1765–1815) was a woman of great beauty and charm who rose from humble origins to international fame. Charles Greville, whose mistress she was and who commissioned this portrait, educated her in music and literature, and Greville’s uncle, Sir William Hamilton, British ambassador to Naples, brought her to Italy, where they were married.”

Oh dear. She didn’t end well. “Emma attracted the attention of Lord Horatio Nelson, with whom she had a notorious romantic liaison until his death at the Battle of Trafalgar. Although she inherited money from both Hamilton and Nelson, her extravagance led her into debt, and she died in poverty.”

This is Grace Dalrymple Elliott. On the Frick website I read that she was beautiful and had many affairs practically her whole life long. The Wikipedia summary feels more fleshed out. “Grace Dalrymple Elliott (c. 1754 – 16 May 1823) was a Scottish courtesan, writer and spy resident in Paris during the French Revolution. She was an eyewitness to events detailed in her memoirs, Journal of my life during the French Revolution (Ma Vie sous la Révolution) published posthumously in 1859. She was mistress to the Duke of Orléans and to the future George IV, by whom she is said to have borne an illegitimate daughter. Elliott trafficked correspondence and hid French aristocrats escaping from the French Revolution. She was arrested several times but managed to avoid the guillotine, and was released after the death of Robespierre.”

She had a better end than Lady Hamilton. “She died a wealthy woman at Ville d’Avray, in present-day Hauts-de-Seine, in May 1823, while a lodger with the commune’s mayor.”

I went to see the newly renovated Gems and Minerals exhibit, and to go to a planetarium show. My god but planetarium shows are transporting. I would actually pay double to just sit there and have them move through the stars, with only a little commentary about what I’m seeing. Being able to see stars and the Milky Way would actually be the one thing that might get me to ever leave New York City.

I loved the new Gems and Minerals exhibit, but I discovered that I’m not as curious about how they are formed as I thought I would be. Or maybe I’d rather read a book about it, or see a movie. That said, I loved looking at all the objects and learning a little about them. Such natural beauty. It’s insane.

This just made me think of a fun project! A cabinet of curiosities! I should start one. I have a cabinet. I don’t love it, but I could start with that.

None of my pictures captured the beauty of the gems and minerals, so I’m posting a picture of what was once my favorite thing about the museum.

This ironwork was for a building that was once a bank. Why doesn’t anyone make this kind of effort to ornament buildings anymore? This first shot is so you can see it all in context (ignore the scaffolding in front).

I have almost no pictures of myself growing up. Most were lost in a basement flood. My cousin Debbie so kindly sent me some pictures she had of me. I’ve never seen these before.

This is my favorite, because it feels so back in time. I’m five years old in this shot, and I believe it was taken at my grandparents home in Jamaica Estates, Queens, New York. Doesn’t it look like a picture out of a storybook? What a privileged upbringing I had.

My first communion! I loved my outfit so much.

I’m thrilled to have this one. Me as a tween! An awkward looking tween, which I guess is normal for the age. This one is special because I’m at a pool. For those who don’t know, I’m very into swimming. Talk about a privileged upbringing. This must have been taken at the Huntington Crescent Club, a country club my family belonged to. My mother later told me that we were struggling financially and my father refused to give up the membership and various bills couldn’t be paid as a result. My father started his own business, which worked out well eventually.

As I have bragged many times, my cousin William Kaelin won “the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with two other physician-scientists for unraveling a molecular mechanism that not only is crucial to survival, but is entwined with cancer and other diseases.” Because of Covid we weren’t able to celebrate until last October. Here are a few more pictures.

This is the picture I desperately tried to get myself but mine did not come out well. This is the Nobel Prize winner jumping for joy at the end of the evening. It was one of the sweetest, happiest things I’ve ever seen. That is my brother Douglas to his right.

The Nobel Prize winner … dancing I think. I just like seeing pictures of him looking so happy.

My brother Douglas, me (looking odd but it’s one of only three pictures I have of myself there!) and Bill’s date (I can’t remember her name, lovely person, so sorry).

Douglas again (what can I say, he makes a good picture) dancing with one of our nieces, Lauren.

Me with Bill. I wish I had made an effort with my hair and makeup! But oh well. I’ll do better the next time someone I know wins a Nobel Prize.