Virginia Pope made high fashion news

It is the birthday of fashion writer Virginia Pope (1886), who was fashion editor of The New York Times from 1933 to 1955. She is credited with turning fashion writing into news.  She was the first to send photos of the 1930s Paris shows for publication the next day in New York. When World War II separated American designers from the fashion centers of Europe, Pope produced home-grown Fashions of the Times revues, featuring the work of American designers, and in the process, making them widely known. In addition to two decades of writing about fashion for the Times, her work appears in American Fashion (2007),  an illustrated history of apparel in the United States.

Happy birthday, Peter Paul Rubens

It is the birthday of Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577), who is remembered for his exuberant Baroque works that were full of sensuality, movement, and color. He is particularly known for his paintings of full-figured women, which led to the term Rubenesque for larger women. But he also painted portraits of friends, landscapes, historical scenes and commissioned altarpieces during the Counter Reformation. He also served as a diplomat, and was knighted by Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England. Rubens earned a fine living from his paintings but it is unlikely they fetched in his lifetime the sum that one of his works did in 2002. His first version of The Massacre of the Innocents (1612) brought $76.2 million at auction, still a record for a European master painting.

Massacre of the Innocents (1612) was sold for $76.2 million in 2002.

Happy birthday, Emma Goldman

It is the birthday of anarchist Emma Goldman (1869), who wrote fervently and extensively on patriotism, anarchism, atheism, women's rights, social issues, military draft, worker's rights, and capitalism. In 1919, she and her lover and fellow anarchist Alexander Berkman (pictured) were deported to Russia because of their radical beliefs. At first she embraced the Bolshevik revolution but then came to oppose its heavy-handed policies. She campaigned for leftist causes throughout Europe, including support for anarchists in the Spanish Civil War. She eventually loathed Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and Franco. She wrote Anarchism and Other Essays (1910), The Social Significance of Modern Drama (1914), My Disillusionment in Russia (1923), My Further Disillusionment in Russia (1924), and Living My Life (1931).

Happy birthday, Big Bill Broonzy

It is the birthday of blues singer and guitarist Big Bill Broonzy (1893), who is remembered as one of the leading figures in 20th century blues music. He was a traditionalist whose roots in country blues in the 1930s and 1940s, gave him the foundation that made him one of the key developers of the Chicago blues style after World War II. He was equally at home on acoustic guitar and electric guitar. He influenced Muddy Waters, Memphis Slim, Ray Davies, Eric Clapton, and others.