Evening At The Iris Field By Timothy Easton (l Auf Leinwand)

Evening at the Iris Field by Timothy Easton (Öl auf Leinwand)

Do you ever feel like a wattle-necked softshell turtle (Palea steindachneri)? You are not alone. Found in parts of Southeastern China and Vietnam, this rare reptile’s carapace, or shell, can grow up to 17 in (43.2 cm) long. It inhabits freshwater pools and feeds on fish, insects, and small invertebrates. Unfortunately, this species is critically endangered and is threatened due in part to habitat degradation and being hunted for the food trade.

Photo: randall_f, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

"I too had a daughter. And I loved her deeply, and infinitely. I called her my unicorn because she was born with only one horn. But her horn was only a small part of what made my daughter special. She was unique and quirky. Some saw her as strange or odd, but all I saw was a beautiful, brilliant girl full of unexpected surprises. She didn't care to follow the order set in the stars. Though she was born an immortal being from the heavens, she loved this world, and all its flaws. Her heart was warm and open, and she befriended mortals, animals, elves, and humans. Her name was Leola."

Study of Violets (German, late 16th century) by an anonymous artist.

Watercolour on paper.

© The Trustees of the British Museum.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license.

I'm a bald Solas lover I swear!!!!

—> Process video under the cut because of flash warning.

Why does Alice wear an apron?

During the 19th and early 20th centuries (Alice in wonderland taking place in 1865) it was common for young children to wear a pinafore or apron on top of their clothing to keep it clean. Because naturally children are messy and clothes are expensive and in a world before fast fashion you didn’t have a lot of clothes so you have to keep yours nice. So Alice being around seven at the time of the first book it is (in a historical context) unsurprising that Alice wears an apron/pinafore as most children her a age and younger would have. That is why Alice is always portrayed with her apron but of course as the decades went by this historical context has been lost to most people.

This is also why in the Alice in wonderland 2010 movie 19-year old Alice doesn’t have her now iconic apron. By that point in her life Alice should be wearing adult clothing. And although the movie doesn’t have the best historically accurate costuming I do appreciate the small historical detail none the less.