1 March 2007
Early spring in Den Haag
1 March 2007
Early spring in Den Haag
1 March 2007
Early spring in Den Haag
1 March 2007
A canal in Utrecht
1 March 2007
This lovely figure was the place to pick up a guide of the self-playing instrument museum in Utrecht.
1 March 2003
These statuettes are also music boxes.
At the music box museum in Utrecht
1 March 2003
This instrument is a player piano with three violins inside. Each violin has one string and several mechanical "fingers" to stop the strings along the neck. A round bow circles all the violins. The violins play by being pressed against the spinning bow. The player piano part is normal.
At the clockwork musical instrument museum in Utrecht.
1 March 2003
An art deco player-organ in Utrecht.
1 March 2003
The top part is organ pipes. Below them, you see the roll. This is a giant music box!
At the clockwork instrument museum in Utrecht.
1 March 2007
A street organ. These take punch card strips like looms.
At the clockwork instrument museum in Utrecht.
1 March 2007
A street organ. These take punch card strips like looms.
It's not uncommon to see these around Dutch cities on sunny days. I think they're still popular because the country is so flat, so it's reasonable to move them around. Some are pulled by modified motorcycles, others by horses. Another visitor to the museum told me that they used to be even more common in her childhood. She said they would go around neighborhoods and all the kids would come out with coins to give to the organ operators. Then they would follow the organ around like a parade.
At the clockwork instrument museum in Utrecht.
1 March 2007
A street organ. These take punch card strips like looms.
At the clockwork instrument museum in Utrecht.
1 March 2007
Street organs. These take punch card strips like looms.
At the clockwork instrument museum in Utrecht.
1 March 2007
This gender-bending painting was also in the clockwork instrument museum. I have no idea what it's about, since the tour guide didn't explain or leave enough time for me to try to decode the Dutch.
In Utrecht
1 March 2007
A street organ. These take punch card strips like looms.
At the clockwork instrument museum in Utrecht.
1 March 2007
These are dance-hall organs. They're not actually bigger or louder than street organs, they're just arranged to take up more visual space.
In the days before sounds systems and DJs, street parties, festivals and the like still didn't have to depend on live musicians. These organs could be moved to your town, set up in a hall or a tent and provide audio and visual entertainment for a party.
At the clockwork instrument museum in Utrecht
1 March 2007
These are dance-hall organs. They're not actually bigger or louder than street organs, they're just arranged to take up more visual space.
In the days before sounds systems and DJs, street parties, festivals and the like still didn't have to depend on live musicians. These organs could be moved to your town, set up in a hall or a tent and provide audio and visual entertainment for a party.
At the clockwork instrument museum in Utrecht
1 March 2007
These are dance-hall organs. They're not actually bigger or louder than street organs, they're just arranged to take up more visual space.
In the days before sounds systems and DJs, street parties, festivals and the like still didn't have to depend on live musicians. These organs could be moved to your town, set up in a hall or a tent and provide audio and visual entertainment for a party.
At the clockwork instrument museum in Utrecht
1 March 2007
Church tower in Utrecht.
1 March 2007
Yes, that says "Sodomie."
This is a monument to a spot where 17 men were punished (killed?) for being gay.
Next to the big church in Utrecht.
1 March 2007
"Homoseksualiteit"
This is a monument to a spot where 17 men were punished (killed?) for being gay.
Next to the big church in Utrecht.
1 March 2007
A canal in Utrecht
1 March 2007
Dead bike in Utrecht
4 March 2007
This cow is deployed in the Haagische Bluff in Den Haag, out side a fancy men's shirt store (and very near my flat.
It's a cow, not a bull, as it has udders. A cross-dressing jersey is kind of interesting, but this goes further in that the hooves are painted with a color usually used as a skin tone for white people. Is it a "white" cow in black-face? Is it engage in trans-gender, trans-species, trans-race drag? Is this child trying to milk it?
I am intrigued by this cow.
4 March 2007
Gollywogs aren't just for St Nick anymore.
Den Haag
04 March 2007
At the time I took this picture, I just thought this was a cool building, but now the picture speaks to me about how dreary The Hague looks during the winter.
4 March 2007
A nice canal house next to a park in Den Haag.
4 March 2007
Xena steadfastly refuses to look at the camera in Den Haag
4 March 2007
Xena scopes out some ducks in Den Haag
4 March 2007
Xena scopes out some ducks in Den Haag
