Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 221

National Artist Bencab visited Tokyo last week. How time flies, the last time we...

National Artist Bencab visited Tokyo last week. How time flies, the last time we went sightseeing together in Japan was in Kyoto in 2003. This photo taken by Annie Sarthou in Kamakura.

[image error]
Near Famous

More famous than the Filipino midgets were the prewar Godino Twins a.k.a. "The Y...

More famous than the Filipino midgets were the prewar Godino Twins a.k.a. "The Yangco Twins" named after the philantrophist Teodoro Yangco who rescued them from a Coney Island circus and adopted them as his own sons. I've gathered enough material on them for an extended essay that I hope to write soon.

[image error]
History 2

Juan and Martina de la Cruz were midgets from Capiz who went on roadshows in the...

Juan and Martina de la Cruz were midgets from Capiz who went on roadshows in the US in the early 1900’s. They spoke: Visayan, Tagalog, Kapampangan, Spanish and English and did a dance routine in roadshows in the U.S. Juan was married to Gregoria (middle) and sired “normal” sized children. What became of them after their claim to fame as the smallest in the world, is something I still have to research on

[image error]

My Inquirer column today on Rizal's Dapitan exile.http://opinion.inquirer.net/3...

My Inquirer column today on Rizal's Dapitan exile.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/37584/exile-deportation-banishment


Exile, deportation, banishment
opinion.inquirer.net
During martial law, then Senators Benigno Aquino Jr. and Jose Diokno were detained in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

The Jesuit botanist Georg Joseph Kamel (1661-1706) never described the flower na...

The Jesuit botanist Georg Joseph Kamel (1661-1706) never described the flower named in his honor—the Camellia. It is not well known that his pioneering research in Manila was published in London in the early 18th century as: Herbarium aliarumque stirpium in insula Luzone Philippinarum (Herbs and Medicinal Plants in the island of Luzon, Philippines) and Observationes de Avibus Philippensibus (Observations of Philippine Birds).

[image error]
History 2

My Inquirer column today on remembering events from the 1970's.http://opinion....

My Inquirer column today on remembering events from the 1970's.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/37466/remembering-the-1970s


Remembering the 1970s
opinion.inquirer.net
Sepia is a color we associate with very old photographs. In my research I associate sepia with faded studio photos of the late 19th century. Thus, I was surprised when the Inquirer ran a photo showing an anti-Marcos demonstration with the late Lorenzo Tañada in the center doing a “kapit-bisig” with ...

Was fortunate I brought all my books to be signed by nationalist historian Teodo...

Was fortunate I brought all my books to be signed by nationalist historian Teodoro A. Agoncillo the last time we met. I described his penmanship as "lightning writing" and that was a good day, often his scribbles were illegible.

[image error]
Autographs

Top view of the 19th century salacot I posted yesterday that displays exquisite...

Top view of the 19th century salacot I posted yesterday that displays exquisite craftsmanship long gone. This salacot is preserved in the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Madrid. Many such artifacts in the Philippines were destroyed during the Second World War, others fell prey to humidity, pests, and the most destructive pest of all--people who didn't value these treasures.

[image error]
History 2

Modern Filipinos live in the tropics but do not seem to wear hats and use umbrel...

Modern Filipinos live in the tropics but do not seem to wear hats and use umbrellas as much as our ancestors did in times past. This elegant 19th century salacot is ornamented with silver birds and foliage. It is preserved in the Museo Antropologico in Madrid.

[image error]
History 2

It's the anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law and I can't locate the bo...

It's the anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law and I can't locate the book with an autograph of Ferdinand Marcos that I chanced upon in Book Sale. I'm posting the flyleaf of "Circles of Life" a book by Imelda Romualdez Marcos to show a sample of her handwriting.

[image error]
Autographs