John Held, Jr.: The Yale-Princeton Football Game

Tomorrow the Princeton-Yale football rivalry begun in 1873 continues at Princeton. For me, the graphic high point of this rivalry came in 1927 when John Held, Jr., illustrated the cover for the program. The 1927 game was played in New Haven; Held was a Connecticut resident who created other illustrations for Yale. The program cover is illustrated with one of Held's woodcut-style prints evocative not of the Jazz Age, but of the 1890s. The look was deliberately old-fashioned, even back then.

John Held, Jr.
Yale-Princeton program cover
November 12, 1927

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/college-football-program-granger.html

A copy of the program in less-than-ideal condition was sold in the spring on eBay:

John Held, Jr.
eBay Listing Ended April 3, 2017

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOVEMBER-12-1927-YALE-PRINCETON-FOOTBALL-GAME-PROGRAM-JOHN-HELD-JR-/272607773031?hash=item3f78b08167%3Ag%3AYfMAAOSw32lY2X8c&nma=true&si=YQGb25QThn5Fxe78BW8tTy6VzZY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

John Held, Jr.
eBay Item Description

eBay Bid History
Eight bids, with the winning bid placed in the final ten minutes

Note:  This just in:  On November 12, 1927 the Yale Bulldogs defeated the Princeton Tigers, 14-6. Over the years Yale has won 73 games to Princeton's 56, with 10 ties dating to the earlier years.

Original art by John Held, Jr., published or unpublished; whether drawn, printed, or painted; is sought-after stuff here on Attempted Bloggery. Please send your scans or photographs this way. I'd also love to post a few published Held images that are new to the internet.

Am I the only one who feels the last 90 years have been disappointing? I thought not.


November 11, 2017 Update:  Yale defeated Princeton today, 35-31. That brings Yale's wins to 74 games, besting Princeton's 56, with 10 ties.


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02362

Agatha Christie's Spider's Web

I won't try to summarize the plot to Agatha Christie's "Spider's Web" but I will say this obscure 1954 play is well worth a visit. It's tone is unusual for Christie, lighter and more humorous than one might expect from the celebrated mystery writer.

Agatha Christie's
"Spider's Web"
Princeton Summer Theater

https://images.bwwstatic.com/columnpic8/204153C22-E506-9928-C42C189631E059E8.jpg

Note:  This production is at Princeton Summer Theater through July 23.

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"Pippin" in Princeton

I enjoyed last night's performance of "Pippin" (1972) at the Hamilton Murray Theater on the Princeton University campus. It is the opening show of this season's Princeton Summer Theater. I still consider it the defining musical of my generation, though I'm less sure these days what that actually means. The 1998 Theo ending was new to me.

"Pippin" poster
Princeton Summer Theater

http://www.princetonsummertheater.org/pippin/

"Pippin" program
Princeton Summer Theater

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02230

The Quotable Albert Einstein

The words of the highly-quotable Albert Einstein appear on a t-shirt offered for sale on Nassau Street in Princeton. Einstein remains a popular figure in Princeton, but there is no evidence that this quotation about the difference between stupidity and genius, clever as it is, was ever said by him. According to Quote Investigator, this saying is derived from a French quotation which first appeared in print in 1865 where it was attributed to Alexandre Dumas, fils. Nevertheless, you will be forgiven if you choose not to debate this point across the street from the campus of Princeton University.

"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."

—Albert Einstein

T-shirt available at Landau in Princeton

Note:  Yes, you can quote me on that!


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World Premiere: Tim Keyes's The Well

Last night Tim Keyes conducted the world premiere of his oratorio The Well, based on the account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well from the Gospel of John. The music was tuneful and accessible, worthy of widespread performance.

John Caruso, The Well

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Program

The Tim Keyes Consort

Note:  Princeton is a cultural landmark mentioned from time to time on this blog.

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Tree Removal on Nassau Street

Summer provides a brief window for colleges and universities to spruce up their campuses. Here two large trees near the entrance to Princeton University on Nassau Street come down.

The limbs have already been removed on June 20, 2015

"X" marks the spot, June 20, 2015

Tree stump, August 29, 2015

Note:  See more posts about Princeton University.

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Forced Perspective on Stage

Last weekend I attended a fine production of Shaw's "Pygmalion" at Princeton Summer Theater. The set consisted of a number of classical busts, a gesture to Ovid's ancient telling of the myth of Pygmalion, the sculptor who fell in love with his own creation. Note how the largest busts are on either side relatively downstage, while the smallest is farthest upstage. You might perhaps expect the smallest sculpture to be placed nearer to the audience, but there is good reason for keeping it where it is.

Your brain wants to believe that all the faces are approximately the same size. By placing the largest heads closer to the audience and the smallest further back, the audience perceives the stage as having greater depth than it actually does. This concept is known as forced perspective. The set designer has made good use of it.

Far downstage are Henry Higgins's slippers. Behind them is a bust of the Apollo Belvedere.

Professor Higgins's recording device is at center stage.

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George Segal: Circus Acrobats

George Segal's Circus Acrobats from 1981 [now corrected to 1988] is installed in the lobby just outside the main entrance to the Princeton University Art Museum. Of all the artist's works, surely this plaster sculpture is one of his most joyous, a truly exhilarating work.

George Segal (American, 1924-2000)
Circus Acrobats, 1981 [now corrected to 1988]

Plaster

Princeton University Art Museum, Gift of the George and Helen Segal Foundation [2009-80 a-c]       

March 21, 2020 Update:  Comments left below by Neil S. Schwartz prompted me to contact the museum to ascertain the actual casting dates for this piece. I'm pleased to report the museum's research confirmed Mr. Schwartz's contention that the year of casting was 1988. They have corrected the year on their website (but erroneously retained 1981 as the copyright year).

https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/collections/objects/57120

Note:  There are more disparate examples of sculpture to see right here in the blog.

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