Ellipsocephalus hoffi? Trilobite Fossil

 

I was at a geology meeting yesterday there was this identified trilobite fossil there. The specimen is from the estate of Dr. James Conkin (1924-2017). No label was provided so identification is an educated guess.

My guess it is an Ellipsocephalus hoffi? (Schlotheim, 1823) trilobite fossil found in the Jince Formation of the Czech Republic. The fossil dates to the Cambrian Period (Drumian Age, Miaolingian Epoch). 

 

When I looked at Sunday's Courier Journal (October 16,2022) there was a huge two page advertisement for an upcoming art exhibit at the Speed Art Museum here in Louisville. It is entitled Alphose Mucha: Art Nouveau Visionary on exhibit October 21, 2022 thru January 21, 2023.

Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) was born in the town of Ivančice in southern Moravia, Czech Republic. He grew up to become a graphic artist, painter and illustrator. So this artist is from the same country as this trilobite. He was famous for his Art Nouveau theater poster for the French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923).

 

Credit: Sarah Bernhardt in the role of La Tosca. Colour lithograph by A. Mucha, 1899. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark

 

As it turns out Sarah Bernhardt visited Louisville five times to perform. Her first visit was February 21-22 in 1811. She performed Frou Frou on Monday night and Fedora on Tuesday night at Macauley's Theatre (1873-1925) and ticket prices ranged from $1-3. Sarah Bernhardt's next visit was about 10 years later when she acted in La Tosca on October 19, 1891 at the sold out 450 seat Louisville Auditorium and the next night at 8:30PM performed Fedora at the same theater. Interesting theater tickets were priced the same as before. 

 

1906 Postcard of Sarah Bernhardt in Fedora Source World Digital Library and Wikipedia

The Courier-Journal sent a reporter to Crawfordsville, Indiana to meet her private Monon train consisting of the engine, two baggage cars, a special coach and the actress's car. Another train was sent from Chicago to Cincinnati with the set for Cleopatra bypassing Louisville. She had closed a two week performance at McVicker's Theater in Chicago where the performed 10 shows a week. The reporter was invited to interview her about an hour outside of Louisville. The full interview is published on page 2 of the Monday October 18, 1891 edition. One part of the article stood out to me "When nearing Louisville she was asked if she remembered anything of her previous visit here. 'It is eleven years,' she said, 'and I have a very indistinct recollection. I can scarcely fix places or directions.' But as the train drew on the Bridge and some one said they were crossing the Ohio, she cried out: 'Oh the Ohio! Louisville is at the rapids. Yes, I remember all about it now. The rapids of the Ohio.'"

 

1894 Poster for the première production of Victorien Sardou's Gismonda starring Sarah Bernhardt at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris.Plate 27 from "Les Maîtres de l'Affiche", Imprimerie Chaix (Encres Lorilleux & C^ie). From Wikipedia

According to her obituary notice in the Courier Journal in 1923 she returned to Louisville in 1898 to play in Gis Monda and Izael at the Auditorium. Bernhardt returned again in 1907.

 

Her last visit to Louisville, Kentucky USA was for a Saturday evening performance at Macauley's Theatre February 10, 1917. By then she was 70 years old and had part of one leg amputated so she acted several famous scenes (Cleopatra-Camille, Du Theatre Au Champ D'Honneur, Rosalie) from her past work while seated.  

One other tasty discovery I made at this geology meeting was tasting a Hoosier Cream pie. IT TASTES GREAT! Learn more about this type of pie at the IndyStar article.

 

 

Fossils Embedded in Column at Speed Art Museum

If you ever visit the Speed Art Museum in downtown Louisville next to the campus of the University of Louisville, check out the polished columns leading the Grand Staircase. The arrow in the image points to an area of the column with interesting fossils. It is next to the entrance to the Ancient art rooms.

The image above shows crinoid stem sections. The one shaped it a star pattern is particularly nice. The next image appears to be fenestrate bryozoan fossil. The polishing of the slab has made its details standout quite nicely.

On a future visit, I might ask the staff if they have any information about where rock columns were quarried at.

Also in the first picture you can see (in between column and statue) in the distance an Egyptian sarcophagus lid made of limestone. It has quite a few fossils embedded in it. Unfortunately, it is on loan from another museum and is not allowed to be photographed so I cannot make a specific post about it. :( So if you visit the museum check it out up close in its display case and see if you can find the fossils! 

Fossils at the Speed Art Museum

I visited the Speed Art Museum in downtown Louisville next to the campus of the University of Louisville. The museum opened on January 15, 1927 as the J.B. Speed Memorial Museum. It features artworks by Rembrandt, Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, and Rockwell. My visit I was interested in the Ancient Art area. After visiting the MET in New York City, I thought looking at Egyptian limestone might yield more fossil finds. This hunch proved right.

The museum has a limestone relief of Thoth, Egyptian god of wisdom, writing, magic, and the moon. This image was probably depicting a burial ceremony where Thoth is listing the vices and virtues of the deceased as they move to the afterlife. Near the back of the head in the stone is a dark area. This appears to me to be a cross-section of a brachiopod fossil. The inner part might be filled with calcite crystals.

The artwork is from the Late Period (about 1000 B.C.). The museum acquired the piece in the 1970s.