Uncle Eddie

UNCLE EDDIE = Eddie Fitzgerald = a storyboarder, writer and director in the animation industry. 

Surfing across Uncle Eddie's web site, it becomes clear that Uncle Eddie has a fascination for beatniks and, where there are beatniks, there are berets. 

Enjoy the fun! 

Irene's Blog

 Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1972

These photographs come from Irene's Amber Reunion blog; a blog about the life and history of her (Lithuanian) family. 

Door Country, Wisconsin 1980

Irene's father was a keen beret wearer and many pictures of him feature on the blog, with beret of course.

Glacier National Park, 1972 (beret pointing the way)

The pictures tell a long history of Lithuania, immigration and the genberal history of the 20th century. Much worth a visit!

Smoke Break Glacier National Park, 1972

The Beret (Boina) in Spain

The main Spanish regions where the use of the beret took hold are the Basque Country, Navarra, Asturias and Castilla. The ultra orthodox and conservative catholic Carlists were interestingly the ones who popularized the use of the beret; they could not have envisioned that it was specifically the workers who later made it their headgear of choice.

After the ending of the Carlist Wars, and especially from 1900, the beret gained popularity in Spain among artists, writers and bohemians, becoming an icon of the arts and a symbol of good taste and an "alternative" against the political and social stagnation of Spain at the time. During the Second

The advent of the Franco regime in 1939 put a big stop to much of Spanish culture; the “bohemian beret” disappeared as there were simply no bohemians left to wear it. It’s use was massive though throughout the Basque Country, Leon, Navarre, Castilia, Extremadura and by much of the Andalusian peasantry. In the years following, the beret became a symbol of rural, agricultural Spain. With the big urbanization in the 1960’s, berets increased in city life, but was still very much seen as a peasant symbol.

The agrarian revolution of the 1980s (with manual work being replaced by machinery) only speeded up the progressive abandonment of the beret. Berets became rare in the country and farmers had to travel to the city to buy a one; this resulted in the advance of the nylon American baseball cap, often given for free by the distributors of chemical fertilizers and machinery dealers.

And so, these days it is mainly the elderly who still hang on to their traditional beret; younger generations being hat-less or wearing the universal ball cap. 

Miguel Delibes

Miguel Delibes Setién (1920 –2010) was a Spanish novelist, journalist and newspaper editor associated with the Generation of '36 movement. From 1975 until his death, he was a member of the Royal Spanish Academy, where he occupied chair "e". He studied commerce and law and began his career as a columnist and later journalist at the El Norte de Castilla. He would later head this newspaper before gradually devoting himself exclusively to the novel.

As a connoisseur of the fauna and flora of his geographical region and someone passionate about hunting and the rural world, he could give form in his works to all matters relating to Castile and hunting from the perspective of an urban person who had not lost touch with that world.

He was one of the leading figures of post-Civil War Spanish literature, for which he was recognized through many awards. However, his influence extends even further, since several of his works have been adapted for the theatre or have been made into films, which won awards at competitions such as the Cannes Film Festival, and television shows.

He was marked deeply by the death of his wife in 1974. In 1998 he was diagnosed with colon cancer, an illness from which he would never fully recover. As a result his literary career came almost entirely to a halt. He fell into apathy and became virtually isolated until his death in 2010.

Pig Wrangling in Chile

Both trout fishing and pig wrangling are very far from what I would think of as my favourite pastimes, but the comments on berets on the blog of Dale Ratliff, are too good not to relate here.

"What ensues involves three guys, one older gaucho in a beret, two very excited farm dogs, chickens, a large angry wild pig, and lots of yelling. What you learn is that pigs are real fast, that dogs aren’t afraid of pigs but should be, that old chileans in berets rule, and that a good old fashioned pig wrangling is really the only way to end a day of fishing." 

Intoxicating Paris

Pamela PJ Adams is a psychotherapist and author living in California. 

"Are you interested in finding your inner Parisian? Intoxicating Paris: Uncorking the Parisian Within is PJ Adams's quirky journey through the byways, kitchens, shops, cafés, closets, boudoirs, and creative heart of Paris. Intoxicating Paris takes you through the ancient streets of Paris, where you'll find the secrets of creativity that inspired the likes of Hemingway, Hugo, and Rodin. And so it goes on and on...

Who would love this book? Style lovers, foodies, creative hearts, romantics, and anyone who simply loves Paris." No, not really the right book for me, even though I have to admire PJ for finding those few berets in Paris that can be found there these days...

Dawn Beret

Okay, not quite "beret" in the usual sense on this blog, but after some 2200 published posts on berets (and still counting), one has to be a little creative.

Dawn Beret was born in 1941 in Aldershot, Hampshire, England as Dawn Berrington. She is an actress, known for Victim (1961), Highway to Battle (1961) and Don't Bother to Knock (1961).

Long searches ended up to nothing, as far as her wearing a beret is concerned, but, with such a name...

Little Shu Qi with Red Beret

Pan Shuangshuang, or Mavis Pan, also popularly known as “Little Shu Qi”(1987) is a Chinese model and actress from Hong Kong. 

In 2006, a bossom-less and broad faced Mavis Pan was known as Pan Danshuang. Between 2008 and 2009, Mavis’ breasts started to grow (to the size of 36D), while her cheekbones became more pronounced and the film and modelling offers flowed in. 

Little Shu Qi starred in movies like Cannibal Grassi and Jagged Angels. 

Elliott Erwitt's Frenchman/men on a Bicycle

One of the best known photo's of a Frenchman wearing a beret (and the most stereotypical of Frenchmen too, for that matter, with a baguette thrown into the mix), is this photograph by Elliott Erwitt.

It is a nice photo, still, but I was quite taken by this more recent follow-up (photographer unknown):

Woody Allen in Company Man

Company Man is a 2000 comedy film starring a beret wearing Woody Allen.

In the 1960s, Alan Quimp is a schoolteacher of English grammar and married with the very demanding woman Daisy Quimp. In order to avoid the constant mockery in Daisy's family, Alan says that he is a secret CIA agent. Daisy tells everybody, the CIA acknowledges the lie, but due to a coincidence, Alan has just helped and hidden the professional Russian dancer Petrov who wanted to leave Russia. The CIA decides to hire Alan as an agent, to get the credits of bringing Petrov to USA, and immediately decides to send him to a very calm place, Cuba.

The film grossed a very poor $146,193 on a $16 million budget. Company Man received generally negative reviews, currently holding a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes; the consensus states: "A flat and misconceived movie with big stars."

L’étape du Berger

L’étape du Berger is a restaurant located at 2146 meters on the legendary Route du Tourmalet, one of France’s famous hikes, to the Pic du Midi in Bigorre (midi Pyrenées).

Roland and Juliette built the restaurant in 1969 and their children Françoise and Eric have continued the family tradition for 25 years. A tradition that at some stage will be taken on by son Sacha.

The kitchen is traditional for the area with lots of fresh produce from local small farms, cabbage soup, homemade charcuterie (sausages of the local black pigs, lamb, goat, ham) and heavy duty desserts.

During summer the place is accessible on foot (and by car), in winter by ski lift. You’ll encounter a good many berets…

Jean Abadie

Proud beret wearer Jean Abadie from Oloron Sainte Marie is a singer of traditional Béarnaise songs and the author of the book “Soùnque tau plasé de cantá", in the Béarnaise dialect (English: “To the Pleasure of Singing”).

It is a poetic and musical work, a collection of original songs from Béarn. The idea to write the book was born after a discussion with members of Biarn Toustem, an organisation that promotes Béarnaise culture and language. 

Radiator Cap with Beret

Ah, those days that cars had fancy radiator caps... And much better, in my humble opinion, than any Rolls Royce's 'Icarus" or Mercedes Benz 'Tri-Star', is this 1920's Lou Caddetou figurine, made of silver and bronze, at 14cm's height. 

Not only does it proudly depict a beret, but it has a moving arm too! 
The design is by Ernest Gabard (1879-1957).

Caddetou & Ernest Gabard

Ernest Gabard was born in Pau (Béarn)  in 1879 and died there in 1957. At a young age, he had the misfortune of losing his mother and father. Orphaned, he was raised by an uncle and aunt. His talents for the arts showed early and at age 17 his family allows him to join the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

He learned the ropes in the studio of Jules Thomas and also attended the studio of sculptor Auguste Rodin, but at the end of his apprenticeship, disappointed by the Parisian art world, he chose to return his native Béarn. Léon Bérard, said of him in 1954: " Gabard departs from the classical type of the sculptor ... He wanted to be a “Sculptor of Pau” ... and his work bears the stamp of the land ... "

He practices drawing, watercolour, painting, wood carving, stone and marble. Many of his works are located in Béarn and other parts of France’s Southwest.

For berets, he is best known as the creator of his comic book character, Caddetou, always portrayed wearing a beret, blouse, sabots (wooden shoes) and with umbrella.

After the Great War, he worked on numerous monuments to commemorate the dead, comrades of him from when he was active during the war. He also created a beautiful small notebook of 42 watercolours, portraying life at the front.

Hispano Basque - the New South Pacific Beret!

Almost six years ago, I had berets made under my own South Pacific Berets label, providing an alternative for the more expensive models made in France and Spain. 

Now, I have practically sold out of these berets and, as there is still a need for affordable but good quality wool berets, I started working on a new range of berets.

The result is the Hispano Basque range; made exactly according to my specifications, headband-less berets in three different colours (for now, more colours in the pipeline) and in a large variety of diameters.

The 'Hispano Basque' label is a vintage label of French origin that was popular in the 1950's and has now found a new lease of life.

This original Hispano Basque beret was recently auctioned in France. Approx. 1950's.

From today available here. 

Harmonious, Vibrant and Clear - Cicca Car Horns

Ads don't come any better than this really... 1926 ad for Cicca car horns.

A Cicca horn will precede your car and avoids wasting your time by accidents; so frequent when driving and at dangerous crossings. 
With the increasing intensity of traffic, and the crowd of novice drivers, it is unwise to make the journey without a serious and powerful horn. 
Your safety requires an electric "tenor" Cicca (easily installed at your local garage).

Tasmanian Painter Max Angus

Tasmanian painter Max Angus may be Australia's oldest living practicing artist, with a new exhibition to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Prolific landscape artist Max Angus celebrated his 100th birthday last month with an exhibition of his latest works.

The artist is still painting every week and will show a selection of works in Hobart the day after his birthday.

The celebrated artist is best known for his watercolour landscapes.

"As Monet once said, works done from nature have an immediacy and quality about them, that have a life scarcely ever attained in the studio," Mr Angus said.

Despite being 100 years old, Mr Angus does not have any plans to put away the paintbrushes.

He has been painting for as long as he can remember.

Max Angus, left, and sculptor Stephen Walker give their nod of approval to the new location of Walker's Tidal Pools sculpture on the foreshore at Sandy Bay.

How to be Parisian in Melbourne

When on one of my many internet searches for beret related material, it is amazing how many sites I find that advertise "being French", being Parisian", how to dress "like a Parisian"... Fascinating.

Melbourne model Marijana Radmanovich at bakery, South Yarra

I don't think they mean the banlieue of Clichy-sous-Bois, or other less romantic parts of Paris. No, it's this idea, or fantasy, of a romantic place where the sun always shines, the people wear berets and Breton striped shirts

 (I don't think they smoke Gauloises these days, like they did in this picture 20 years ago) and red wine and croissants are abundant.

Marijana Radmanovich at Anderson Street Bridge, South Yarra

A bit like this article in the Australian Herald Sun: 25 ways to be Parisian in Melbourne.

The Mystery of the Basque Language

The origins of the Basque language are still shrouded in history, but this video sheds a (little bit of) light on it, through facts, folklore and anecdotes. And there are a good number of Basque berets mixed in!