Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2023 September 27

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September 27

What is meant by 'ancient Ford' in this sentence?

".. In an ancient Ford, the evening of Aug. 14, they began their slow, solemn progress to Nehru's house. .." -Ref: Time, dated Monday, Aug. 25, 1947

1) What is meant by 'ancient Ford' in this sentence? Is it talking about any vintage car or euphemism for something else?

2) If a vintage car, then whose that car may have been? Bookku (talk) 06:34, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

Apart from the existence of the capital letter on the word, I would have suggested it was an ancient river crossing that was intended. That would have seemed more symbolic. HiLo48 (talk) 07:21, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

Ford is a car manufacturer. "In an ancient Ford" here clearly refers to a old Ford car, not necessarily vintage, which has a specific meaning. Nobody can determine the owner from the information you've provided. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:21, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

According to this article, Mahatma Gandhi owned a very old Ford Model T which is still in existence. Not the one in the OP's article though. Alansplodge (talk) 13:06, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

In 1947 there would not have been many cars in Delhi freedom seekers would have had easy access to. I came across Gandhi's correspondence in 1920s with one industrial family Sarabhai family to support volunteers with a their Ford car where required. So that seems to be one of the clue which can be looked into. As such Gandhi's things are well documented. Whether then Tamil politicians C. Rajagopalachari P. Subbarayan facilitated access to the car. Bookku (talk) 06:53, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

Unfindable source

I remember years ago reading a news that told of two Bangladeshi families who for years had been competing over the management of a few hectares of land and who in 1986, to put an end to the dispute, married the few-month-old children of both families. Can anything still be found? The news seems to have disappeared from the internet... 2001:B07:6442:8903:84AC:2BA0:FCB4:A657 (talk) 08:39, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

Arthur Adam and Erich Kretz (July 20 plot)

Can you search for their birth and death? Thank you very much. -- 10:48, 27 September 2023 79.20.12.89

Orig. posted by 193.207.201.125.

Have you search for that? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.207.139.238 (talk) 17:40, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

I looked in Findagrave and didn't find anything for either guy. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:04, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

Can you search elsewhere? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.207.139.238 (talk) 20:55, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

To avoid redundant work, please tell us where you've already searched. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:30, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

I don't have searched yet, then can you do it for me? Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.58.208.39 (talk) 12:08, 1 October 2023 (UTC)

If you were to do the searching yourself, where would you search? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:58, 2 October 2023 (UTC)

Painting

About this painting, can you find info about the life and death of that man and his wife? Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.20.12.89 (talk) 13:57, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

François Godefroy b. Rouen 1743, d. Paris 1819. Jean Michel Moreau le Jeune b. Paris 1741, d. Paris 1814. Biographical details at [1]. 2A02:C7B:113:1E00:8EC:E016:111:57CE (talk) 14:46, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

Not the authors, but the man and his wife helped by Marie Antoinette. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.207.201.125 (talk) 14:49, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

The English version of that link may be helpful [2]. 2A02:C7B:113:1E00:8EC:E016:111:57CE (talk) 15:10, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

The English version doesn't explain it. Can you search elsewhere? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.207.176.73 (talk) 15:36, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

Maybe that other version might help? --Askedonty (talk) 15:54, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

If you mean Pierre Grimpier and his wife, you're unlikely to find out much. According to the text, he was a vintner (a wine-maker) who was injured during a deer hunt and did not leave a trace in history except for this episode. It seems that the royal physician's intervention saved his life, otherwise the text would have likely mentioned his death, but even that is not clearly documented. According to the Drouot auction site, the anecdote was relayed by Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau to Empress Maria Theresa, who was Marie-Antoinette's mother (Florimond was the one who had negotiated Marie-Antoinette's marriage to the future King Louis XVI, so he was close to both families). Moreover, the incident was largely publicized at the time, as it portrayed the future queen as a compassionate and generous woman (hence the engraving recounting the incident). Xuxl (talk) 16:06, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

Also, it is not a painting but an engraving, which means there were likely many copies printed and distributed or sold. At the time, this was a common practice to commemorate events deemed important or revelatory. Xuxl (talk) 16:11, 27 September 2023 (UTC)