Punished Helm

A man deprived of his X account

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

George Stephen house on Rue Drummond, Montreal, in 1903 and 2020. Once a private dwelling, today it is a hotel.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

Nice to see history being preserved in Old Montreal, even after the practical utility of such a building has ceased.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

Fire engine leaving Youville Fire Station in Montreal, 1901, and the same location in 2022.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

Montreal's old courthouse, in 1901 and 2020

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

@BussyKeaton It is loathsomely tiring. I have colonial ancestry from both countries, yet Canadians act as if they are fundamentally different than Americans. It would be a compliment if someone confused me for an American, but to most of my acquaintances, it would be on par with a hate crime.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌰 𐌽𐌰𐌷𐍄

(photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe)

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

@Knightly_Hist As God intended

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

Pharmacy at the corner of Saint-Antoine Ouest and Rue du College, 1938, versus the same corner in 2020. No charm remains.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

The natural curves and textures of living things and their facsimiles are most vividly appreciated when contrasted with monolithic geometry. Whereas one may see the brutalist building as oppressive, it is rather a canvas against which is projected all the beauty of natural life.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

One reason I enjoy Brutalism is that the raw concrete provides a stark frame for whatever is placed near it. Mapplethorpe's flowers would not look so striking if set against a busy baroque or neogothic backdrop. Brut concrete emphasizes the object, be it plant, sculpture, or man.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

And this is how it looks in the most recent Street View capture (2022).

Instead of advertising cigarettes, the same location advertises Whoppers. I'll leave you to judge which is preferable.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌰 𐌽𐌰𐌷𐍄

Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montréal, 1937

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

Here is a aerial daytime shot of the same location

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

« Le vrai luxe ne se montre pas, il se respire. ­»

"True luxury is not showed, it is breathed."

Flawless classic aesthetics.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

𐌲𐍉𐌳𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌳𐌰𐌲

Here's a cozy concrete library in Montreal.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

Meanwhile, Boss Number One opened with honeyed piss, which lingered on the strip until drying down to a woody, musky amber.

As my first exposure to strongly animalic 80s perfumery, I am going to need an adaptation period before I can confidently step out smelling so bestial.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

This release gets dogged so hard by fragcom influencers accustomed to modern scents like Eros and Dylan Blue.

Finally put my nose to it earlier this week and it was sexy, potent, and beautiful.

Many describe a urinous character in the opening, but it did not show up for me.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

X flagged me as a bot AGAIN.

This site is so broken.

I think it stems from using Brave as my primary browser. I will try using X in Chrome and disable adblock to see if that makes a difference.

[Punished Helm @PunishedHelm]

I miss brutalist swimming pools

[Rhenish Helm @RhenishHelm]

World's most beautiful church?

Maybe not, but peaceful in its austerity.

St-François-de-Molitor, Paris