JOHN RUSKIN was born on the 8th of February, 1819 at 54 Hunter Street, London, the only child of Margaret and John James Ruskinwas an English author, poet and artist, most famous for his work as art critic and social critic.  A rather interesting character and great social thinker of his time a great educator of working class. Family friend and a vigorous supporter of Turner and a vicious opponent of Whistler and his peacock ways. 

 I stumbled upon a book that he wrote while in Venice called rather appropriately "The Stones of Venice". He arrived to this occupied city with his virgin wife and a servant in order to document and describe all the miraculous works of stone found in Venice. A very detailed book about various architectural feats and knowledge of restoration.  He had In The Stones of Venice attacked the division of labour, which Adam Smith advocated in the early books of The Wealth of Nations. Ruskin believed the division of labour to be the main cause of the unhappiness of the poor. Ruskin argued that the rich had never been so generous in the past, but the poor's hatred of the rich was at its greatest point. This was because the poor were now unsatisfied by monotonous work that used them as a tool, instead of a person. I feel that this sort of behavior is going to be more and more apparent in the modern day America. 

This man who was an peculiar aristocrat and a intellectual wanted to give knowledge to those who were willing to learn about art and architecture. I will not discuss his sexual preferences and odd religious devotion although his religious Christian background often was represented in his Socialist ideas, so much that his branch of ideals was called Christan Socialism. There is something grand about these ideas that empower the common man, and guidance of men in proper moral and righteous ways. 

Anyway all I can think lately is Ruskin family's arrival to Venice and various blimps and surveying balloons of the occupying Austrian-Hungarian power floating above the famous city of the Adriatic sea. And what magical and scary times they were... Mapping out a ruins of this stone kingdom.