[Tidbit] Who am I?

It is truly quite difficult to trace back into one’s youth in order
to find the source of one’s aversions and other varied
idiosyncracies. I … personally … have never been able to abide
being photographed. In an occasional lapse toward self-analysis I
can only surmise that this strange quirk of mine stems from that
instant when I was born and everyone … family … friends …
curious onlookers … and who knows who else … hovered over my
crib oohing and aahing and breathing directly into my face whilst I
struggled to gasp for precious … pollution-free air. I remember
that moment when I came into existence with horror. The fact is dear
friends … that up to the age of fifty seven years–though I had
already achieved some quite satisfactory level of fame as a
jeweler–very few people of the outside world knew what I looked
like.

Then … in 1903 … a gentleman by the name of Joseph Limburg
created a plaster sculpture of me which to this day is one of the
more famous likenesses with which folks are able to see for
themselves what I look like. A kind fellow by the name of Benjamin
Mark will one day post this likeness on his website for all to see
… and so … while I have this moment available to me … I would
like to thank him … for in retrospect … perhaps I was being a
bit mulish in my aversion to being photographed.

A gentleman by the name of August Holmstr=F6m–the chief jeweler in my
father’s shop–taught me my trade. My work was later to be described
by some dolt of a man as being “clumsy”. Even if this were true–it
was unnecessary to verbalize it. Anyone with an iota of imagination
would have known that my feelings might be hurt. But … as a critic
I once knew said: My job is to criticize. That’s why they call me a
Critic. It was a point. I’m glad they didn’t call him a Killer.

Of course … my fame would one day grow … and I would become
famous not only across Europe … but even all the way to America.
By then I would care not a whit about the opinions of my lame critic
who had little else to do with his life other than to deride others
in his cretinous and simple-minded quest for self- elevation and a
facade of self-importance. It occurs to me that if he wanted to
feel important … perhaps he should have striven to do something
important.

At age twenty-one I was admitted to the Jeweler’s Guild. This would
allow me to strike out on my own and work independently. However …
I bided my time. I married first … at the age of twenty-seven. My
wife was not especially attractive … but she was considered a good
match as she came from an artisan’s family. Things were done a bit
differently in those days dear friends.

I was not ready to venture out on my own. I took over my father’s
business and worked diligently as the director of his jewelry shop.
I worked hard … produced common jewelry for the hoi-polloi …
and had as of yet in no way distinguished myself.

It was my brother Agathon–a designer of incredible talent and with
whom I joined forces --who was instrumental in my becoming the
jeweler I became.

After having gained permission from the President of the Imperial
Archeological Society … we began to make copies of ancient
jewelry. Rather than show the pieces in our shop … we decided to
exhibit them at a prestigious fair. We could not have made a better
decision. Alexander III and his wife one day stopped at our display
and bought a pair of gold cicada shaped cufflinks. I was of course
delighted … especially when I was later awarded a gold medal at
the same exhibition. My career was on the rise.

My name … for those of you who have not yet guessed … was Carl
Faberg=E9 … and to this day I have to give thanks to Czar Alexander
III of Russia for having started the rise of my career.

A quick disclaimer friends. All the internal monologue written by
Benjamin Mark is nothing more than extrapolation on his part. One
can never know what went on in the mind of a dead man. Still … he
did the best he could with the he had … and I … for
one … am quite satisfied.

For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
Tidbits Graphics … and then click on the link that says: Who …
where you’ll see an image of the bust of Carl Faberg=E9.

And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark

-- http://www.tyler-adam.com --