Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Leibovitz, Annie

(Encyclopedia)Leibovitz, Annie lēbˈəvĭts [key], 1949–, American photographer, b. Waterbury, Conn., as Anna-Lou Leibovitz. A celebrated portrait photographer, she began contributing photographs to Rolling Ston...

musk

(Encyclopedia)musk, odorous substance secreted by an abdominal gland of the musk deer, used in perfume as a scent and fixative. The gland, found only in males, grows to the size of a hen's egg; the secretion is red...

Manchester terrier

(Encyclopedia)Manchester terrier, breed of sleek, alert terrier developed in England in the 19th cent. There are two varieties, the standard and the toy (see toy dog). The standard variety stands from 14 to 16 in. ...

Sainte-Chapelle

(Encyclopedia)Sainte-Chapelle săNt-shäpĕlˈ [key], former chapel in Paris. Forming part of the buildings of the Palais de Justice (once the royal palace) on the Île-de-la-Cité, it was built by Pierre de Montre...

Siberian husky

(Encyclopedia)Siberian husky, breed of medium-sized, muscular working dog whose origins date back thousands of years in Siberia. It stands from 20 to 231⁄2 in. (50.8–59.7 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs fro...

Shahn, Ben

(Encyclopedia)Shahn, Ben (Benjamin Shahn), 1898–1969, American painter and graphic artist, b. Lithuania. Shahn emigrated to the United States in 1906. After working in lithography until 1930, his style crystalliz...

chow chow

(Encyclopedia)chow chow, breed of powerful nonsporting dog whose origins are obscure but whose development was accomplished many centuries ago in China. It stands from 18 to 20 in. (45.7–50.8 cm) high at the shou...

gerbil

(Encyclopedia)gerbil jûrˈbĭl [key], small desert rodent found throughout the hot arid regions of Africa and Asia. Also known as sand rats, gerbils have large eyes and powerful, elongated hind limbs upon which th...

Turrell, James

(Encyclopedia)Turrell, James, 1943–, American installation and land artist, b. Los Angeles, grad. Pomona College (B.A., 1965), Claremont Graduate School (M.F.A., 1973). Turrell's career began in the 1960s art sce...

Tworkov, Jack

(Encyclopedia)Tworkov, Jack, 1900–82, American painter, b. Bela, Russia (now Biała, Poland). His family immigrated to the United States in 1913 and settled in New York. He studied at Columbia (B.A., 1923) and la...