String Collection (#34)

Broad beans (Vicia faba Red Epicure )
Organic broad beans (Vicia faba Red Epicure ). The CDs are being used to scare birds and protect the plants

Pearl necklace. Pearls are accretions of nacre (calcium carbonate) secreted by certain oysters and mussels. The presence of a foreign body (such as a parasite or a grain of sand)

String theory, artwork
This is an artistic representation of a closed vibrating string from string theory. A string is a hypothetical sub-atomic structure and one of the main objects of study in string theory

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) bundles tied up in a restaurant. This seasonal vegetable is a good source of folic acid, beta-carotene, potassium and the vitamins A, C and E

Superstrings, conceptual artwork
Superstrings, conceptual computer artwork. The superstring theory is a Theory of Everything (Grand Unification Theory), which seeks to unite gravitational force with the other fundamental forces

Vibrating string. Standing wave on a single string, showing extreme points. The vibration has a wavelength equal to half the length of the string, so there is a node at either end

Vicia faba Masterpiece Green Longpod
Broad bean flowers (Vicia faba Masterpiece Green Longpod ). The plant is supported by string (bottom and centre)

Standing wave on a vibrating string. This is a stationary transverse wave. The two ends are held stationary as the string is rapidly moved from side to side

Solanum tuberosum Charlotte
Seed potatoes (Solanum tuberosum Charlotte ) in a bag

Solanum tuberosum Anya
Seed potatoes (Solanum tuberosum Anya ) in a bag

BANJO PLAYERS, c1900. Original cabinet photograph, American, c1900

GOYA: GUITARIST. El Majo de la Guitarra. Oil on canvas, 1786, by Francisco Goya

BOW MAKING, c1913. A Navajo man stringing a bow. Photograph by Roland Reed, c1913

LÔÇ░NER STRING QUARTET. Hungarian string quartet. Left to right: Jeno L ner, Josef Smilivitz, Sador Roth
LÔÇ░NER STRING QUARTET. Hungarian string quartet. Left to right: Jen├ L© ner, Josef Smilivitz, Sador Roth, Irme Hartmann. Pencil drawing, early 20th century

BRUSSELS STRING TRIO. Left to right: Edmond Bouquet, Franzois Broos, Adolphe Fr zin. Pencil drawing, early 20th century
BRUSSELS STRING TRIO. Left to right: Edmond Bouquet, Fran├ºois Broos, Adolphe Fr© zin. Pencil drawing, early 20th century

STRING QUARTET, c1935. The Pro Arte Quartet. Drawing, c1935, by Hilda Wiener

STRING QUARTET, c1935. The Gertler Quartet (from left, Andr Gertler, Pierre de Groote, Marcel Louon)
STRING QUARTET, c1935. The Gertler Quartet (from left, Andr© Gertler, Pierre de Groote, Marcel Louon, and Laszlo Revesz). Pencil drawing, c1935, by Hilda Wiener

BALALAIKA PLAYERS. Ernest Torrance and Renee Adoree playing the balalaika, a Russian three-stringed instrument, in a still from the 1928 motion picture The Cossacks

MUSICIANS. American musicians. Undated cabinet photograph

BEETHOVEN MANUSCRIPT, 1826. Sketches for Ludwig van Beethovens String Quartet in C Sharp Minor, Op. 131, showing the second movement, 1826

Closeup of two hands playing the guzheng, a traditional Chinese string instrument, Beijing, China, Asia

Lanterns for Loi Krathong festival

Violin accessories, Wurlitzer
Violin bows

Old man working on the street
An old man (possibly Spanish) working on the street. He wears a scruffy overcoat, a beret, and his glasses on a string round his neck. He has a small wooden work bench and a box of materials

Skiing on a Shoestring with Thomas Cook
A poster or handbill advertising Skiing on a Shoestring, new low-cost holidays through Thomas Cook. Ski boots, ski poles and skis are arranged in a cartoon-style image

The Rag and Old Iron Sellers
The Rag Sellers. " Rags, old iron for sale!". A scruffy street urchin wheels a pram jam-packed with rags and old iron - her baby sibling atop the pile - through the streets of Paris

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Street Scene with German Soldier
Bosnia & Herzegovina - Street Scene with an onion and garlic stall and including a German Soldier (World War One era). The centre of the shot is dominated by a rather heavily-laden donkey

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Market Scene
Bosnia & Herzegovina - General Market Scene

Buddhist Priest in Northern India (Tibet)
Buddhist Tibetan Monk/Priest

An empowered American Woman
Card from Maryland, USA. An empowered American Woman (in cowgirl attire) has her man just where she wants him. You look good to me.... And you have me on a string !

Learning to avoid obstacles / W H Robinson
Illustration by William Heath Robinson. Please note: Credit must appear as Courtesy of the estate of Mrs J.C.Robinson/Pollinger Ltd/Mary Evans Picture Library

The new wheel lift for avoiding obstacles
Illustration by William Heath Robinson. Please note: Credit must appear as (c) Courtesy of the estate of Mrs J.C.Robinson/Pollinger Ltd/Mary Evans Picture Library

Boy playing cats cradle
Boy in rocking chair playing cats cradle with wool. Pen & Ink (with watercolour wash) drawing by Raymond Sheppard

Algerian Chieftain
A affluent Algerian chief, with high headdress, hand on belt knife and a long string of dark beads around his neck

Moving hay on a pulley system - Hardanger, Western Norway
West Norway - Hardanger. Moving a large bundle of hay up and down a steep slope on an elaborate and rather remarkable string and pulley system

Sanapana Youth with parakeets
A Sanapana youth with string bag and holding two parakeets. The Sanapana were one of many nomadic tribes inhabiting the lower Gran Chaco of western Paraguay

Bead Seller, Constantinople
A seller of strings of beads, Constantinople

Turkish Beggar - Albanian / Macedonian region
Turkish Beggar in the Albanian / Macedonian region of the Ottoman Empire

Turkish Professor reading a text
A Turkish professor, wearing a large white turban, lies down to readi a text on a fine Turkish carpet (or four!) with a Hookah Pipe on a small hexagonal Mother-of-pearl inlaid table behind him

Turkish woman from Smyrna (Izmir) clutching an umbrella

Reclining Turkish Woman
A fine photograph postcard depiction of a reclining Turkish woman, holding a string of prayer beads (Tesbih)

Indian Street Entertainer with two monkeys
A seated Indian street musician/entertainer/beggar holding a small double-ended drum with attached string beaters, with two performing monkeys tethered by two ropes

Thus you Wind Yourself Round my Heart by Florence Hardy
Two young lovers demonstrate their love with a ball of string by the river

Railway Sleeper - Kings Cross Station
The Railway Sleeper series - A snoozing tramp at Kings Cross Station dreaming of wealth as he clutches a copy of the Financial Times. Painting by Malcolm Greensmith

Education, girls, music
A music lesson for girls. Teacher conducts a small string section of violins and cellos and a couple of recorders through a piece by Mozart

Japanese juggler at St. Martins Hall
The Japanese performer and famous peg-top-man, Ja-En-See, spins his top with a string wound round it and contrives to make it go through such nimble

Men and women collect and tie reed bundles
Collecting and tieing reed bundles by a stream in a province formerly part of India and now wiithin modern Pakistan. Photograph by Ralph Ponsonby Watts

Sudanese curio seller in Port Said, Egypt - ready to catch the passing shipping trade and the tourists that brings to the port

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From Heath Robinson's intricate contraptions to Madame Yevonde's captivating portraits, the string has woven its way into art and history. Beethoven's manuscripts reveal the profound emotions expressed through his string quartets, while Piero della Francesca masterfully captured light and shadow in his paintings. In Sri Lanka, the Geta Beraya and Udekkiya players create enchanting melodies with their traditional instruments like the ti-tzu and so-na. Across cultures, from China to Western music, strings have resonated with passion and beauty. But they are not limited to artistic expression alone; they find their place in everyday life too. Asparagus crowns planted meticulously in a trench demonstrate how roots can spread evenly for growth. The electric guitar paired with an amplifier unleashes a powerful sound that reverberates through our souls. Beethoven's manuscript of Opus 135 reminds us of the eternal question: 'Must it be?' With each stroke of the pen on paper, he immortalized his thoughts on this delicate thread of music history. Merlin Enabnit reminds us that even something as simple as a piece can carry a hefty price tag. A gyroscope spinning effortlessly on a piece showcases physics at play while guitar strings vibrating produce harmonious melodies that touch our hearts. Whether it is connecting pieces together or creating beautiful sounds, there is no denying that strings hold immense power within them.