In the 1890s The Antikamnia Chemical Company Used Skeletons To Sell Its Killer Cures
Using memento mori to sell medical treatments designed to hold off death was the idea of the Antikamnia Chemical Company, which featured skeletons employed in various professions in adverts for its drugs. Continue reading »
Rarely Seen Photographs of New York From the 1870s
Suspension Bridge, Niagara Falls, New York, circa 1871
In the 19th century, New York City became America’s largest city as well as a fascinating metropolis. Characters such as Washington Irving, Phineas T. Barnum, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John Jacob Astor made their names in New York City. And despite blights on the city, such as the Five Points slum or the notorious 1863 Draft Riots, the city grew and prospered. Continue reading »
Edouard Joseph d’Alton’s Detailed Illustrations of Animal Skeletons, 1821–1838
In a series of comparative studies published from 1821 to 1838, and collected under the title Die vergleichende Osteologie [The Comparative Osteology], the Baltic German biologist Heinz Christian Pander (1794–1865) and the Italian-born German naturalist and artist Edouard Joseph d’Alton (1772–1840) presented an extraordinary illustrated atlas of animal bones. Continue reading »
The English Dance of Death: Thomas Rowlandson’s Scathing Memento Mori 1814-1816
The Danse Macabre probably arose in early 15th century Europe as a response to the widespread deaths caused by The Black Death plague. The English Dance of Death by Thomas Rowlandson was released in under-subscribed installments between 1814 and 1816. Continue reading »
March 31, 1889: The Eiffel Tower Is Opened
The Eiffel Tower was built to be the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris. Construction was started by Gustave Eiffel’s company in January 1887 and completed in March 1889. Continue reading »
Rare and Amazing Photographs of Warsaw, Poland From the 1850s
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. The city area measures 517 km2 (200 sq mi) and comprises 18 boroughs, while the metropolitan area covers 6,100 km2 (2,355 sq mi). Warsaw is an alpha- global city, a major cultural, political and economic hub, and the country’s seat of government. Continue reading »
William Blake’s Illustrations for Milton’s Paradise Lost, 1808
Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) created three sets of illustrations for John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667). There was a commission from the Reverend Joseph Thomas in 1807; another a year later commissioned by the artist’s patron Thomas Butts; and a final series in 1822, commissioned by John Linnell, who also hired Blake to illustrate Dante’s Divine Comedy. Continue reading »
Gorgeous Illustrations From Prentzinger’s Celestial Atlas,1851
Astronomischen Bilderatlas von Ludwig Prentzinger (English: Prentzinger’s Atlas of Astronomy) was printed and published by William Nitzschke around 1851. The celestial atlas features 12 plates, five of which are perforated and backed with translucent coloured paper to allow planets, moon and more to be illuminated from behind. Continue reading »
Stunning Photographs Of The Old Cincinnati Library Before Being Demolished, 1874-1955
One of the large cast-iron book alcoves that lined the Main Hall.
Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County
Built in 1874 on the site reserved for an opera house, the Old Cincinnati Library was a thing of wonder. With five levels of cast iron shelving, a fabulous foyer, checker board marble floors and an atrium lit by a skylight ceiling, the place was breathtaking. Unfortunately that magnificent maze of books is now lost forever. Continue reading »
Life Of The 1850s: Amazing Photos That Show How The World Looked Like Over 160 Years Ago
Drinking and cards, circa late 1850s
Over 160 years ago, the world was in a state of transition. The Industrial Revolution had laid the groundwork for an upcoming rapid modernization; steamships and telegraph lines were making the world a smaller place; the United States was struggling with the issue of slavery and trying to avoid a civil war; and a relatively new invention was becoming an indispensable tool for artists, documentarians, and journalists: the camera. Continue reading »
Stunning Rare Photos Of The Emperor Nicholas II Fooling Around With His Friends In 1899
These photos cannot be called rare but still they are very cool to look at. They were taken in 1899 at Wolfsgarten castle not far from Darmstadt. On the photos are emperor Nicholas II, his spouse Alexandra Fedorovna and their friends – princess Ingeborg of Denmark, the Duchess of Darmstadt and prince Nicholas of Greece. As you may see nothing human was alien to the Russian arostocracy then. The images are more than a century old but the friendly and relaxed atmosphere featured on them is still felt very clearly. Continue reading »
