1. A woman submerged five sets of her fine china underwater before evacuating due to the fires in Northern California in 2018
Found on Reddit.
2. Ueckert Circus Wardrobe Collection: over 1,200 artifacts, costuming, accessories & props from American circuses dating from the 1880s
3. In Sardinia, the women of Desulo preserve the traditional dress that connects the past and present
4. Catacomb Saints
In 1578, underground tombs in Rome containing early Christian martyrs’ remains were discovered. These relics, known as “catacomb saints,” were sent across Europe and adorned with jewels, crowns, and gold. The Waldsassen Basilica in Bavaria houses ten such relics, elaborately decorated by artisans like Cistercian goldsmith Adalbart Eder. These skeletons, displayed in 18th-century clothing, symbolized a connection to early Christianity and became central to religious practices in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The relics also served as a Counter-Reformation effort to inspire faith through lavish displays of devotion.
Found on History Photographed.
5. Zoologist shop window, Paris, 1926
By Eugène Atget. Found on Tumblr.
6. One of the most significant collections of French 18th and 19th century wallpapers in the United States, browsable online
7. A heating tower (Heizhaus), built in 1914, in Dornach, Switzerland
Architect was Rudolf Steiner, photographed by Stefano Perego, 2021. Steiner’s architectural work, including the Heating Tower and the nearby Goetheanum, emphasizes spiritual and organic forms that align with his anthroposophical worldview. These designs focus on symbolic and functional integration with the surrounding environment, breaking away from traditional architectural styles, including the more decorative and ornamental aspects of Art Nouveau. The structure is made of reinforced concrete. The chimney is concealed behind a branching, tree-like structure with leaf buds. It continues to provide heating to this day.
Found here.
8. The Futuristic Designs of two 18th century architects
As dissatisfaction with the old regime fermented into revolutionary upheaval in late-eighteenth century France, two architects cast off the decorative excesses of the Baroque and Rococo styles and sought out bold, new geometries. Hugh Aldersey-Williams tours the sublime and mostly unrealized designs of Étienne-Louis Boullée and Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, discovering utopian ideals crafted in cubes, spheres, and pyramids.
Read the article on Public Domain Review.
9. Hollywood Theater, Havana, 2010. Michael Eastman
Found on Tumblr.
10. The old connection between furniture shops and undertakers
“…it was actually quite common at one time for a furniture maker to also be an undertaker. Since furniture/cabinet makers were enlisted to make coffins for the deceased, it made sense for them to be involved in funeral duties as well.”
“It’s not clear to me when the furniture and funerary industries decoupled, but it’s interesting to ponder what the world might be like if they were still conjoined today. Imagine, for example, if Ikea sold coffins (which would probably have names like Olaf, Sven, and Björn), or if those relentlessly chirpy Bob’s Discount Furniture commercials also touted discount funeral services, or if your local mortuary offered a free set of plastic slipcovers for your sofa with every memorial service.”
Found on Inconspicuous Consumption.
11. The First American Coin
The Fugio cent, also known as the Franklin cent, is the first official circulation coin of the United States. Read more about it here. “Mind Your Business” was not what it currently means (keep your nose out of other people’s life); it was a pro-business, pro-commerce message coined by Ben Franklin.
12. Believed to be the first photograph of the Moon, 1840
Louis Dageurre, the inventor of the daguerreotype process, is believed to have taken the very first photo of the Moon in 1839 but his laboratory later burned down destroying his work.
Found on Wikimedia.