The Forgotten Talking Towers of Europe’s First High-Speed Data Network

If you were to glance up from the foot of the hill of 19th century Montmartre, you might notice that the the windmills weren’t the only things that once danced across the sky. Perched high on its summit stood another wooden structure, a silent sentinel of pulleys and gears. From a distance, its arms seemed…

Smoke, Mirrors & Magic Lanterns: How a Parisian Horror Story Became our First Cinematic Experience

I have a rather curious new addition to the Cabinet and I’m waiting for that one in a million collector or historian to walk in the door and geek out over it with me – with any luck, they might be able to reveal more secrets about this obscure piece of antique machinery known as…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 730)

1. These Tiny Nomadic Caravans Made of Found Objects By French artist Paskal Tirmant – check out his website, there’s some incredible things on there. 2. Man on a camel posing with a Soviet Soyuz rocket, 1980s Taken at Baikonur Cosmodrome is a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan. Found on Reddit. 3. Alternative Use for a Stale Baguette Found…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 729)

1. Cupid on the Move Works by Michelangelo Maestri, found on Gods and Foolish Grandeur. 2. The Romance of Paper “Cobwebs” Among the many works on paper in The Met’s Department of Drawings and Prints is a large collection of historic Valentines from Europe and the United States. In paper form, these tokens of love are known from…

Unicorns on the Brain: A Mother’s Journey Down the Rainbow Rabbit Hole

Unicorns have officially invaded what was once our fairly stylish Parisian living room. My nearly-three year-old daughter twirls in a fluffy unicorn costume, her laughter filling the room as she chases her brother with a bubble-blowing toy shaped like a rainbow-maned mare. How did we get here? I started wondering lately. The unicorn, once a…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 728)

1. Europe’s 19th Century Hippies Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851–1913) is regarded as the “forefather of alternative movements” and one of the most important champions of life-reform, the peace movement and naturism, which caused him to clash in the prudish society of the Empire. Diefenbach (pictured standing) was not just an artist, but a cultural rebel through…

Artist du Jour: The Little-Known Legacy of a Bohemian Bloodline

Welcome back to my virtual art gallery, where I like to highlight painters, particularly Paris-inspired artists, that I’ve never heard of. When speaking of early 20th-century art in Paris, the usual household names like Picasso, Matisse, or Modigliani often spring to mind, yet within that lively milieu, there thrived another remarkable painter that has long-evaded…

Surrealist Sisters in Paris

Leonor Fini and Leonora Carrington are familiar names around here. We’ve posted about each of these women separately (familiarise yourself with Carrington here) and Fini is one of my personal favourite bohemians of the 20th century. But then I stumbled upon an old photograph which pictured them together in Paris and it stopped me in…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 727)

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 Now open for researching. 3. In Sardinia, the women of Desulo…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 726)

1. Paris, 1957 A random selection of photographs found on Live Journal. 2. Manhattan NYC, 1931 This is an aerial photo of Manhattan taken circa 1931. You can see all the way from 125th Street in Harlem down to the tip of Manhattan and beyond. That tall spike 25 blocks south of Central Park is…