13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 701)

1. The Secret Language of Stamp Placement Popularized by young couples in the Victorian period, stamps were once used to symbolize a number of romantic messages. From a heartfelt “I am always thinking of you” to a wishful “When are you coming to see me?”, many secret conversations were had thanks to stamps. Read more…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 700)

1. The Bygone Baguette Mailboxes of French Polynesia Read the article on Atlas Obscura, found on Present & Correct. 2. State Guest Mansions, 260 abandoned villas in Shenyang, China The Story Behind the Many Ghost Towns of Abandoned Mansions Across China found on Architectural Digest. 3. The Ancient Tattoos made from Breastmilk and Soot 4.…

Memories of a Lost Valley: 5,000 Photographs Discovered in an Attic

Between 1900 and 1930, a poor and destitute seed pedlar took more than five thousand photographs of daily life in an isolated valley of the Italian-speaking Swiss territory to the south of the Alps. Roberto Donetta can now be considered one of Swiss photography’s great outsider artists, but when he died in debt, solitude and misery in 1932,…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 699)

1. Inside Andy Warhols Factory Andy Warhols Factory photographed by Timothy Hursley. An extraordinary set of photographs that capture the office elements to the factory as well as the terrific excitement at the sight of Keith Haring or Bianca Jagger at the end. I also think we should all make a note of the napkin…

Eau de Seine, a Conversation-starting Souvenir from Paris

“The Seine is a great place to have a crisis, since it clearly embodies the strength and the uncertainty, the beauty and the challenge of Paris itself.” – James Baldwin The Seine river flows through the heart of the northern region of France, including Paris, bringing life, business, and recreation to the city alongside an…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 698)

1. Painter of bugs, Jan van Kessel the Elder Found on Gods and Foolish Grandeur. 2. Someone’s 94-year-old grandmother has kept a list of every book she ever read since she was 14 years old An archive of one person’s mind over nearly a century. Find more pages from the list on this amazing Twitter…

How Did We Forget the First Movie Star?

Picture this: it’s the early 1900s, the silent film era is still just finding its feet, and movie stars are as mythical as unicorns. Enter Florence Lawrence, the “first movie star”, who is about to embark on an epic career, spending the next three decades appearing in almost 300 films. Up until this point, no…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 697)

1. Not one, but two Victorian maritime forts going up for auction next month To be auctioned at Savills on 18 June, they have been under the same ownership for the last 12 years and were restored by businessman Mike Clare as unusual boutique stays. Lot 499, No Man’s Fort, between the Isle of Wight…

She was the Sapphic Sensation of Belle Époque Paris

Picture Paris at the turn of the 20th century: a city drenched in absinthe, artistic ambition, and outrageous fashion choices. Amid the bohemian splendor of the Belle Époque, a woman named Renée Vivien, a Brit in Paris, emerged as a poetic powerhouse and an icon of Sapphic love. Move over, Oscar Wilde, it’s time we…

Hayfever Got you Down? Blame it on Botanical Sexism

If you’ve ever found yourself sneezing your way through spring or breaking out in hives after hugging a tree, you might be the victim of botanical sexism. Yes, you heard that right. ‘Botanical sexism’ refers to the practice of preferentially planting cloned male plants in urban areas to avoid the litter of fruits and flowers.…