Paris without People

There was something strange about the collection of Paris photographs I stumbled upon in the archives of the French national library today. The streets and buildings looked surprisingly familiar despite the photographs being over 150 year old, but where were all the people? Was this Paris’ great disappearance act of the 19th century? Alas, the…

A Forgotten Kitsch Supper Club is Reborn in New York

A few months ago, a man woke up to a disorientating view outside the window of his apartment in industrial Bushwick, New York. He suddenly found himself face-to-face with a tender childhood memory and the exact glowing neon sign of the storied “Turk’s Inn” supper club from Hayward, Wisconsin, 1,250 miles away. That the recently…

When Americans Lived in Tree Stumps

There are trees, and then there are trees out west. “Ancient sequoias,” “Mammoths,” or “Big Trees,” as John Muir liked to say – the nicknames varied, but the trees’ contribution the grandeur of the storied West Coast remained the same. Pioneers worked, breathed, and seriously lived in the darn things. Improbable today, but common in…

She Lied About Everything, except Marrying Wyatt Earp

A vagabond and speculated prostitute of the Wild West, nothing Josephine Earp ever did was seemingly adventurous enough even for herself. She thrived off the change of environments and had a certain mystique about her that followed her around like too much perfume. But that’s what drew people to her. That was Josie Earp’s style. Born in…

A Brief Compendium of “Are You Seriously Going to Eat That?”

Crab cakes anyone? They should have a museum out of misfortunate mid-century menus. Seriously, what were they thinking? Food styling has come a long, long way. I dare you to make one for your Friday night dinner guests. Shrimp Cocktail Tree, found on Pinterest. Stanley Kubrick Egg Treats, found on Flickr. You’re going to need a…

Adored by Many, but Loved by Chanel: A Forgotten Parisian It Girl

Proust, turned her into a fictional princess and Ravel turned her into music. Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec couldn’t stop painting her. Picasso was a confidante, Serge Diaghilev of the Ballets Russes, a best friend, and Coco Chanel – her “soul sister”; possibly her lover too. Belle Epoque Paris bloomed with opulence and a languid, if not…

Greetings from California, the Hellish Oil-Pumping State of Yesteryear

It looks like a scene out of a dystopian horror movie foreshadowing our planet’s bleak future. But not very long ago, this was California, the (black) golden state. I guess I never really understood exactly what it meant when they said Los Angeles and much of Southern California was “built on oil”. I think I was imagining some oil fields out…

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The Last Days of Doel: A Ghost Town in Purgatory

When we headed out of Antwerp, following the road signs to Doel, we didn’t even know if it would still be there when we arrived. The small town was supposed to have been wiped off the map more than a decade ago when it was officially scheduled for complete demolition. This is one ghost town…

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The Fascinating Daguerrotypes of Victorians Breastfeeding

You know the daguerrotypes. Stiff scenes of Victorian families in too much clothing, expressing about as much enthusiasm for one another as one would have for a lamppost. That’s why we did a double – no, triple – take when we found a small selection of Victorian breastfeeding portraits in the depths of the web.…

The Most Famous Band You’ve Never Heard Of

Whether you know it or not, you have definitely heard them play. Popular music of the 1960s was dominated by young bands like The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas and The Monkees – bands that didn’t play their own records. Sometimes, the only members of famous bands to appear on their own records…