Author Archives: corvusfugit

1509: The Most Curious Book in the World

Posted on March 23, 2020 by corvusfugit

The following entry appears in Charles Carroll Bombaugh’s Gleanings from the Harvest Fields of Literature: A Melange of Excerpta, Curious, Humorous, and Instructive (1867): THE MOST CURIOUS BOOK IN THE WORLD The most singular bibliographic curiosity is that which belonged … Continue reading →

1921: Beware the Ides of March

Posted on March 14, 2020 by corvusfugit

The National Association for the Promotion of Labor Unionism Among Negroes was founded in 1918 by A. Philip Randolph—the great union organizer who would later form the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters—and writer Chandler Owens; it was promoted through their … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1920's, 20th Century, A. Philip Randolph, African-Americans, Chandler Owens, Civil Rights, Labor, Socialism & Communism, Unions, USA | Leave a comment

1810: A Composite Ox with a Demon Groom

Posted on March 4, 2020 by corvusfugit

A Composite Ox with a Demon Groom (Oudh, India, ca. 1810-30) (source)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1810's, 19th Century, Animals, Antelopes, Art, Birds, Cows, Demons, Fish, Horses, India, Mammals, Monkeys, Oxen, Painting, Snakes, Tigers | Leave a comment

1919: Queen Alice

Posted on March 1, 2020 by corvusfugit

Illustrations from a 1919 photoplay edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass (source). The photos are stills from the 1915 silent film adaptation of the books, which starred Viola Savoy as Alice.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1860's, 1910's, 19th Century, 20th Century, Alice, Books, Chess, Great Britain, Illustration, Photography, USA | 1 Comment

1906: Martyr

Posted on February 23, 2020 by corvusfugit

F. Holland Day – Saint Sebastian (1906) Although the traditional iconography shows Saint Sebastian pierced by arrows, this is not actually how he dies and becomes a martyr. The 13th century Legenda aurea, a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 13th Century, 1900's, 20th Century, Art, Books, Christianity, F. Holland Day, Jacobus de Varagine, LGBTQ, Photography, Religion, Rome, Saints, USA | Leave a comment

1800: Portrait of an Eye

Posted on February 22, 2020 by corvusfugit

Eye portrait brooches from early 19th century England. All at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 19th Century, Art, Eyes, Great Britain, Jewelry, Painting, Portraits | Leave a comment

1895: Moon over the Forest

Posted on February 19, 2020 by corvusfugit

Charles Warren Eaton: Moon over the Forest (c 1895)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1890's, 19th Century, Charles Warren Eaton, Landscapes, Painting, The Moon, USA | Leave a comment

1894: River

Posted on February 17, 2020 by corvusfugit

Peder Mørk Mønsted: A Summer River Landscape (1894)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1890's, 19th Century, Art, Denmark, Landscapes, Painting, Peder Mørk Mønsted, Rivers | Leave a comment

1930: Work Must Not Cease

Posted on February 10, 2020 by corvusfugit

A performance of Karel Capek’s R.U.R. at the Haohel Theater, Tel Aviv in 1930. The play opens in Rossum’s Universal Robots (thus the title), a factory which manufactures artificial humanoids designed to be perfect obedient workers. At first, the robots … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1920's, 1930's, 20th Century, Automata, Czechoslovakia, Drama, Israel, Karel Capek, Labor, Language, Palestine, Photography, Rebellion | Leave a comment

1890: Night Scene

Posted on February 6, 2020 by corvusfugit

Levi Wells Prentice: Untitled [Night Scene, Smith’s Lake]; I guessed at the date.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1890's, 19th Century, Art, Lakes, Landscapes, Levi Wells Prentice, Painting, USA | Leave a comment