Tag Archives: 19th Century

1862: That Time Abraham Lincoln Levitated on a Piano

Posted on July 15, 2017 by corvusfugit

Fayette Hall’s  Secret and Political History of the War of the Rebellion (1890) (here) is an interesting example of conspiracy theory from the turn of the century, blaming “Abraham Lincoln’s lust for power, and the people’s greed for gold, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

1925: Instead All Joy is Snatched Away

Posted on July 15, 2017 by corvusfugit

Harry Clarke: Illustration for Goethe’s Faust (1925) Faust: Ah! Now I’ve done Philosophy, I’ve finished Law and Medicine, And sadly even Theology: Taken fierce pains, from end to end. Now here I am, a fool for sure! No wiser than … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

1850: The Ninth Wave

Posted on July 13, 2017 by corvusfugit

Ivan Aivazovsky: The Ninth Wave (1850) The title is a reference to a traditional belief among sailors that waves grow larger and larger in a sequence up to the ninth wave—the largest—and then the sequence begins again.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

1887: Der Nöck

Posted on July 12, 2017 by corvusfugit

The Nöck (or Nix, Neck, Näck, or Nickert) is a protective water spirit who lives in lakes, ponds, springs, wells and even drops of water.  The word is likely derived from Old High German nihhus , niccus or nichessa (“water … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

1830: Paysage Suisse

Posted on July 10, 2017 by corvusfugit

Alexandre Calame: Swiss Landscape (c. 1830)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

1901: Max’s Monkeys

Posted on July 8, 2017 by corvusfugit

Gabriel von Max: Abelard and Heloise (after 1900). Max and his wife lived with as many as 14 monkeys. Here are some more examples of his work:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

1891: The Song

Posted on July 8, 2017 by corvusfugit

Thomas Wilmer Dewing: The Song (1891) More:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2014: A Moroccan Man (1913)

Posted on July 6, 2017 by corvusfugit

Senegalese artist Omar Victor Diop stages his self-portraits as historical photographs—complete with “original” dates. The photo above, for example, is titled A Moroccan man (1913); the one to the left is Dom Nicolau (Circa. 1830–1860). Both are from his 2014 … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

1865: John Wilkes Booth Shot Me!

Posted on July 5, 2017 by corvusfugit

In a letter published in the April 1910 issue of The Journal of Psychical Research, a woman named Ella Hughes recalled a childhood connection to John Wilkes Booth and a strange dream of her mother’s at the time of Lincoln’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

1854: A Train of Terrible Miseries

Posted on July 4, 2017 by corvusfugit

It may appear to those whom I have the honor to address a singular taste for me, an Indian, to take an interest in the triumphal days of a people who occupy, by conquest or have usurped, the possessions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment