Black History month continues with the biographical sketch of Joseph Bologne, aka Chevalier de Saint-Georges. If you have the sound on, you can listen to a bit of this man’s violin concerto (No 2 in A Major, no. 5 op III). It is one of his many, many classical compositions, for the Chevalier de Saint-Georges […]
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges Read More »
Black History Month continues with this gorgeous Medieval illustration of the Queen of Sheba, painted circa 1405. The queen’s dark skin contrasts with her flowing golden hair. Her willowy figure is accentuated by the drapes of her gown. Her beauty is both sensuous and regal, and in her hands she holds a scepter to indicate
The Queen of Sheba Read More »
Continuing with posts celebrating Black History Month, I bring you the artistic tradition of St Maurice in the Middle Ages. This beautiful sculpture of Saint Maurice resides at the Cathedral of Magedeberg and dates to the first half of the 1200s. Dressed as a soldier in chainmail, the figure clearly shows Maurice as an imposing
Black History Month is a wonderful occasion to talk about the legacy of the “Black Madonna” in Western European Medieval art. You are looking at one of the most revered statues from Medieval Spain, known as the Virgin of Montserrat, located in Catalonia and probably dating to the 12th century. Her skin and that of
This post starts off Black History Month with the incredible Josephine Baker, whose life deserves so much more attention than it’s usually given in the educational curriculum in the United States. Born in St Louis, Missouri, in 1906, Josephine (originally first named Freda) was raised in poverty, so she struck out for France in 1925
Josephine Baker, Performer and Spy Read More »
It might look like ordinary garden decor, but this “Blue Bottle Tree” exemplifies a magical practice called Hoodoo – an African-American spiritual tradition from the U.S. Southeast. Hoodoo – not to be confused with Voodoo – originally grew popular among people of West African descent whom the dominant white culture had enslaved.Hoodoo, also called “rootwork”
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This first photo is of Francis Scott Key’s original manuscript for the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner,” the American national anthem, written in 1814. The second photo highlights a portion of the lesser-known third stanza, which castigates the “hireling and slave” fighting against the U.S. side, promising them “no refuge.” Drawing attention to these
The Third Stanza of “The Star Spangled Banner” Read More »
This photograph of American leader Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) was only recently uncovered – it was purchased by the Library of Congress at an auction in 2017. Tubman’s skills and accomplishments were truly astonishing – the backbone of the Underground Railroad, Tubman made thirteen missions into the South to liberate enslaved people. She was the first
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Read More »
Malaria has been an extraordinary shaper of history. Dated as far back as 30 million years old, this protoza really took off after the agricultural revolution (not surprising, since it thrives in mosquitos, who love the standing waters that frequently accompany cleared out lands). Some scientists believe Malaria to be the single-biggest killer in human
Malaria and its Shaping of History Read More »
Although popular culture promotes an idea that the belief in magic flourished mainly in the Medieval European past, maybe declining with the onset of the Scientific Revolution of the 17th-century, this is not necessarily the case. As Owen Davies, author of _Grimoires: A History of Magic Books_, relays, the so-called “Modern” era of Western history
The Modern Era’s Rise and Spread of Magic Read More »
This cruel object is a Cat-O-Nine-Tails whip, dating from about 1860. Slave owners from the American South used whips like these against the people they had enslaved. Notice the metal spurs at the end of each rope. Millions of people experienced this inhumane treatment, and the “peculiar institution” of slavery of course became a motivating
Cat-O-Nine Tails Whip Read More »
In 1862, the port city of Charleston, South Carolina, witnessed one of the most impressive feats in the Civil War. An African-American named Robert Smalls stole an entire ship from the Confederacy and escaped to freedom with his wife, two young children, and several other enslaved people. He did this right under the noses
Robert Smalls and His Escape from the Confederacy Read More »
The COVID outbreaks in American meat-packing warehouses have recently cast attention to the frankly horrifying working conditions in these plants. Like coal-mining and cesspool-cleaning, the practice of animal slaughter and butchery has a long history being considered an undesirable profession — it is one that most of society benefits from, even as the general population
Medieval Japanese Butchery Read More »
In Frank Herbert’s sci-fi _Dune_ series, the Bene Gesserit are amazing space-witches who have developed such mental control over their unconscious physiology that their powers seem superhuman. But Herbert’s ideas weren’t merely fiction: the person you see here is not a space witch, but she did figure out a technique of controlling elements of human
Patricia Cowings and the Autogenic-Feedback Training Exercise Read More »
We are likely familiar with the story of the Three Wise Men in the Christian cultural tradition — the visitors from the east whom the Gospel of Matthew says visited the infant Jesus to honor him with gifts. We might not realize, though, that the Gospel writer never indicated the number of _Magi_ (a Greek
The Wise Men of Christian Tradition Read More »
If you haven’t read about the Tulsa Race Massacre of May 31/June 1, 1921, I recommend learning about it. One of the worst race-based killings in American history, it illustrates how simmering bigotry, fear, and mob violence can erupt quickly and cause lasting harm. It also showcases the critical role that historical memory plays in
The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 Read More »
Today’s social-media aficionados take a lot of personality tests that we know are pure rot, like “what your birth crystal says about the way you treat your pets” or “what your quarantine eating habits reveal about your financial investment patterns.” The bust pictured here reflects similarly outlandish claims from a century and a half ago,
The Racial Undertones of Phrenology Read More »
Here is a member of the Selous Scouts, a group of special military forces active in the former African state of Rhodesia from 1973-1980. During the Rhodesian Bush War of decolonisation, the Selous Scouts represented the minority white government which struggled to keep power as the black majority fought for an independent state. The Selous
Selous Scouts from the African State of Rhodesia Read More »
In the early 20th century, science was trendy. Unfortunately, so was bigotry, and the eugenics movement took advantage of the scientific-sounding language of genetics to promote the idea that certain types of people (pretty much white, native-born, able-bodied, and Protestant) needed to propagate for the greater good of humanity. Enter the “Fitter Family Contests” held
“Fitter Family Contests” of the Early 20th-Century Read More »
We are inseparable from our environment, and we change with our surroundings whether we are aware of it or not. You are looking at a photo of some of the skulls of the approximately 800,000 Tutsis killed by their Hutu neighbors in the 1994 genocide. It is easy to pretend that the inner workings of
The Propaganda of the Rwandan Genocide Read More »
