Aristocracy · Monarchies · Observations · Humour
What is going on, and where has the crown gone with a stranger? A most curious scene: the 16th Duke of Hamilton, Alexander Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, aged 40, is escorting the Crown of Scotland to Edinburgh Castle. The Hamiltons have been hereditary keepers of the royal crown since the 16th
Archaeology · London · Museums
- limestone - inlaid - with glass pupils - from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
Monarchies · Observations · Mores · Humour
Today there is cause for a drink: 20,000 subscribers! So I find myself in the modest company of a Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru. This wine is sometimes called the great white wine of Burgundy, and not without reason. After the victory over the Saracens in 732, the grandfather of
Archaeology · Science · Palaeontology · Humour
In 1613, the skeleton of a giant was discovered in the French province of Dauphiné. The coins found in the burial and the inscription Teutobochus Rex indicated that this was the grave of the Teutonic chieftain Teutobod, famed for his colossal size. True, when the Christian theologian of the 5th
Museums · Observations · Palaeontology · Paris · Nature
A human skeleton leaping onto the tip of a mammoth's tusk is not the only prank of the designers of the palaeontology hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science; there are other diverting scenes, for instance, a group of human skeletons driving a mammoth, or a mammoth
Museums · Mores · Humour
This "anti-masturbation" belt was designed for long-term wear; there are holes at the back for adjusting the size, though the size is in principle that of an adolescent, not an adult. The openings at the front allow for the natural functions of the body. The metal
Museums · Mores · Humour
This is what a genuine anti-masturbation belt of the late nineteenth century looks like. Well worn, of course, the little thing has seen better days. The metal base of the belt is mounted on a leather lining for ease of wear. As you can see, it is fitted with
Faith · Science · People
In the reasoning of the French monk and, strange to say, philosopher Nicolas Malebranche (1638-1715), the idea of preformation is presented with some interest. Malebranche held that every living creature is, from the very beginning, contained in the egg of its mother. In the embryo of a tulip bulb
Archive · Science · Humour
This drawing of 1695 shows a spermatozoon. Inside the spermatozoon, in case you did not know, sits a little man, who makes his way into the womb and begins to grow until he becomes an infant. So, at any rate, the mathematician Nicolaas Hartsoeker saw it, peering at semen through
NB! · Art · Mores · Nature · Humour
Enraged ostriches attack fashionable ladies in extravagant hats trimmed with ostrich feathers. Avian revenge, 1777
Faith · Books · London · Mores · Ethnography
Yes, he has fallen asleep In the last, eternal, unwaking sleep. I shall make a coffin his bed, Fairies will gather at his grave And no worm will dare creep into it. Literal translation Indeed, in ancient Britain there was a belief that fairies take particular care of young corpses
Art · London · Museums · Observations · Science · Humour
To everyone who fears dentists as much as I do, or perhaps even more, I recommend pondering the simple subject of this sculpture of 1601 from the storerooms of the Science Museum in London. In those days the extraction of teeth was an exceedingly painful operation, conducted almost without anaesthetic: