THE SHELF

The Planchette, a French word for “little plank,” was a heart shaped piece of wood with wheels and a slot for holding a pencil or some other writing implement. The purpose of a planchette was to assist with the generation of automatic writing, or as a medium to encourage communication with the spirit world. According to G.W. Cottrell, the manufacturer of […]

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“Touch not, taste not any intoxicating drink. Go not to a Grog Shop or Bar Room, as you would avoid the awful fate of Russell and Crockett!” Simeon Crockett and Stephen Russell were convicted and executed in Boston on March 16, 1836 for the crime of arson. Capital punishment in Massachusetts, as was true for many states, was not limited […]

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Harry McVickar (1860-1905), contemporary of Charles Dana Gibson, was a prominent cartoonist and illustrator for many of the trendy magazines of the 19th century, such as Life and Harper’s, as well as a popular poster artist. In addition, McVickar also illustrated books and novels, such as Henry James’ Daisy Miller. Along with socialite, Arthur Baldwin Turnure, McVickar founded the new […]

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Carlo de Fornaro (1872 – 1949), was an artist, humorist, writer, editor, and revolutionary. In 1902, he published a volume of caricatures entitled “Millionaires of Amer­ica“. Fornaro acknowledged his caricatures might not be well-received by some of the most powerful men in the United States, so he placed a notice at the front of the volume “All the […]

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In a show of unity between allies, the United States celebrated its Independence Day in London on July 4, 1918. While the First World War was still raging, and a German surrender months away, Americans united with the British to commemorate the 4th of July together. The celebration in London was a way to further galvanize […]

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In October of 1896, the New York Times reported the recent arrest of Joseph Ullman, claiming him to be the ‘greatest bookmaker’ in the U.S. He, along with his sheetmakers, were arrested by the storied “vice fighter” and enforcer of public morality, Anthony Comstock, for gambling violations. Ironically, the period 1895-1908 was considered the golden age for New […]

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Nathan Dunn (1782- 1844) was a Quaker merchant and philanthropist who embarked on a mission to collect cultural artifacts from China to both educate and entertain Americans. In 1838, he opened his “Chinese Museum” in Philadelphia, more commonly referred to as Ten Thousand Chinese Things. The collection was a spectacle and quite popular with the public, garnering over 100,000 […]

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James Leon Williams was a dentist, scientist, scholar, artist, and philosopher. While he is most noted as the first to discover plaque and the inventor of modern dentures, he was also a photographer of considerable ability, using photographic techniques for both artistic and scientific purposes. As a scientist, his microphotographic research confirmed the relationship between bacteria and tooth […]

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In the 1590’s, the Dutch explored the Arctic regions looking for a sea passage to Asia. While their aspirations for a lucrative northeast passageway was never realized, the voyages did provide an unanticipated benefit for the growing Dutch economy. In addition to noting the proliferation of polar bears and walruses, these arctic expeditions sighted large quantities of whales off the coast of Spitsbergen and across the […]

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Outside of the Doctor Who program, the police call box kiosk has become obsolete, not unlike the iconic telephone booth. However, the use of call boxes, or call stations, was cutting-edge in the 1880’s and dramatically changed the way in which police and fire departments responded to emergencies. In 1881, the Police Patrol and Signal Service in Chicago installed […]

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