Häxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages (1922)
Curious and groundbreaking mix of documentary and silent horror cinema, written and directed by Benjamin Christensen….more
20th Century
Swedish House-Gymnastics (1913)
These wonderful photographs, which make such innovative use of multiple exposure, are from a 1913 book by Theodor Bergquist, Director of the Swedish Gymnastic Insti…more
The Egg Dance: From Peasant Village to Political Caricature
The egg dance was a traditional Easter game involving the laying down of eggs on the ground or floor and dancing among them whilst trying to break as few as possibl…more
The Diverting History of John Gilpin: Shewing how he Went Further than he Intended, and Came Safe Home Again (1782)
A 1906 edition of William Cowper’s famous ballad, illustrated with brilliantly comic woodcuts from Robert Seaver….more
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Tanglewood Tales, illustrated by Virginia Frances Sterrett (1921)
Beautiful 1920s edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s version of Greek myths for children, with illustrations by Virginia Frances Sterrett….more
Russian Portraits (1921)
Travel diary of the English sculptor Clare Sheridan telling the story of controversial trip to early Soviet Russia….more
Details from Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss (1908)
Celebrating the centenary of Gustav Klimt’s death with a selection of close-ups from his most famous painting….more
The Dances of the Ages (1913)
Miniaturised dancers give a history of dance from the stone-age to the early 20th century, all upon a table-top….more
The Book of the Homeless (1916)
Collection of essays, art, poetry, and musical scores, edited by Edith Wharton, whose profits were used to fund civilians displaced by World War I….more
On the Banks of the Old Raritan (1915)
Early recording of the alma mater of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, penned in 1873 in just two hours by Howard Newton Fuller, an 1874 graduate of Rutg…more
George Mayerle’s Eye Test Chart (ca. 1907)
This fantastic eye chart — measuring 22 by 28 inches with a positive version on one side and negative on the other — is the work of German optometrist and Ameri…more
Kittens and Cats: A First Reader (1911) — Cats and Captions before the Internet Age
If this delightful book is anything to go by then taking photos of cats and brandishing them with an amusing caption, was far from being a phenomenon born with the …more