Ana Farrish

For those of you in New York City, here’s a sneak peek at the limited-editon MDB calendar that will be on sale at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, Thursday at 7pm as a part of Tumblr Prep! All proceeds from the sale of the calendar will go directly to Housing Works.

You may notice it’s a dual 1863 and 2013 calendar—that’s so you can coordinate your schedule with your Daguerreotype BF when he’s off fighting at Gettysburg. On the reverse side are letters from Civil War soldiers to their ladies at home.

Sniffle I love this! sarahwendell: Crying. Ninjas chopping...

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:33:03 -0600

*Sniffle* I love this!

sarahwendell:

Crying. Ninjas chopping onions again.

sisterwolf: Circus lady, 1912

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:35:01 -0500

sisterwolf:

Circus lady, 1912

explore-blog: Impressive, thoroughly researched visual history...

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 19:26:40 -0500

1981

1972

1900

1880

1887

1900s

explore-blog:

Impressive, thoroughly researched visual history of 150 years of photographic portrayal of lesbians and queer women. Also see Venus with Biceps, a visual history of muscular women.

collective-history: Atlanta, Georgia — the Commercial Centre,...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:08:04 -0500

collective-history:

Atlanta, Georgia — the Commercial Centre, 1887

books0977: The blind guitarist. Vintage photograph. “Everything...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:06:51 -0500

books0977:

The blind guitarist. Vintage photograph.

“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” — Helen Keller

treselegant: The Box By The Stalls (1883) by Jean Béraud.

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:06:00 -0500

treselegant:

The Box By The Stalls (1883)

by Jean Béraud.

1901-a-space-odyssey: The Delineator, April 1899.

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:58:36 -0500

1901-a-space-odyssey:

The Delineator, April 1899.

my-little-time-machine: Undertaker, Tennessee c. 1899

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:42:17 -0500

my-little-time-machine:

Undertaker, Tennessee c. 1899

adanvc: The Great Blizzard. New York, 1888.

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 21:24:27 -0500

adanvc:

The Great Blizzard. New York, 1888.

saisonciel: Louise Beaudet, c. 1890 Sassy.

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:41:37 -0500

saisonciel:

Louise Beaudet, c. 1890

Sassy.

familyephemera: Like the other pocket watch I posted a while...

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:35:28 -0500

familyephemera:

Like the other pocket watch I posted a while back, this one is also in pretty rough shape. The crystal, second hand, and minute hand are long gone. Though other than that, it looks pretty decent. Since it was with that other watch I knew which side of the family it was handed down from, but not exactly from which ancestor. In order to better substantiate this, I figured I should do a bit of research.

This watch is much smaller than the previous. It is roughly the size of a half-dollar. Turns out that this size would have made it a lady’s pocket watch; a category that I didn’t know existed. To get the exact size you have to measure the face in units of a 30^th of an inch (and why not 32^nd I have no idea). Anyway, the face is roughly 1&3/8” so that puts it soundly as being made for a lady.

Like the other watch you have to open up the case to read the serial number off of the movement (and not the case itself). This one was a bit harder to get open but it eventually popped exposing the very cool looking interworking. As for the date, it was made in 1894. With that date in mind I’m going to guess that it first belonged to either of my 2^nd Great Grandmothers Alice Shepard McDermott or Elizabeth Graham Winsel.

Now my next challenge should be to find a place to get these watches repaired.

“Watch movements are measured in an arcane English system of measurement called the Lancashire system or Lancashire Gauge**. In this system, 1 5/30th inches is the “base” measurement and is called 0-size. Each 1/30th of an inch adds 1 (or subtracts 1) to this base.” Source.

onlyoldphotography: Alfred Stieglitz: Winter Fifth avenue,...

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:29:01 -0500

onlyoldphotography:

Alfred Stieglitz: Winter Fifth avenue, 1892

oldbookillustrations: Taking observations from a military...

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 17:47:43 -0500

oldbookillustrations:

Taking observations from a military dirigible balloon.

Howard Penton, from Engineering wonders of the world vol. 3, Edited by Archibald Williams, London, 1909.

(Source: archive.org)

my-ear-trumpet: sogoodforbunnies: laphamsquarterly: Check out...

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:07:48 -0500

my-ear-trumpet:

sogoodforbunnies:

laphamsquarterly:

Check out that swagger on Teddy Roosevelt.

This is the best thing that has happened in Vogue. Ever.

picadorbookroom:

“With these old shirts, it’s extremely difficult to get the studs through—it makes you aware of what it was like to get dressed in the early 1900s and why you would maybe need a valet to help.”

Behind the Scenes: Jeffrey Eugenides on becoming Henry James for Annie Liebovitz’s Vogue Magazine shoot at Edith Wharton’s estate in the Berkshires.

Love these! Wish more magazines would go all out like this!

I’ve posted some of these before but they are so wonderful - they deserved another posting.

chicagohistorymuseum: Unidentified barroom c. 1890-1895....

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:20:51 -0500

chicagohistorymuseum:

Unidentified barroom c. 1890-1895. Photographer unknown.

Want a copy of this photo?
> Visit our Rights and Reproductions Department and give them this number: ICHi-61868