“There is disbelieve, panic. We smell smoke, we see glass lying everywhere. People hold on to each other, text, call, and stay close to each other.” Miriam El Maslouhi, December 22nd, 2019. The aftermath of what Miriam described was demolished cars and a building with broken windows. Why? On 8 November 2019, a national conference […]
Goodbye, my love: The inscribed weddingsheet of Clelia Marchi
Upon entering Pieve Santo Stefano, a tiny tucked-away village in Arezzo, one encounters Italy at its quietest. Seeing no one on the streets but a few people in front of a tiny bar and an old couple walking their dog, nothing here seems particularly tumultuous or emotionally intricate. If only visitors knew they had entered […]
The Prorace cervical cap: an object of early feminism or racial prejudice?
Going to the doctor or pharmacy to get contraceptives is a very natural thing to do today. A hundred years ago, this was not the case, as contraceptives were not widely accepted. Despite these circumstances, Marie Stopes opened the first (free) birth control clinic in London in 1921. The Mother’s Clinic gave women advice on […]
Corsets for Beer Bellies: Flatten Your “Danger Curve” With a Health Belt!
Today, influencers like the Kardashians peddle ‘waist-trainers’ and similar items that claim not only to reduce your waist, but help you lose weight or even achieve a six-pack; all while you sit at your desk. They are far from the first to recommend products like this: similar garments were advertised all over the place during the twentieth century. These descendants of the corset claimed to do much more heavy lifting than their predecessors. The corset may be one of the most famous items of clothing from western fashion history, but it is usually associated with women. What not many people know, is that men wore them too! So what did men’s corsets look like, and why does this piece of fashion history get so little mention?
A never ending obsession for beauty
She was once considered the most beautiful woman of the 19th century: Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known by the wider public as ‘Sisi.’ With hair down to her feet, a waist of 50 centimeters and the tall height of 172 centimeters, she stood out amongst her contemporaries and her physique gained an immense popularity […]
Pennyroyal: from ancient Greek theatre to TikTok
By Hanna Jaspers Besides the famous Nirvana song Pennyroyal tea, pennyroyal did not mean much to me two weeks ago. As you might know, Kurt Cobain sings movingly: “Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea. Distill the life that’s inside of me.” Kurt Cobain refers to the fact that in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, […]
TB-huts: the tiny houses of a century ago
If you were looking to book a weekend away in the last two years, you have probably considered a tiny house. But have you heard of it’s predecessor, the TB-hut? These small houses were very popular in the 19th and 20th century. However, they were made for a very different purpose. “Exactly as they were […]
Please think of the children!
Throughout history humanity has had to face numerous threats to its existence. While many of these were man-made, mother nature itself can be a cruel mistress indeed. Perhaps there is not a more common or longstanding danger to humanity as the everlasting threat of disease. While nowadays it is relatively easy to teach people how […]
The looted Cannon of Kandy: Far from home
Gold, silver and gems were all used for the decoration of the Cannon of Kandy. A beautiful cannon that’s being displayed by the Dutch Rijksmuseum. However the story behind the obtaining of the cannon isn’t quite as shiny as its looks are. The cannon was unjustly taken as war booty from Sri Lanka by Dutch […]
Bloodletting: the cure for all diseases
In the past there were limited medical treatments available for doctors. Often the first thing a doctor would do when someone got sick was: cut open their veins. This gruesome practice called bloodletting is thousands of years old. It is also known as phlebotomy, from the Greek words phlebos (vein) and temnein (to cut). Bloodletting […]