It’s “A Cat-astrophe”! (1919)

September 15, 2026

“A Cat-astrophe” came on the tail end of an odd 1918 boom in cat-themed music.

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In Company Style: Illustrations from James Skinner’s Kitāb-i tashrīḥ al-aqvām (1825)

An illuminated Persian manuscript about customs, culture, and caste, written by an enigmatic figure of the early British Raj.

Sep 23, 2026

The Public Domain Review

Veronese's Dogs

“Oh, if I could only pray”, Luther once said of his dog Tölpel, “the way this dog watches the meat”. Attending to attentive canine figures in half a dozen paintings by Paolo Veronese, Thomas W. Laqueur explores the work of an artist whose love of dogs landed him in hot water with the Inquisition.

Sep 16, 2026

The Public Domain Review

Metamorphosis: Transformations in the Early Modern Flap Book (early 19th century)

By manipulating paper flaps, the child could turn Adam into Eve into a mermaid, a lion into a griffin into an eagle — all while learning about the inevitability of death.

Sep 10, 2026

The Public Domain Review

The Ties that Bind: Central Asian Ikat (ca. 19th century)

Vibrant textiles from the dazzling Timurid metropolis of Bukhara.

Sep 8, 2026

The Public Domain Review

Photographs of Atlantic City Sand Sculpture (ca. 1880–1920)

Photographs from when Atlantic City beaches featured artists ornately sculpting sand.

Jul 29, 2026

The Public Domain Review

Artificial Intelligence: Ars Notoria and the Promise of Instant Knowledge

Centuries before Neo instantly mastered Kung Fu in *The Matrix*, medieval scholars found a shortcut to years of difficult study: a magical manuscript that promised to fast-track advanced learning. Anne Lawrence-Mathers investigates the *Ars notoria*, its supposed powers, and the demonic influence it had upon some users.

Jul 29, 2026

It’s “A Cat-astrophe”! (1919)

Related

In Company Style: Illustrations from James Skinner’s Kitāb-i tashrīḥ al-aqvām (1825)

Veronese's Dogs

Metamorphosis: Transformations in the Early Modern Flap Book (early 19th century)

The Ties that Bind: Central Asian Ikat (ca. 19th century)

Photographs of Atlantic City Sand Sculpture (ca. 1880–1920)

Artificial Intelligence: Ars Notoria and the Promise of Instant Knowledge