License: Public Domain
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Finger Friends (1907)
Attributed to: Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879-1958)Century: 20th CenturyDecade: 1900sSource: Internet Archive -
Nebuchadnezzar as a Wild Animal (1410)
In Christian mythology, a king named Nebuchadnezzar went mad. He lived in the wild eating grass naked. What a vibe.
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Monument to Departed Spirits (1895)
Someone took tons of empty spirit alcohol bottles and made them into one giant bottle. Quite the hobby! The creation was located at Ridge Hill Farms in Wellesley Massachusetts.
Attributed to: Zacharie Le Rouzic (1864-1939)Century: 19th CenturyDecade: 1890sSource: Digital Commonwealth -
Monstrous Camel Man (1690)
On exactly September 20th, 1690, these monsters were captured by King William the Third’s troops and taken to London. The camel men were said to be from Limerick Ireland.
Not only do these camel men have glorious legs as shown in the drawing, but they also have an insatiable appetite for humans.
Such a random and specific lie. Did the king think this would impress people? What did he gain by creating a sexy legged camel men myth!?
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Mud Baths at Saki (1920)
These are patients at the Saki Sanatorium in Yevpatoria, Russia, taking mud baths. Mud therapy has been around for centuries, and even animals do something similar, called wallowing.
The text on the photo is as follows:
“Саки.
Больныя въ
грязевыхъ
Ваннахъ.”Translated from Russian to English – “Saki. Patients in mud baths.”
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Uneeda Biscuit – Collie’s Special Delivery (1916)
Image Context
In 1898, the ambitious Adolphus Green cofounded the National Biscuit Company. He had a vision to rid the world of disgusting cracker barrels.[2]
Before Uneeda Biscuits, you would have to reach into a community-manhandled barrel of crackers. If you were lucky you got some off the top – still fresh and delicious. If you weren’t, you got mushy bits at the bottom. Apparently, like most people, Adolphus Green did not like soggy contaminated food. He helped patent the “In-Er-Seal” technology! [1]
Now your favorite delicious flaky snack was wrapped in wax paper and placed in cardboard. Fresh, dry, and endorsed by a sunglassed dog. Uneeda Biscuits had such innovative packaging that it changed the food industry. It inspired other companies to deliver nicely protected food packs to stores for consumers rather than troublesome bulk free-for-all bundles. This made the food quality higher and the products easier to transport! [3]
So, what seemed like a silly cute dog photo was the harbinger of doom for cracker barrels worldwide. Nice.
[1] American Profile (1982) by Edward Wagenknecht
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Death on A Pale Horse (1825)
Attributed to: Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)Century: 19th CenturyDecade: 1820sSource: Tate Britain
