Can a person’s experiences on earth alter how they perceive the stars? In “Marxist Astronomy” @lacollee peers through the telescope of Anton Pannekoek, the Dutch astronomer whose politics informed his human approach to studying the cosmos:

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Marxist Astronomy: The Milky Way According to Anton Pannekoek

Can a person’s experiences on earth alter how they perceive the stars? Lauren Collee peers through the telescope of Anton Pannekoek, the Dutch as...

In 24 stages, a frog morphs into the god Apollo — an etching commissioned by the physiognomist Johann Caspar Lavater from Christian von Mechel in 1795. More on the image and its history here: https://buff.ly/3qd3aDZ

The "Bed Series" was a set of intimate portraits of lesbian sex workers made by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the 1890s behind the scenes at a Parisian brothel. More here:

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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Bed Series: An Intimate Look Behind the Scenes at a Paris Brothel (1890s)

A series of depictions of prostitutes, likely lesbian couples, drawn and painted in a Paris brothel during the Belle Époque.

Dig a hole, get in naked, stay up to 12 hours, and sing... Read James Graham's short 1790 treatise on the all-healing qualities of “Earth Bathing” —

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A Treatise on the All-Healing Qualities of Earth Bathing (1790)

A medical tract on the health effects of burying oneself alive in mud.

The Light is Sweet, a 1687 engraving by the Dutch poet, illustrator, and engraver Jan Luyken. One of 900+ prints available to buy from our online shop:

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The Light is Sweet – Product

An image from Jan Luyken's *Voncken der liefde Jesu, van het godtbegerende zielenvier* (1687). (Source: Rijksmuseum)

The first woman to run for president was also a free-love advocate, Spiritualist stockbroker, and the first person to publish the Communist Manifesto in the US. More on Victoria Woodhull's wild life:

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“Freedom! Equality!! Justice!!!”: Victoria Woodhull’s *Impending Revolution* (1872)

A Christian socialist speech by the first woman to run for president and the first person to publish the Communist Manifesto in the US.

Polish composer and virtuoso pianist #Chopin died #onthisday in 1849 aged just 39. He was buried to the tune of his very own “Funeral March”... one of the 1st recordings of which you can listen to here:

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Chopin’s Funeral March - The Edison Concert Band (1906)

Early recording of Chopin's "Funeral March" the famous dirge which was at played at his very own graveside during his burial at Père Lachaise ceme...

#OTD

Dice Man — it's just how he rolls... More radical fashion from the 16th-century Schembart Carnival here:

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Radical Fashion from the Schembart Carnival (1590)

Illustrations from a 16th century manuscript detailing the phenomenon of Nuremberg's Schembart Carnival, (literally "bearded-mask" carnival). Begin...

#OnThisDay in 1815, #Napoleon began his exile on St Helena. With not a lot to do and with the few newspapers he could get mostly in English, he decided to learn the language of his captors. More on Napoleon's "Englich" lessons here:

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Napoleon’s “Englich” Lessons

While imprisoned on St Helena, Napoleon started learning English. One resident of the island called his English “the oddest in the world.”

#OTD

“The flying Dragon is somewhat troublesome to compose...” ⠀ ⠀ From The Mysteries of Nature and Art (1634), a book that is said to have spurred a young Isaac Newton onto the scientific path —

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The Mysteries of Nature and Art

Julie Gardham, Senior Assistant Librarian at University of Glasgow's Special Collections Department, takes a look at the book that was said to ...

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“The flying Dragon is somewhat troublesome to compose...” ⠀ ⠀ From The Mysteries of Nature and Art (1634), a book that is said to have spur...