China Stories.

Vignettes of life in China.




Historic Maps of Paris.




Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.

'Joshua Abraham Norton (c. 1819 – January 8, 1880), also known as His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco, California who proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States" and later "Protector of Mexico" in 1859. Born in London, Norton spent most of his early life in South Africa; he emigrated to San Francisco in 1849 after receiving a bequest of $40,000 from his father's estate. Norton initially made a living as a businessman, but he lost his fortune investing in Peruvian rice...'

More here :- http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/norton.html




Vintage Kimono.




The Great Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942.

'On the night and early morning of February 24 and 25, 1942, a singular event unfolded in the skies over Southern California – the continental United States was attacked by an enemy... or was it? The reports of this vary, from a squadron of Japanese bombers, a weather balloon, and even alien spacecraft, and the subsequent government conspiracies that followed. We do know that something happened; too many people witnessed the event to dispute that fact, but what really happened?'




Abandoned Swimming Pools.




Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus.

'Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge...'

More :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes,_Virginia,_there_is_a_Santa_Claus '“Is There a Santa Claus?” was the headline that appeared over an editorial in the September 21, 1897 edition of the New York Sun. The editorial, which included the response of “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” has become an indelible part of popular Christmas lore in the United States.'




Strike It Lucky.

'A 1929 advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes, from The 100 Greatest Advertisements 1852–1958, by Julian Lewis Watkins, p. 66.'




Cigarette Cards: Cricket.




Cigarette Cards: Beauties.

Includes a 1928 series for Sarony Cigarettes on 'national types of beauty'.




Moon and Stars.




Phobos: Doomed Moon of Mars.



Drums and Shadows.

'This collection of oral folklore from coastal Georgia was assembled during the 1930s as part of a WPA writers' program, under the supervision of Mary Granger. The accounts in this book, framed by colorful descriptions of the rural locales where they were collected, were principally from elderly African-Americans, some of them centarians. Most had been slaves. In some cases they had known first generation slaves who had been born in Africa. '




Jamaica Anansi Stories.

Jamaican folklore.




The Kumulipo: A Hawaiian Creation Chant.




Vintage Halloween Cards.




Unfortunate Valentine's Cards.

'"If I had my choice you'd be first," but look at me. Am I ever really likely to have my choice? It doesn't seem likely. My giant hideous eyes are set really far apart, my head is as big and round as a elementary school gym class kickball, I have two nostrils but no nose, and my knees have strange lines on them. I'll be lucky to find any valentine, let alone my first choice. It's a tough life for a pseudo Campbell's soup kid. A tough life indeed. '




Socialist Posters of India.

'This online exhibition features a rarely studied and documented topic on the Socialist Movements in India, during the British rule and subsequent to India's freedom.'




Weekly Puzzle.

1/ Make 17 out of 1,2,6 and 7.

2/ Make 32 out of 1,2,6 and 7.