1900s

Do you remember the elaborate charity collection tubs that would stand near the checkouts in most supermarkets? What fun it was to watch mum’s change zig-zag or spiral away. So […]

Maricourt is a Snakes & Ladders style board game, c1900, intended to be played by couples, but it can be played as individuals. Interestingly, the initial pairing of couples by […]

On blogs scattered across the Internet there are tales told of the plucky and resourceful Victorian women who would fight off the unwanted attentions of ‘mashers’ with their hatpins. While […]

The 1850s saw the introduction of the post box on the streets of Britain, which brought with them, not only the convenience and encouragement of the postal service, but another […]

If it doesn’t look nice, cover it up. It’s a philosophy that could happily sit alongside those of great interiors thinkers William Morris (have nothing in your house you do […]

Wear your heart on your sleeve and your outrage on your lapel. Protest badges are a symbol of allegiance and an act of defiance against the status quo. These small […]

– Pablo Picasso, 1955. Earthenware pitcher. JUGS for serving ale or cider at special occasions. Globe shaped, often in red earthenware with white-slip sgraffito decoration of nature motifs and rhymes. […]

The question is, does she wake back up again after you have gone to sleep? Perhaps it isn’t that ridiculous a question, apart from the fact we’ve always known stories […]

In the last issue we looked at examples of when history is made less authentic to appear more realistic and how it can either distance us from or immerse us […]

Fake books and their hidden contents. I think the idea of fake books is right up there with priest holes in Tudor buildings. Chopping out the middle of an old book to hide some trinket inside is something many of us probably tried as children, before realising it was quite…