The Thames’ frost fairs of the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries are well-documented (as well as featured in two Dr. Who episodes). They occurred during Britain’s Little Ice Age, when winters were cold enough to freeze over parts of the Thames. During them, when the ice was thick enough and lasted long enough, Londoners Read More

As a cataloger in a university library, naturally student life is of particular interest. So when I ran across Johann Strauss Jr.’s waltz Studentenlust (Students’ Joy), the cover illustration delighted me. The guy in the center is inked slightly darker, and clearly meant to be the focus: but what of his joys? A pipe, a Read More

This post is part of an ongoing series featuring items recently cataloged from the Julio Mario Santo Domingo Collection. The Daily Planet publication appears to be somewhat of a mystery.  It is clearly a reference to the famed Daily Planet newspaper from the Superman franchise, but I couldn’t find any further information about the title.  Read More

For the second in our series on Big Data (Demons are here) in John Ward’s collection of Strauss family dance music (surely a present-day Strauss would even now be writing a Data-Crunching Waltz!) we turn to images of women. The accomplished young lady beguiling long family evenings at her keyboard, or livening up a gathering Read More