Shortcomings

Shortcomings Shows the Loneliness of Refusing to “See” Race

Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel forces the reader to surveil the world through the eyes of its protagonist, Japanese American theater manager Ben Tanaka.
Portrait of Mary Taylor

Mary Taylor, Charlotte Brontë’s Cool Friend

An independent traveler and business owner, Taylor inspired many of Brontë's own enterprises, including her relocation to Brussels.
Swedish folk musicians, 1922

The Tricky Politics of Swedish Folk Music

In the early twentieth century, folk music in Sweden was connected with right-wing nationalists, leaving a complicated inheritance for today’s music fans.
John G. Neihardt

A Tale of Two Visionaries

What roiled the mind of Nebraska poet John Neihardt with whom Black Elk, the iconic Lakota holy man, shared his story?
Denise Scott Brown 1978 © Lynn Gilbert

The Lasting Influence of Denise Scott Brown

Recognizing Scott Brown’s work is necessary for understanding American architecture in the second half of the twentieth century.
The Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1490

Lady with an Ermine Meets Nazi Art Thief Hans Frank

Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting bore witness to the administrative acts that enabled the crimes committed against Polish Jews during World War II.
The cover of three issues of The Brownies Book

The Short Life (and A New Revival) of The Brownies’ Book

A new anthology celebrates the life and impact of one of the earliest American periodicals written for Black children.
Hunters in the Snow (Winter) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

The Climate Canvasses of the Little Ice Age

Low Country artists of the late Renaissance and Early Baroque eras captured the happiness and hardships of snowy winters—an ever rarer phenomenon now.
The Superman costume as worn by Christopher Reeve in Superman III

Still American?

A rumination on Superman, Black consciousness, and living the dream.
A woman proffers a jug of ale to a man in the street from her 'house of shame', in an allegorical 19th century woodcut.

A Pint for the Alewives

Until the Plague decimated Europe and reconfigured society, brewing beer and selling it was chiefly the domain of the fairer sex.