Poster advertising Joice Heth

The Immortal Life of Joice Heth: How P. T. Barnum Used an Elderly Slave To Launch His Career

P. T. Barnum's career as a Kentucky show man began with his ownership and exploitation of African American slave Joice Heth.
Weldon's Ladies' Journal April 1895

Public Domain via <a href="http://elusivemu.se/resources-for-artists-public-domain-fashion-images/#prettyPhoto[gallery-1]/1" target="_blank">elusivemu.se</a>

The Birth of Fashion Magazines

Fashion magazines, which first emerged in the 19th century, bridged notions of femininity with an increasingly consumerist society.
From left: Star Wars movie poster 1977, Star Wars: Phantom Menace movie poster 1999, Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie poster 2015

The War On Star Wars

The force isn't for everyone.
Black Friday Crowd

Why Black? A Look Behind the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year

On either side of the aisle, Black Friday surfaces systemic issues facing low-income communities of color.
Wooden Spoons

Why We Keep Our Utensils

They're more than just cooking tools.
Speech Bubbles

When Actions Are Words

How certain speech acts perform actions and alter our social reality.
The iconic clock scene from Safety Last! (1923)

When People Talked at the Movies

Being silent in a movie theater is a learned habit.
Music act Neurosis performing live at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, New York, January 19, 2013 - (Copyright Tim Bugbee/The Hell Gate/Corbis / APImages)

Heavy Metal’s Classical Roots: Neurosis’ Symphony of Sludge

Relapse Records recently reissued Neurosis' famous "Times of Grace," and the album is a sadomasochistic symphony.
Movie poster for The Big Lebowski

Aggression, Ethics, and War in ‘The Big Lebowski’

It's more than just entertainment. It reflects the feelings of an era.