Cover of May 1967 issue of The Phoenix, a gay publication available via the Independent Voices collection from Reveal Digital

I Could Spend All Day Looking at the Covers of These LGBTQ Publications

A treasure trove of queer publications from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s are now available through Reveal Digital’s open access collection "Independent Voices."
An advertisement for Pernot Liqueur

The Trouble with Absinthe

When temperance advocates won the ban on absinthe in 1915, many of them saw it as the first step in a broader anti-drinking campaign.
Inside a Foreign Restaurant by Utagawa Yoshikazu, 1860

Restaurants Built Modern Japan’s Identity

In the early 20th century, Japan's embrace of exotic cuisines helped strengthen its connections both to China and to the West.
Several images of people smiling

Why Are Americans So Cheery?

How Americans went from loving melancholy to focusing on controlling their emotions -- and destinies.
Scottish Highlanders

What Does It Mean To Be Celtic?

How various nationalist groups have come to use "Celtic" as a coded way of saying "white."
Protestors from lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity Stonewall, carrying a banner reading 'Lesbian & Gay Rights are Human Rights' during the Gay Pride parade in London, England, United Kingdom, 6 July 1996

The Stonewall Riots Didn’t Start the Gay Rights Movement

Giving Stonewall too much credit misses the movement’s growing strength in the 1960s, sociologists note.
Orphan asylum boys picking currants

When Foster Care Meant Farm Labor

Before current foster care programs were in place, Americans depended on farmers to take care of kids in exchange for hard labor.
A young Irish woman working at a spinning wheel. Engraving by Francis Holl

How War Revolutionized Ireland’s Linen Industry

During the Napoleonic Wars, Irish women, who had traditionally only spun flax into thread, took over the traditionally male job of weaving linen as well.
Croquet Scene by Winslow Homer, 1866

The Dangerous Game of Croquet

Many 19th-century observers were disturbed by the way young people took the co-ed sport of croquet as an opportunity to flirt.
Empress Joséphine holding a Jacquemus Mini Le Chiquito handbag

A Mini History of the Tiny Purse

The purse has always been political, a reflection of changing economic realities and gender roles.