The Daguerreotype’s Famous. Why Not the Calotype?
William Henry Fox Talbot’s obsession with protecting his pioneering photographic process doomed his reputation and reduced his legacy to historical footnote.
Vernacular Architecture in Wales
The pioneering collection of farm and craft buildings at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff preserves traditional design and building techniques.
Waste Not, Want Not
Sewage is a vital part of a circular economy—and we have the tech to make good use of it. Why don’t we?
What’s a Swastika Doing on the Cover of a 1916 Newspaper?
Changes in printing press technology and the history of the symbol may explain its presence in the Wyoming State Prison newspaper, J-A-B-S.
The Imperative to Buy the Best Stroller
The baby stroller is only the most visible symbol of the ethos of consumer capitalism that saturates American pregnancy and parenthood.
The Highest Flood in Italy This Century
Recent flooding in Venice has revived memories of a record-setting 1966 flood, which sparked an international rescue program for art and architecture.
Give These Adorable Seals More Privacy!
When viewing boats come too close, seals and their pups stampede into the water. Scientists say it exhausts the animals.
The Camouflage That Dazzled
During WWI, artist and British naval officer Norman Wilkinson came up with an idea so crazy it just may have worked: Dazzle Camouflage.
Fixing the Grassroots of the American Lawn
A citizen scientist bred low-mow, slow-grow grass that needs little water and fertilizer.