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.
Paris’s Wild Costume Balls
As urban growth brought rich and poor Parisians closer together in the 1830s, masked balls encouraged class mixing and costumes that crossed gender lines.
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.
The Magic of a Crooked Sixpence
Coins were used for centuries in many ritual contexts, but the English silver sixpence was a particularly common charm—for several reasons.
Why the Worst Weather on Earth Is in New Hampshire
A combination of factors makes the weather at New Hampshire’s Mount Washington arguably the most brutal in the world.
I Hope This Finds You Well, or, Dude, You Good?
Are formulaic hoping and wishing statements in correspondence evidence of magical thinking?
What Is Greenwashing?
The disreputable and deceitful approach many companies have taken to demonstrate decarbonization remains a persistent, global challenge.
Decolonizing the Language of Overseas France
School systems in French Polynesia and New Caledonia are attempting to revitalize vernacular languages that were suppressed under French colonialism.
The Didarganj Figurine: A Yakshi or a Ganika?
Could we be wrong about the identity of this celebrated stone sculpture from ancient India?
Passing Narratives That Pre-Date Black Like Me
In 1905, Robert Gilbert Wells used a fictional character to explore the experience of being a Black man in America.