The Public Domain Review

This is just an automatic copy of Public Domain Review blog.

The Heart of Man; Either a Temple of God, or a Habitation of Satan; Represented in Ten Emblematical Figures (1851)

Tuesday 25 July 2017 at 17:10

Ten illustrations which, in a wonderful marriage of word and image, plot out the life of the Christian soul.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/the-heart-of-man-1851/


The History of Ink: Including its Etymology, Chemistry, and Bibliography (1860)

Wednesday 19 July 2017 at 18:54

Delightful little book from Thaddeus Davids and co, one of the largest ink manufacturers of their time: a wonderful example of form matching content.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/the-history-of-ink-including-its-etymology-chemistry-and-bibliography-1860/


Music in the Margins: The Funeral of Reynard the Fox (13th century)

Thursday 13 July 2017 at 18:21

A motley crew of anthropomorphic animals found adorning the lower margins of a finely illuminated book of hours produced in late thirteenth-century England.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/music-in-the-margins-the-funeral-of-reynard-the-fox-13th-century/


Inventing the Recording

Wednesday 12 July 2017 at 18:09

Eva Moreda Rodríguez on the formative years of the recording industry, focusing on the culture surrounding the gabinetes fonográficos of fin-de-siècle Spain.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/2017/07/12/inventing-the-recording/


Micromégas by Voltaire (1752)

Tuesday 11 July 2017 at 19:18

Early sci-fi short story by Voltaire recounting a visit to Earth by Micromégas, an inhabitant of a distant planet which circles the star Sirius, and his companion hailing from Saturn.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/micromegas-by-voltaire-1752/


The Concealed Erotic Paintings of Sommonte (19th Century)

Thursday 6 July 2017 at 17:53

A wonderfully unique object, at first glance merely a painting of roses, but with hidden erotic scenes beneath.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/the-concealed-erotic-paintings-of-sommonte-19th-century/


Lover of the Strange, Sympathizer of the Rude, Barbarianologist of the Farthest Peripheries

Wednesday 5 July 2017 at 18:04

CONJECTURES #5 — Winnie Wong brings us a short biography of the Chinese curioso Pan Youxun (1745-1780). At issue? Hubris, hegemony, and global art history.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/lover-of-the-strange-sympathizer-of-the-rude-barbarianologist-of-the-farthest-peripheries/


The Long, Forgotten Walk of David Ingram

Wednesday 28 June 2017 at 18:54

If three shipwrecked English sailors really did travel by foot from Florida to Nova Scotia in 1569 then it would certainly count as one of the most remarkable walks undertaken in recorded history. Although the account's more fantastical elements, such as the sighting of elephants, have spurred many to consign it to the fiction department, John Toohey argues for a second look.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/2017/06/28/the-long-forgotten-walk-of-david-ingram/


The Hawaiian Quintette (1913)

Tuesday 27 June 2017 at 22:29

Selection of tracks recorded by the Hawaiian Quintette for Victor in 1913, series of recordings which went a long way toward establishing Hawaiian music as a significant genre on mainland US.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/the-hawaiian-quintette-1913/


Ha Bun Shu: a Japanese Book of Wave and Ripple Designs (1919)

Thursday 22 June 2017 at 11:00

Wonderful selection of wave and ripple designs produced by the Japanese artist Mori Yuzan, which would have found their way onto swords and associated paraphernalia, as well as lacquerware, Netsuke, religious objects, and a host of other items.

Source: http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/ha-bun-shu-a-japanese-book-of-wave-and-ripple-designs-1919/