MetaFilter posts tagged with century

Don't Look At Ugly People! The Hidden Logic Behind Old Parenting Advice

esereth — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:53:37 -0800

Though Dr. Spock's book on "how to raise a mildly disfunctional baby boomer" might have been the best selling parenting book in history, it wasn't the first or remotely the craziest. But according to an article at The Atlantic, they had a good reason for their tough love and crazy theories.

Rise of the Afropolitan

infini — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 00:25:16 -0800

The stereotypes about Africa/Africans are too many to list here. They’re mostly negative, myopic depictions that focus on war, famine, abject poverty, disease, and corruption. In other oversimplifications, Africans are written up as model immigrants, overachieving geniuses, or displaced chiefs moonlighting as gas station attendants. Outside of these caricatures, many Africans are going to work and school, voting in their local elections, and spending way too much time on Facebook. And they’re over the ignorance that has collectively miscast them. In response, a swelling movement of young Africans are launching concerted efforts to wrest the image of Africa from entities and interests that don’t promote a balanced understanding of the continent.

Neverending stories

Artw — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 11:26:39 -0800

Four Micro-Essays on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 2009 (contains spoilers), a look at the concluding part of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's 3 part LoEG: Century series in which the league face off against a headline grabbing villain (extreme spoiler warning) and which spookily presaged some of last nights Olympic opening. Previous Moore and O'Neill. Obligatory annotations from Jess Nevins.

Beauty, Virtue and Vice

netbros — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:01:26 -0800

Most of the prints in the exhibit "Beauty, Virtue and Vice: Images of Women in Nineteenth-Century American Prints" were designed simply to please the eye, but they are also useful to historians who would like to understand how nineteenth-century Americans thought about the world in which they lived. Although prints are often works of imagination (even when they are grounded in fact), they still have much to tell us about the time and place in which they were created. Highlights from this online exhibit include: True Womanhood — with a Map of the Open Country of a Woman's Heart. This map of a woman's heart tells us much about what the artist and his society believed about women. This illustration perfectly captures nineteenth-century ideas about womanhood. Women as Objects of Beauty and Desire — Prints depicting beautiful women were often influenced by other forms of popular culture. Some of the finest prints produced in the United States were copies of admired European and American paintings. Print artists also created their own original representations of heroic characters from novels and theatrical presentations. Ideal Beauty — Many nineteenth-century Americans believed that women had unique abilities, talents, and propensities that were natural attributes of their sex. Women were thought to be naturally dependent, nurturing, and well suited for domestic labor. Such ideas complemented the notion that men were defined by opposite characteristics, which included independence and bravery; strength of character, mind, and body; and a natural talent for mastery and dominance over their environments. Threats to the Ideals of True Womanhood: Slavery — Slavery was almost unquestionably the most important issue of the nineteenth century. Women were frequently at the center when slavery debates were translated into visual images.

In a short animated world...

louche mustachio — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:20:11 -0800

100 fantastic animated shorts for a century of animation. Almost all entries with video.

1898 baseball cursing policy, amply illustrated

LobsterMitten — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 16:17:13 -0800

"In terms of language, it is also the most offensive official Major League baseball document that we have ever seen." An auction house obtains a one page letter sent to baseball players in 1898, outlining the league's new anti-cursing policy. Includes lots of examples of the kind of language that is not allowed. Nervous auctioneers not sure how to exhibit it. Purely of historical interest, naturally. It says at the bottom of the document "may not be mailed - must be delivered by express". I wonder if it couldn't be mailed because of its obscene content?

Betty Crocker in Hollywoodland

wander — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:09:28 -0800

The history of cake has been long and varied, and many have interesting histories. Some are misleadingly named. However, few have had as mysterious and interesting a history as one of the 20th century's most famous cakes, the Chiffon.
From the always wonderful Rake Magazine.

Give Me a Lass with a Lump of Land

mwhybark — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 18:11:07 -0800

Eighteenth Century E-Texts, a sub-branch of Eighteenth Century Resources, maintained by Jack Lynch, of Rutgers.

Magazines for Ladies

plep — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 07:06:35 -0800

Godey's Lady's Book. A 19th century American ladies' magazine, which contained poetry, engravings and articles. "It was a novel enterprise at the time, and few thought it would outlive the first year of its nativity. It soon became apparent, however, that its management was in the hands of one who knew the want of the time, and had the tact and taste required for its supply."
More here.
Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of 'Mary had a little lamb', who petitioned President Lincoln for a national holiday known as Thanksgiving Day, was an editor of the magazine.

Expressed with words and scents

Kickstart70 — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 11:06:49 -0800

Oh! that I were a T---d, a T---d,
Hid in this secret Place,
That I might see my Betsy's A----,
Though she sh--t me in my Face.
(Written under this in a Woman's Hand)
'Tis Pity but you had your Wish, E. W.

Boghouse (public toilet) poetry from 18th century london.

Civilization

hama7 — Thu, 13 Nov 2003 11:41:12 -0800

Masterpieces of 20th-Century Chinese Painting, and more at Civilization.

First Quote of the Century

Jeremy — Tue, 01 Feb 2000 12:46:21 -0800

First Quote of the Century Here's the first quotable quote of the century. Monica Lewinsky on CNN's Larry King Live discussing her miraculous Jenny Craig weight-loss: "I've learned not to put things in my mouth that are bad for me."