Articles

Patriotism and Patronage: Art in the Second World War

While art is always an integral part of a nation's culture and identity, it is even more so the case during wartime. One could argue that World War II in particular utilized artists, historians, ar...

The Value of Italian Marble

Some of Italy's finest marble comes from the Apuan Alps, in the northern region. Not typically visited by tourists, it's an area steeped in culture, tradition, and thousands of years of marble quar...

British Nobility and the Chesterfield Sofa

Chesterfield sofas are distinguished by their timeless silhouette, with rolled arms the same height as the backrest, and typically upholstered in tufted leather. They are simultaneously regal and c...

The Plight of Jewish Relics During WWII

While it's often difficult to think past the sheer human loss of the Holocaust, it's still relevant and deeply saddening to think of the Jewish history and culture lost at the same t...

The History of the Carousel Horse

The smell of butter, funnel cake, cotton candy, & chocolate hit your nose. The sounds of laughter, bells ringing, and that familiar voice saying; "Steeep-Rite-Up, who wants to take a shot at w...

Nautical Myths & Superstitions

Of nautical and maritime superstitions, there are many. While many have no discernible origin (other than "believed to bring back luck"), there are many more used to ward off the unfortunate fates...

The Hudson's Bay Company Point Blanket and the Canadian Fur Trade

Chartered in 1670, the Hudson's Bay Company is one of the world's oldest incorporated companies. Based in England, it was a Canadian company that also established a de facto government to manage th...

Gargoyles

Gargoyles were a fixture of Medieval and Gothic architecture, both for practical water drainage purposes, as well as for aesthetics. While Egyptians and Romans had also employed gargoyles as an ear...

Chinese Export Porcelain & Other Chinese Antiquities

When people think of Asian decorative arts, they most often think of what is known as Chinese export porcelain, wares produced specifically for a vast and eager audience outside of China. While for...

The History of the Barber Pole

You see them, hanging on the exterior of a building, or maybe through a picture window of a store. The red white and blue stripes lit up, spinning and seen from blocks away. The Barber Pole. Natu...