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A gray horse is the central element in a monument to the unsolved murder of Ruggero Pascoli.
murder

The Unsolved Murder That Haunted a Beloved Italian Poet

A stirring mosaic marks the spot where Ruggero Pascoli was killed in 1867, shaping his son Giovanni's prolific art.
Gary Singh February 3, 2022
paintings

Is This $88 Portrait the Work of a 17th-Century Flemish Master?

Science and historical research say….maybe.
Sarah Durn January 28, 2022
objects of intrigue

President Grant’s Memorial Flowers Have Survived for 136 Years

They’ve just been sitting in the dining room all this time.
Jessica Andreone January 6, 2022
Inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, French Shore locals embroidered their own history for posterity.
objects of intrigue

How a Tiny Hamlet's Wondrous Tapestry Preserves a Complex Past

Inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, artists and embroiderers in a Newfoundland village commemorated a lost way of life.
Tim Johnson December 2, 2021
There are 49 Guna communities on the island archipelago of Guna Yala.
objects of intrigue

The Secret History of Panamá’s Most Colorful Clothes

In Guna Yala, indigenous women sew stories of legend, revolution, and even Minnie Mouse into the elaborate textiles known as molas.
Sarah Durn November 17, 2021
Robert's sailor suit is not original to the doll. It may have first belonged to one of his former owners, Robert Eugene Otto.
objects of intrigue

The Story Behind the World's Most Terrifying Haunted Doll

Robert the Doll is Key West's most cursed object.
Andy Wright October 25, 2021
A witch cake from the village of Bempton, which collector William Clarke dated to 1850.
objects of intrigue

Remembering ‘Witch Cakes,’ the Evil-Fighting Baked Goods of the 1600s

Are these cakes weapons against dark forces or just “spiky bagels”?
Sam O'Brien October 21, 2021
Built in 1905 from random porter cart parts, barstools, and a marine engine, The Sheldon was the first and only automobile manufactured in Alaska.
objects of intrigue

This 1905 Motorcar is the Only Automobile Manufactured in Alaska

The Sheldon is a one-of-a-kind testament to the ingenuity—and unrequited love—of its creator.
Bailey Berg September 2, 2021
This unusual artifact—now housed at the Columbia University Libraries—is part comic collection, part journal of life in the 1930s.
objects of intrigue

The 36-Pound Comic Scrapbook That Chronicles the Great Depression

How the collection went from a small-town barbershop to a big-time library.
Amadea Tanner August 16, 2021
An apple scoop carved from a sheep's tibia, European, 19th century.
objects of intrigue

For Centuries, England's Go-To Apple Utensil Was a Sheep Bone

No dentures? No problem!
Amelia Soth August 6, 2021
Edward Jenner's letter to John Glover Loy.
objects of intrigue

Vaccination Could Easily Have Been Called 'Equination'

A recently sold letter from medical pioneer Edward Jenner provides some insight as to why.
Matthew Taub June 24, 2021
A handstein, circa 1740 from Hungary, in the German Mining Museum in Bochum.
objects of intrigue

The Raw Ore Centerpieces That Turned Grueling Labor Into Cutesy Dioramas

Handsteins were beloved of 16th-century princes because they affirmed the social order.
Eve Kahn June 22, 2021
This 17th-century cookbook contains both recipes and propaganda.
objects of intrigue

Eat Like England’s First Non-Royal Ruler With This Propaganda-Filled Cookbook

Opponents of Oliver Cromwell published his family recipes, with a side of fake news.
Anne Ewbank March 10, 2021
This Quran is small enough to fit inside a locket, and in your palm.
objects of intrigue

This Miniature Quran Bears Witness to an Immense History

It is an artifact of devotion, wealth, and empire.
Matthew Taub January 6, 2021
The machine, abandoned and claimed by nature at the bottom of the bay.
objects of intrigue

Found: A Nazi 'Enigma' Machine at the Bottom of a Bay

The rust-encrusted device was likely abandoned at the end of World War II.
Isaac Schultz January 4, 2021
The emblems on this 18th-century wineglass declare the drinkers' devotion to a deposed king.
objects of intrigue

These Coded Wine Glasses Were Used for Treasonous Toasts

The Jacobites slyly drank to a deposed king.
Amelia Soth December 28, 2020
A sleeping bag made of reindeer (caribou) hide, circa 1884.
objects of intrigue

A Tale of Survival, Wrapped in a 19th-Century Reindeer-Skin Sleeping Bag

Twenty-five travelers departed for the Arctic. Six made it home.
Betsy Golden Kellem November 24, 2020
Long fringe and white paper often represented the death of a child, while black paper and short fringe was used for adults.
objects of intrigue

The Lost Art of Swedish Funeral Confectionery

These beautiful mementos of mourning have all but disappeared.
Sam O'Brien October 29, 2020