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.
Articles by Betsy Golden Kellem
5
Stories
Stories shared by this traveler.
victorian
When Hard Rock Music Meant Banging on Actual Hard Rocks
The “shipwrecked Mozart” who wowed Victorian audiences, including the Queen herself.
31 days of halloween
How the Real Madame Tussaud Built a Business Out of Beheadings
Marie Grosholtz sure loved to make death masks of freshly executed criminals.
features
At Tom Thumb Weddings, Children Get Faux-Married to Each Other
The tradition began with the real Mr. Thumb, a short-statured performer in P.T. Barnum's circus.
crime and punishment
The Dramatic Courtroom Demo Designed to Expose Arsenic Murders
The Marsh test involved fire, mirrors, and collective gasps.
