indicommons &#187; Nantucket Historical Association

A whale in Sydney Harbour.

Model of a whale.

Posing on whale bones.

National Library of New Zealand

Stranded blackfish whales.

Whaling / Walvisvaart

Nationaal Archief

A sperm whale jawbone.

A large whale skeleton.

Field Museum

Whale-back at pier.

Brooklyn Museum

Oddities across the Commons

Stephanie Fysh — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:14:13 +0000

From a Flickr Gallery curated by david_cory, we bring you … Oddities from the Commons!

Ed E. Ford, comedian, at the Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, ca. 1914 / photographer unknown

Library Mummers Play, 1980

Poster for a side show at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (or, as David says, “Disturbing on many levels”)

Hunter with 3 Foot Grasshopper

Galt Museum & Archives

Sea serpent visitors

State Library of Queensland, Australia

Check out the rest of David’s gallery for more Oddities from the Commons!

Bicycles across the Commons

zyrcster — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:00:51 +0000

The Commons Galleries – featuring Mazarine’s curation

Mazarine says:

This is the way to get your groceries home.

A proud cyclist.

Vacationing by bike.

Bibliothèque de Toulouse

A lovely way to see the countryside…

Bibliothèque de Toulouse

Ride your bike to the docks, sail away.

Work on your form, kids.

View the full gallery here to leave your comments!

Hats across the Commons

Penny — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:44:02 +0000

Flickr Commons uploads include many historical images–and historical images include many awesome hats–hats as costume, hats as uniform, hats as protective gear, and hats as fashion. Here are some of the finest examples.

This one at least looks lighweight–straw and flowers.

George Eastman House

The classic Australian hat–Aussie Olympic teams still wear this style in the opening ceremonies some years.

Australian War Memorial

A palmetto hat she made herself–probably a very practical solution to the need for cool headwear in Florida.

Evelyn Nesbit’s eyes, and the photo itself, all seem focused on that extravagant plume.

The sideways cap–it isn’t just for 1980s rapper wannabes.

Library of Virginia

The pin on this 1930s headwrap commemorates the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Mrs. Burleson’s huge hat marks her as a special leader of the suffrage parade. But the other women have some fine millinery too.

The frayed edges of this hat match the frayed layers of Cody’s outfit.

George Eastman House

Feather plumes like these endangered several species of birds.

Russell was an artist, but that’s no beret.

The exuberant hat matches Mrs. Stulle’s smile and attitude–she ran a matchmaking service for widows and widowers.

Gardner’s hat marks him as a Nantucket eccentric, even while his suit and expression are quite sober.

European immigrant women at Ellis Island sometimes brought with them the elaborate headwear of their home regions.

New York Public Library

Helene Dutrieu was the fourth woman in the world to earn a pilot’s license; she also raced cars and motorcycles. This makeshift helmet seems to have extra layers of felt for ear protection.

A ballet dancer’s costume, heavily beaded and embroidered.

Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

The clean lines of the sailor’s cap match the Portuguese actress’s trademark bangs and eyebrows.

Today, we generally only see boater hats at political conventions–but they were once ordinary daywear for men, especially on hot summer days in Tennesee.

One of the most popular and commented photos in the Commons features a serious boy wearing a serious hat.

Mildred Jewett, “Madaket Millie”

Nina — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:00:13 +0000

creator: unknown
Mildred Jewett, “Madaket Millie”, creation date: unknown
Nantucket Historical Association: F6488

view + comment on Flickr

Elisha Pope Fearing Gardner

Nina — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:00:14 +0000

creator: unknown
Elisha Pope Fearing Gardner, creation date: unknown
Nantucket Historical Association: ID F5396

view + comment on Flickr

And that was July … across the Commons

Stephanie Fysh — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:00:31 +0000

Among the joys of browsing the Commons is finding those photos whose dates are more specific that “circa 1920″ or even “1920″. Here, in celebration of the middle of summer — or winter, as the case may be — are photos from across the Commons, from Julys past …

Cyclists climb over a closed railway crossing.
July 1932, the Tour de France.

Nationaal Archief

“Revolutionary uprisings in Persia and Mexico threaten civil rebellion”.
July 5, 1908, the New York Tribune.

The Library of Congress

The Dudley Cantrell Band plays at Grace Bros.
July 15, 1937, Sydney, Australia.

A young bride is prepared by her bridesmaids.
July 11, 1970, Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Tom Walton plays the guitar.
July 4, 1982, White Springs, Florida.

The Langley Flyer superstructure is loaded onto a houseboat.
July 1903, Widewater, Virginia.

DC Public Library

Berenice Abbott captures one moment in the city.
July 16, 1936, Union Square, New York City.

New York Public Library

Seven testifying scientists pose for a photographer during the Scopes Trial.
July 1925, Tennessee.

State Library of Queensland, Australia

American manufacturers parade on Independence Day.
July 4, 1893, Chicago.

Brooklyn Museum

And Mme Gadriol goes for a ride.
July 9, 1899, Luchon, France.

Bibliothèque de Toulouse

Feeling blue? Cyanotypes across the Commons

Stephanie Fysh — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:00:54 +0000

Cyanotype is among the earliest of photographic processes, and the examples of its use found in the Commons are all also early. Sir John Herschel invented the cyanotype in 1842, and Anna Atkins was its first active practitioner — and perhaps the first female photographer as well. The New York Public Library photograph below is among many of hers held at the NYPL and available in the Commons on Flickr.

You can read a basic description of the cyanotype process on Wikipedia . Mike Ware is among modern improvers on the process. The Flickr group Cyanotypes is devoted to new examples of this very old technique.

Himanthalia lorea (1843-53)

New York Public Library

Elevated view of the flooded river and West End, Brisbane, 1893

People indoors, Lysekil, Sweden (1880s)

Swedish National Heritage Board

Jetties Beach, c. 1890s

Finding cyanotypes — or photographs of any particular type or process — in the Commons, particularly as it grows larger, depends on terminology being in the photographs descriptions or tags … in the language you look for it in. If you’re browsing the Commons or commenting on a Commons photograph, take a moment to add search terms to tags.

Happy Independence Day, America!

zyrcster — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:00:23 +0000

Jeff Tinsley
July 4th fireworks highlight the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s Philippines Chapel in 1998, 1998
Smithsonian Institution: 98-8774

Happy 4th of July to the United States of America!

This is a national holiday for the US, celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence — a great day for BBQs, picnics, baseball, and, of course, fireworks. Of this occasion, President John Adams stated,

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

We celebrate across the Commons …

with pomp and parade …

State Archives and Library of Florida

& we’ll gather for speeches …

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Brooklyn Museum

and shows …

Library of Virginia

and songs.

We’ll fly the flag from trains …

with plenty of food under Old Glory!

Tomorrow, we’ll debate a saner way to celebrate our liberty!