satire
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The Anarchist Stamp Saboteurs Collection #1
During the Victorian era, patriotism was held in high esteem among polite society. Disrespecting the crown or country could be met with a swift execution. Yet as we have noted elsewhere, the Victorians were exposed to new ideas that challenged the perceived wisdom of the powers that be. During the nineteenth century, a group of…
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The Rebel Artists Collection #4
As previously mentioned, Europe became a very different place after the Enlightenment. The second half of the 18th century saw many philosophers and thinkers upturn conventional wisdom and begin to think outside the box. Although we can trace the roots of anarchist thought back a couple thousand years, there was an unwavering interest in transitioning…
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Floating Heads Cabaret Collection #2
Today we bring to you more photographs from the west end of London circa 1880 to 1900. As previously mentioned, this club was a hotbed for the advent of European bohemians and creatives. It is recorded that the likes of Squire Bancroft, Ivan Berlyn and John Clayton visited there alongside the highly regarded double act…
alcohol, artists, Avant-garde, costumes, dance, drugs, eccentrics, hats, masks, music, Rebels, satire, theatre, victorian art -
Domingo’s Haunted Puppet Show Collection #3
This is going to be the last puppet collection for a short while. We are presently sitting on top of a pile of new collections which we are hoping to put out over the next couple of weeks so you might see a slight increase in our output. We would like to say thank you…
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Domingo’s Haunted Puppet Show Collection #2
Following on from the last collection, we have discovered a little more about Alfred Byrne and his puppet shows. From a young age, Alfred had an incredible flair for creating puppets, costumes and stage designs. However, owed to the harsh living conditions he experienced in a small town in the northeast of England, with two…
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Domingo’s Haunted Puppet Show Collection #1
Alfred Byrne’s entertainment name was Domingo. We can see him in photograph #10 with some of his creations. He performed his shows in underground theatres across the country and was popular among bohemian circles. The stories he told tended to be a mix of nihilism, gallows humour and scathing social commentary. He attacked royalty, parliament,…
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Godbert Lawley and the Original Victorian B-movie Collection #2
An interesting fact about Godbert’s movies is that the overwhelming majority of the staff were not only alcoholics, but were largely drunk on set. According to one interview, he said that the reason for this is that alcoholics are not only cheaper (because they can be paid in alcohol), but they also make better stuntmen.…
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Godbert Lawley and the Original Victorian B-movie Collection #1
In a short period of time, Godbert made, or attempted to make, around 50 horror movies. These were funded by wealthy businessmen who predicted the silver screen boom. Each movie was around 3 minutes long and many of them were scrapped for reasons unknown. Fortunately some did survive and made their way to the underground…
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Victorian Hoax Photography Collection #1 (Yeti Edition)
Hoax photography was once a lucrative industry. Most of us are familiar with the ‘fairies at the bottom of the garden’ photographs. To a modern audience they look ridiculous, but to many Victorians they were evidence of paranormal activity. So today we bring to you some hoax photography of the mythical yeti and take a…
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Beachside Collection #2
As the weather began to heat up here in little England and then disappeared in style, the Fellowship began to talk about the approaching summer. We then remembered that we have a vast archive of beachside images to share with you. Photograph #2, #4, #6, #8 and #10 are of a fascinating demographic of Victorians…
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