Satyr Calisthenics and Other Oddities

Theatre Costume 18th century–19th century, Plate 054

«Imagine for a moment that you are a nineteenth-century satyr who is into calisthenics. Your best friend is a frog who enjoys watching as you swing from ropes, climb ladders, dangle from trees, and casually bend your legs behind your head. You are a breakdancer avant la lettre, and sometimes you scale towering beams just for fun. Now, where might you find an accurate illustrated depiction of this nineteenth-century version of yourself? In Watson Library's Digital Collections, of course.»

While scholarly resources are the backbone of our Digital Collections—such as those found in Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications, The Brummer Gallery Records, and Japanese Illustrated Books—they will not be the focus of this post. Instead I will introduce you to some of the more bizarre items in our holdings, the strange things that inevitably find their way into a collection with the breadth and scope of ours. These will not necessarily be the resources upon which great scholarship depends, but instead the weird outliers that would otherwise be neglected. This is a story of misfits and outcasts, the things that seem utterly out of place but which we nonetheless love dearly. (Or at least are intrigued by.)

Theatrical Satire 19th century, Plate 031

Though the biting wit of this "theatrical satire" plate is lost on most (perhaps all?) twenty-first-century audiences, the illustration itself is still very funny. It is one of many truly odd images in this fashion plate collection, and I highly recommend browsing them here.

Lamson & Hubbard (Firm). Lamson & Hubbard, Manufacturers of Ladies' Furs of Every Description: Wholesale and Retail. Boston: Lamson & Hubbard, 1890

It is a truth universally acknowledged that any coachman in possession of a good top hat must be in want of a cape. Luckily we have this 1890s trade catalogue to sate just such a want.

Headgear - Coiffure Accessories 1801–1849, Plate 091

In 1841, an artist was tasked with showing off the latest headgear and coiffure accessories. To do so, the artist began with seven disembodied female torsos, each wearing a different stylish headgear accessory. Then the artist had the seven figures float about a luxuriating, robed man and his smoking cigarette. It is quite a sight to behold.

Robinson & Cleaver. Serviettes and How to Fold Them. Belfast: Robinson & Cleaver, 1890

We also have this trade catalogue, Serviettes and How to Fold Them, which brings up the painful question: Is serviette folding a lost art? This particular fold, "The Casket Closed,"welcomes the diner to his or her seat with an uncanny serviette replica of a casket. Not the most inviting fold, perhaps, but serviceable in a dinner-hosting pinch.

Rookwood Pottery Company. Rookwood Book-ends. Cincinnati [Ohio]: The Company, 1900

Bookends in most libraries are practical to a fault, usually nothing more than austere gray or black metallic angles. They are quite effective at keeping books standing upright, but they are visually quite boring. Not so with Rookwood Pottery Company's bookends. These two hairless children bracing a shelf of books with their backs may be many things (creepy, for instance), but they certainly do not bore.

The few odd examples shown here are only the tip of the iceberg. A thorough browse of our ever-growing collection will turn up many other strange and captivating delights. If you find any, please share them with us! We're always excited to discover new ones ourselves.