Zorita was never simply a burlesque novelty, nor just a woman with a dangerous prop. She emerged at a moment when American burlesque was crowded, competitive, and increasingly under siege from moral reformers, police departments, and city councils eager to be seen cleaning up nightlife. To survive, performers needed to be distinctive, adaptable, and prepared to test the limits of what audiences and authorities would tolerate. Zorita did all three. Sequins, snakes, satire, and

In 1932, Paul Strand arrived in Mexico at a pivotal moment in the country’s modern history. He did not come as a casual tourist or...

In the quiet suburbs of St Petersburg, the image of a shawl-wrapped babushka rarely raises suspicion. Yet behind the door of one unremarkable flat in Dimitrov Street, police uncovered a story so macabre and bewildering that it would grip the nation and confound investigators. This was the home of Tamara Samsonova, a retired hotel worker with a warm smile, fluent in several languages and seemingly harmless. She also happens to be suspected of up to 14 gruesome murders. This is