Utterly interesting

On 15 February 1862, artists and royalty gathered at Munich’s Royal Odeon for a fairy tale themed masked ball. Photographed by Joseph Albert, the event captured Carnival culture, folklore, and early staged photography in nineteenth century Bavaria.

Before social media, strippers in Southern California used Polaroid photos as calling cards. Taken on the spot and labelled by hand, these instant photographs offered autonomy, visibility, and control in a pre-digital nightlife economy.

Between the Great Depression and World War II, Puerto Rico faced poverty, protest, reform, and reinvention. From New Deal experiments to political upheaval, the 1930s and 1940s quietly transformed the island’s future.