Gulliver’s Travels is inevitably discussed in terms of utopianism, its ironic pose a critique of Thomas More’s neologism from two centuries before Swift published his greatest work (though More was…
Is it Welsh? Maybe. The Welsh certainly had a reputation for loving toasted cheese that precedes “Welsh rarebit” as a dish, so it’s possible, but we’ll likely never know if…
The American Revolution wasn’t just fought on battlefields, it was fought in breadlines too. As war dragged on and inflation skyrocketed, ordinary women and laborers found themselves starving while wealthy…
The art world had no place for William Blake and this great strength to resist categorization cost him immediate fame, but keeps his work intriguing hundreds of years later. In…
Ahead of a personal wedding, Max Miller explores the history of traditional bride cakes from 1769, adapting a massive recipe for a modern kitchen. Learn about the evolution of wedding…
In the 18th century, Mantua dresses were the height of court fashion. In this video, our experts discuss a rare and spectacular dress that dates from around 1756. It's 210cm…
From clandestine romance and the Prince of Wales to pearls, tears, precious stones and the incredible skill of miniature painters, discover the history behind these beautiful, uncanny objects — and…
Marie Antoinette loved dessert, and even the water she drank was sweetened; she would keep pounded sugar on hand and stir in a few spoonfuls before drinking it. The daughter…
Serving as underwear in the 1700s, shirts were usually worn out and then recycled to make paper, but this one has survived for centuries. It is made of the finest…