The Virtual Dime Museum promises "Brooklyn and NYC history and genealogy, vintage pop culture, strange Victorian news items and ephemera," and delivers resoundingly. I have lately amused myself by trawling through its pages, and delighting in discoveries such as the Lewis/Van Guilder case (1883) and the Lemuel Hicks case of the Buglarious Entrance (1860). Besides learning fun facts about Brooklyn history (and crime!) I also enjoy the various old-timey ads for things like electric corsets. (If I can cast a vote for someone I'd like to hear more anecdotes about, it would have to be Preserved Fish, lately of the New York City Marble Cemetery.)
Also, I discovered The Vapour Trail through this site, and it has inspired me to concoct a list, a wonderful list, which I call Silent Films for People Who Don't Like Silent Films (Yet). It's a work in progress, but I can provide a little teaser here: I'll definitely include Sunrise. The full list should be up tomorrow, and I'd love it if readers wrote in with suggestions, too.
Also, let it be known far and wide that The Bowery Boys make life at work worth living. Their awesome podcasts make even data entry bearable. Though I'd heard about their podcasts a year or so ago, I didn't actually get around to listening to any (why, I can't imagine) until recently, which means I get to catch up on old episodes all the day long.
And finally, for a truly glorious appreciation of film, silent and otherwise, in all its splendor, Six Martinis and The Seventh Art provides lush visuals upon which to feast your eyes, should they be hungering for beautiful things. There are some simply gorgeous screen grabs on this site, each of which makes me remember why I love film (and art and photography and design and silhouette and shadow and, yes, light itself!) and refreshes the weary soul.
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