Stories
- Article
Transforming the decorative into dissent
Discover how embroidered messages by two ‘troublesome’ women in 19th-century asylums are mirrored in the therapeutic quilting work of writer Rachel May.
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Chillies and the trouble with Scoville
Measuring the heat of these peppers can leave you a little lukewarm.
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The chymist’s trade card
An 18th-century trade card reveals far more than its owner may have intended.
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Homes for the hives of industry
By building workers’ villages, industry titans demonstrated both philanthropy and control. Employees’ health improved, while rulebooks told them how to live ideal lives.