Research
On Vegetable Dyes and Knitting Patterns
Did the starving and exhausted survivors of the shipwrecked 16th century El Gran Grifón teach the Fair Isle islanders how to knit?
19th Century
Cuttlefish
"Why do I use my paper, pen and ink?"
How attending a lecture about church music in 16th century England led me to better appreciate the academic research of the first Chief Rabbi of Israel.
Cyanotypes
Who were Sir John Herschel's blue test subjects?
The inventor of the cyanotype used the annual literature yearbook "Friendship's Offering" as the source of many of the images he experimented on.
Polka
Semiotics and Semaphores: A History of the Polka-Dot
The Polka-Dot was inspired by the musical notation used by composers of polkas to create a staccato effect which mimicked the newly invented telegraph.
Indigo
Science, Commerce, and Why Indigo is not a Color.
Indigo is a pigment, not a color.
Games
Playing with Color: Clue, Croquet, and Billiards
This also discusses scientists and color.
Light Words
Does a photograph steal your soul?
The answer is yes.