Collection of Sexual Aids in a Storage Wooden Box, Japan, Early Twentieth Century

Here’s a set of woman’s ‘toilet’ implements for sexual gratification, consisting of six dildoes and penis supports, two rings (rin no wa, namako no wa) and metal ball (rin no tama). Made of horn, metal. In wooden storage box.

Phalluses were often made in stone and wood, and presented as offerings to shrines as part of phallic cults to pray for good harvests and fertility in the family. They were also positioned at the boundaries of village settlements.

Even today, phalluses are often used at local festivals. Of course there is a clear distinction between the phalluses that were used for religious rituals and the dildos that were used for daily use. The pieces in the above set were for practical use. They are called, ‘laughing devices’ (warai dōgu) to emphasize the close connection between sex and laughter.

These are all examples of Japanese sex toys that are featured in certain shunga designs. Included are buffalo horn-made dildos (ushizō), tortoiseshell (kamezō) and wood (mokuzō). The hollow dildo (centre) could have cotton wadding soaked in hot water placed inside it, the hot water making the dildo soft and warm. Another striking toy is called ‘Dōkyō’s armor and helmet’ (Dōkyō no yoroi-kabuto), named after the monk Dōkyō (d.AD 772), of whom it was said that he was the lover of Empress Kōken (AD 718-70). It was worn on the penis to give it a ribbed texture.

The ‘armor’ was worn on the shaft of the penis and the ‘helmet’ over the glans. In this set we can see two kinds: in one, the armor and helmet are separate (left); in the other, they form a single piece (right). There are also two examples of rings, with knobbles on them worn around the penis: these are known, literally, as  secret rings to make women cry’ (himenaki-wa).

It is apparent from these real examples of sex toys that they were made by craftsmen of great skill. Such sets were still made into the early twentieth century.

(via British Museum)

Edwardian London as Seen Through the Eyes of a Russian Tourist

London entered the 20th century at the height of its influence as the capital of the largest empire in history, but the new century was to bring many challenges. London was the largest city in the world from about 1825 until it was overtaken by New York City in 1925.

The years between Queen Victoria’s death in 1901 and the start of the First World War in 1914 were years of growth and general prosperity, though the extreme inequalities which had characterized Victorian London continued. By 1900 one out of five Britons lived in London, with the population of roughly 5 million in 1900 rising to over 7 million by 1911.

These 20 amazing photographs below show street scenes of London at the turn of the 20th century. They were taken by an unknown Russian tourist in 1909.

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Pictures of the Kremos, a Swiss Family of Acrobats, From the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

This amazing vintage footage depicts the Kremos, a Swiss family of acrobats, doing their act in Paris in August 1896. The short film was taken by the Lumière brothers.

 

The Kremos, produced two generations of remarkable icarists, followed by two generations of remarkable jugglers, Béla Kremo, and his son, Kris. All of them have been important circus and variety stars in Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, and Kris Kremo, who also became a celebrated international star in America as well as in Europe, continued the tradition well into the twenty-first century.

The original Kremo troupe was created around 1880 by Josef Kremo (1854-1917), whose real name was Kremka, and whose family was of Czech origins—at a time when Czechoslovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This first Kremo troupe was composed of Josef and his two eldest sons, Sylvester and Karl. Josef Kremo had been apprenticed to the Scheffers, an Austrian family of talented acrobats who performed the best and most celebrated Risley act of the late 19th century.

Josef had married an Austro-Hungarian equestrienne, Franzisca Allinger (1858-1940). Together they had had thirteen children, twelve of whom eventually participated in the family’s Risley act. At least three of their children, Anton, Franziska, and Viktor, could perform a triple somersault on the feet of their father, the most difficult trick of the specialty, then as now. Sylvester (1881-1962), Josef's eldest son, and Karl (1882-1958), his younger brother, eventually went on to create their own troupes, and continued the family tradition, each with his own troupe.

The Sylvester Kremo Family troupe consisted of Sylvester and his daughters, Sylvia and Selna. The Karl Kremo Family was a larger troupe, consisting of Karl, his brother Mark (1888-1945), his wife Margrit (1891-1923)—née Hanus in Hungary—and their children, Bellona, Béla, Bianca, and Bert, along with occasional partners. Both troupes brilliantly continued the Kremo tradition, performing in Europe’s leading circuses and variety theaters until the 1930s. The Karl Kremo Family was the most famous of the two, and of course, was survived by one of Karl’s sons, Béla Kremo, who maintained the name alive as a world-famous juggler.

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33 Amazing Vintage Posters Designed by Marcello Dudovich

Born 1878 in Trieste, Italian painter, illustrator, and poster designer Marcello Dudovich relocated from Trieste to Milan in 1897 after attending a professional art school. In 1899, he transferred to Bologna, working here for the publisher Edmondo Chappuis, designing billboards, book covers and illustrations for publications such as Italia Ride in 1900 e Fantasio in 1902. Here he met Elisa Bucchi, his future wife.

Posters designed by Marcello Dudovich

In 1900, Dudovich won the “Gold Medal” at the Paris World Fair. He designed some of his well-known posters, including “Mele di Napoli” (Apples from Naples) and “Borsalino”. In the 1920s he made several posters for the Milan department store, La Rinascente, and in 1922 he was appointed artistic director of “Igap”.

In 1930, he designed a prominent poster for Pirelli. After the Second World War he moved away from the world of commercial art, concentrating instead on his painting.

Marcello Dudovich died in Milan from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1962. He is celebrated as one of Italy’s greatest poster artists. Here below is a set of amazing vintage posters designed by Marcello Dudovich in the early 20th century.

E. & A. Mele & Ci., Napoli, Novità Estive, circa 1900s

Federazione Italiana, Inchiostri da Scrivere, circa 1900s

Mele & Ci, Napoli, circa 1900s

"Rapid", Nuovi Inchiostri da Scrivere Sopraffini, circa 1900s

Bitter Campari, Milano, 1900

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Crossdressing in the Hartjesdag Festival in Amsterdam, ca. 1900

Originally Hartjesdag (Day of Hearts) was a festival celebrated on the third Monday in August in the Dutch areas of Haarlem and Bloemendaal and in various parts of Amsterdam, particularly around the Haarlemmerplein, in the Jordaan, and in the Dapperbuurt. On Hartjesdag fires were kindled and children collected money. Later it developed itself into a type of cross-dressing carnival, where men dressed as women, and women dressed as men.

Where the name Hartjesdag comes from is not clear. Probably it has arisen in the Middle Ages. It is suspected that the name is a bastardisation of ‘hertjesdag’ (Deer Day). This was a festival where in the forests around Haarlem deer (herten) hunting could be done by the ordinary people, which was normally reserved for nobility. The deer were then taken to Amsterdam and roasted in the streets.

During the German occupation in 1943 the Hartjesdag became prohibited, and after the war it eventually became obsolete.

In 1997 a local committee in the Zeedijk, Amsterdam, decided to see if they could revive the tradition. Each year since then, the festival has flourished into a two-day event on the 3rd weekend in August.

Daguerreotype Portraits of Dentists From the 19th Century

Dentistry has come a long way since the gory days of teeth extraction in the 19th century.

The 19th century saw the rise of dentistry as a distinct profession, with its own practitioners, techniques, and standards. The emphasis of dental care shifted from simply removing painful teeth to trying to avoid extractions by filling cavities. By the end of the century, preventive dentistry sought ways to keep the cavities from developing in the first place. 19th century dentists were the first professionals to use anesthetic drugs, a development that made modern surgery possible.

In the early nineteenth century, the euphoria-inducing properties of substances such as nitrous oxide, or “laughing gas” and ether, were known, but used only for entertainment at “ether frolics” and sideshows. Ether, being a more powerful agent with which deep unconsciousness could be induced, became the surgical anesthetic of choice for many years, while nitrous oxide became standard in dentistry.

At the very end of the century, the invention of radiography allowed dentists to see inside patients’ teeth and diagnose cavities before they caused major damage. New knowledge in microbiology also provided understanding of the bacteria that cause tooth decay. These bacteria digest the sugars and starches on the teeth, producing acids and causing the enamel to deteriorate. Once this happens, other bacteria can penetrate deeper into the tooth. Armed with this information, dentists began seeking to prevent the decay process by encouraging better dental hygiene practices and developing new tooth powders and pastes.

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35 Old Postcards Capture Rural Life of Brittany From the 1900s

Brittany is a peninsula, historic country and cultural region in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period of Roman occupation. It became an independent kingdom and then a duchy before being united with the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province governed as a separate nation under the crown.

Rural life of Brittany around 1900

Brittany is bordered by the English Channel to the north, Normandy to the northeast, eastern Pays de la Loire to the southeast, the Bay of Biscay to the south, and the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its land area is 34,023 km2 (13,136 sq mi).

Brittany is the site of some of the world's oldest standing architecture, home to the Barnenez, the Tumulus Saint-Michel and others, which date to the early 5th millennium BC. Today, the historical province of Brittany is split among five French departments: Finistère in the west, Côtes-d'Armor in the north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the northeast, Morbihan in the south and Loire-Atlantique in the southeast.

Brittany is the traditional homeland of the Breton people and is one of the six Celtic nations, retaining a distinct cultural identity that reflects its history. A nationalist movement seeks greater autonomy within the French Republic.

This is a set of old postcards from Claude LACOURARIE that shows rural life of Brittany around 1900.

Breton peasant women. Traditional production of butter in a hand churn

Concarneau. Country costume

Douarnenez wedding

Guémené-sur-Scorff. Old merchants

Guingamp market

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Here’s the Last Photo of Calamity Jane, 1903

Martha Jane Cannary (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903) was a tobacco-spitting, beer-guzzling, foul-mouthed woman who preferred men’s clothing to dresses. She was well known through the Hills as Calamity Jane, but how she got this nickname is a legendary debate. According to Old West legend, Calamity Jane rode into a group of fighting hostiles to save a wounded army captain. Jane emerged from the fight untouched so the captain named her “Calamity Jane.”

The last photo of Calamity Jane, 1903.

Some say Jane made the whole thing up because she was looking for attention from the town’s legendary men—especially Wild Bill Hickok who she claimed to love. Calamity Jane was also a well-known humanitarian in Deadwood, nursing Deadwood residents stricken by the smallpox epidemic. After the death of Wild Bill, Jane moved around and even joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show for a time. She moved back to the Black Hills in 1903 and worked as a cook and housekeeper in Dora DuFran’s Bell Fourche brothel. She died a few years later.

She’s buried next to Wild Bill Hickok at Mount Moriah Cemetery. It’s widely reported that Hickok, who was married, had little interest in Jane and that’s why the townsfolk buried her next to him so she could spend eternity with him and they could play the ultimate joke on Hickok.

In 1907, a Shipload of 1,000 Immigrant Women From the Baltic Seeking Husbands Came to New York

Was there really a shortage of marriage-minded women in the United States in the early 1900s? Apparently rumors had been circulating in Europe that American men couldn’t find wives. With this in mind, just over 1,000 “maids” booked passage on a New York–bound ship that arrived on September 27, 1907.

The Washington Post wrote an article in 1907 on the arrival of 1,000+ women from European countries that came to America seeking husbands. This drew considerable attention from young American men, who waited at the pier for the arrival of their ship the Baltic, so as to catch a glimpse of these women and consider these potential suitors.

The article also asked women aboard the ship where in America they will settle as they search for husbands and what kind of men they are looking for. Some seek “rich Americans,” others like “tall men and blonds,” but some will marry “if [they] can find anybody to have [them].”

The article concluded with the statement, “it is thought that the proposals will come thick and fast,” demonstrating a general positivity toward immigrants coming to America, specifically women. Not only were European women seeking husbands in America, the men favorably accepted their arrival. This emphasizes the favorable  regard with which Americans accepted immigrants in the early 1900s, especially when they arrived from European countries, such as England. In addition, if such immigrants were seeking a better life in America and were willing to assimilate into the culture, in this case by marrying an American man, then Americans gladly welcomed their stay.

Today there is talk of foreign women marrying American men to achieve green cards so that they can live legally in America. If such a large volume of women arrived in the U.S. today seeking marriage, would they be equally as welcome? It seems marriage between immigrants and Americans was accepted publicly in the early 1900s, but do we carry the same opinions today?

Amazing Vintage Photographs of 1900 One Thousand Mile Trial

In 1900, automobiles weren’t much more impressive than the horse-drawn carriages they were meant to replace. Internal combustion engines offered about 12 horsepower, but they were also loud, dirty, and unreliable. In a public effort to dispel that image—or at least the unreliable part—the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland organized the 1,000 Mile Race of 1900.

London to Edinburgh and back again, 1000 miles in only 20 days, to show just what the motor car could do. The Thousand Mile Trial was a resounding success. More than half of the participants finished and, despite the insistence of some drivers on taking liqueurs with lunch, the only casualties were an unfortunate dog and an ‘unmanageable’ horse.

Between April 23 and May 12, 65 cars raced throughout the UK, pausing during the marathon for four hill climbs and one speed trial. According to a contemporary account of the race in the Brisbane Courrier, the goal was to prove the car was “a serious and trustworthy means of locomotion; not a toy dangerous and troublesome alike to the public and its owner.”

It was an ambitious route. The contestants started in London, crossing through Bristol, Birmingham, and Manchester on the way north to Edinburgh. They hit Newcastle, Sheffield, and Nottingham on the trip back to London, covering roughly 100 miles each day, according to Grace’s Guide, a non-profit project that documents British industrial history.

By all accounts, the race was a success. The Courrier reported that 46 of the cars that started the race made it back to London. Grace’s Guide puts that number at 35, but even that is quite impressive, especially considering the only casualties were one dog and “one unmanageable horse,” which broke its leg in a collision with a car and had to be destroyed. The race was won by Charles Stewart Rolls (as in Rolls-Royce), who drove a 12-horsepower Panhard that topped out at 37.63 mph.

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Historical Photos of Emmeline Pankhurst Being Arrested in London in the Early 20th Century

Emmeline Pankhurst (July 14, 1858 – June 14, 1928) was a British political activist. She is best remembered in these photographs for organizing the UK suffragette movement and helping women win the suffering right to vote. Her activism and agitation for suffrage led to numerous arrests between 1908 and 1914.

Pankhurst was arrested for the first time in February 1908, when she tried to enter Parliament to deliver a protest resolution to Prime Minister H. H. Asquith. She was charged with obstruction and sentenced to six weeks in prison. She spoke out against the conditions of her confinement, including vermin, meagre food, and the “civilized torture of solitary confinement and absolute silence” to which she and others were ordered.

Pankhurst saw imprisonment as a means to publicize the urgency of women’s suffrage; in June 1909 she struck a police officer twice in the face to ensure she would be arrested. Pankhurst was arrested seven times before women’s suffrage was approved. During her trial on 21 October 1908 she told the court: “We are here not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers.”

Beautiful Photos of Anna Held in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Born 1872 in Warsaw, Polish stage performer and singer on Broadway Anna Held had been spotted by impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, who brought her to America as his common-law wife while appearing in London 1896. Her fame seems to have owed more to Ziegfeld’s promotional flair than to any intrinsic talent, and she did not gain critical acclaim. But her uninhibited style inspired the long-running series of popular revues, the Ziegfeld Follies.

Held influenced the format for what would eventually become the famous Ziegfeld Follies in 1907, and she helped Ziegfeld establish the most lucrative phase of his career. Held could not perform in the first Follies when she become pregnant by Ziegfeld in late 1908.

In 1909, Ziegfeld began an affair with the actress Lillian Lorraine; Held remained hopeful that his fascination would pass, and he would return to her, but instead he turned his attentions to another actress, Billie Burke, whom he would marry in 1914.

Held spent the years of World War I working in vaudeville and touring France, performing for French soldiers and raising money for the war effort. She was considered a war heroine for her contributions, and was highly regarded for the courage she displayed in traveling to the front lines, to be where she could do the most good.

In 1917, Held had been battling multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, for a year. News coverage began reporting that it had been caused by her practice of excessive lacing of her corsets to give her a tiny waist. She died in 1918 at the age of 46.

Take a look at these vintage photos to see the beauty of young Anna Held in the 1890s and 1900s.

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