Sheppard’s Warning
A thief who had been dead for more than a century caused a moral panic in the theatres of Victorian London.
Cultural
Protest, Power, Play
Not since the Middle Ages have the ancient traditions of fancy dress been so potent.
All By Myself
Solitude was treated with suspicion in the Middle Ages. For most people it has only been a possibility in recent times.
Madam Butterfly and the Forging of Japanese Identity
Puccini’s opera revealed misunderstandings and stereotypes on both sides of the East-West divide.
Colonial Projections
Studying African history through the lens of cinema.
That Terrible Thing Called Jealousy
Love and possession during the Italian economic miracle.
Inside the Ancient Bull Cult
King Minos and the Minotaur remain shrouded in mystery and mythology, yet evidence of a Bronze Age ‘Bull Cult’ at the Minoan palaces abounds. Were bulls merely for entertainment or did they have a deeper significance?
War Among The Ruins
During the First World War, the deliberate destruction of western Europe's medieval heritage changed how people thought about their nations' pasts. Heritage tourism is one of the war's lesser-known legacies.
The Invention of the Flapper
More than a symbol of decadence, the flapper should be seen as a quest by women for agency, independence and escape from domesticity.
Colouring The Past
The development of interior painting schemes has a colourful, if hazardous, history.