Category Archives: Museums

Hidden history of the world

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, I ran across three different references to an eye-opening documentary titled A History of the World According to Getty Images. This impressive video created by British filmmaker Richard Misek  explores the way that historic films are hidden from public … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, History, movies, Museums, Photography, Tech | Tagged | Leave a comment

Saturday Sundries

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I won’t be spending my summer this year riding the rails in Europe, but I can still torture myself by reading articles about luxury trains and gourmet food. You can too, if you check out this excellent piece from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, apps, Europe, History, Maps, Museums, Public Transport, Restaurants, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

More Than Just The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

If you stop by here on a regular basis, you are probably aware that I am a fan of Japanese woodblock printing. Most folks are familiar with “Under the Wave off Kanagawa”  by  ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, created in late 1831 during the Edo … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, History, Museums | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Decoding the Heavens

Posted on April 1, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“The Astronomicum Caesareum (1540) by the German mathematician, astronomer and cartographer Petrus Apianus was used by the privileged – including the Holy Roman emperor Charles V, who commissioned it, and the Tudor king Henry VIII – to find guidance, knowledge and fate in the stars. … Continue reading →

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Museum of Failure

Posted on March 28, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Brooklyn New York City is the latest stop for the traveling exhibition called the Museum of Failure. Located in Industry City in Sunset Park, the show celebrates “overhyped products that never really took off” and other epic fails (Trump steaks, anyone?). … Continue reading →

Posted in Museums, Tech, USA | Tagged , | 1 Comment

‘Don’t be a tourist – be an Explorist’

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The folks from Denmark’s tourism marketing group Visit Denmark have cleverly brought major artworks such as the Mona Lisa, Girl With the Pearl Earring, Van Gogh’s self-portrait, and the Statue of Liberty to life using AI to encourage travelers to … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, apps, Art, Europe, Film, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Egyptian Book of the Dead

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Earlier this year, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of a 52-foot-long papyrus scroll of the Book of the Dead discovered in the necropolis of Saqqara. This is the first complete ancient papyrus found in Egypt in … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Art, Books, History, Middle East, Museums | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Miscellany Monday

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I usually lament the loss of dozens of New York City bookstores of my youth, but there some great shops still standing and, in recent years, a renaissance in bookselling has resulted in an optomistic turn for bibliophiles. Check out … Continue reading →

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A Brief History of Vampires

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

What could be more romantic on Valentine’s Day than the debonair modern vampire who was born with the publication of the gothic horror novel Dracula (1897) by the Irish author Bram Stoker. In the video below from the Victoria and … Continue reading →

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Books and Music

Posted on February 4, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I continue to be amazed by the creativity of book artists. Two wizards of the genre, Peter and Donna Thomas, recently completed a pair of wonderful accordion books with fascinating musical connections. The first is an accordion-style artist’s book, commissioned … Continue reading →

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