Stassa Edwards
Joined: May 20, 2016
Stassa Edwards is a writer based in Miami. Her essays have appeared in Aeon, Lapham's Quarterly, Cabinet Quarterly, Atlas Obscura and the Public Domain Review.
A Deer Tooth Amulet From Germany
Show & Tell: Seven Sutherland Sisters’ Hair Grower
Chinese Snuff Bottles From the End of an Era
Portrait of Sophie Blanchard, Famous 19th Century Female Balloonist
Sophie Blanchard was renowned for her spectacular show, but her hydrogen-filled balloon combined with fireworks proved a deadly mix.
A 17th Century Birthing Plate
The modern "push present" has centuries-old roots.
A Study in Butter
Thousands once came to see a princess sculpted in butter.
A "Speaking" Arm Reliquary of Saint Pantaleon
The arm reliquary was a kind of prop that stood in for the saint.
Artificial Hand by Ambroise Paré
A design from a rare work by one of the most innovative surgeons in Renaissance medicine.
Caricature of the Chevalier D'Eon a.k.a. Mademoiselle de Beaumont
A diplomat, spy, and celebrated fencer, D'Éon lived the first half of life as a man and the second half as a woman.