The Coffin of Pero Bannister

I find this anecdote in two sources. True, or apocryphal? You be the judge!



1880 text.



1937 text.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Mar 29, 2016 - Comments (7)
Category: Death, Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Face and Facial Expressions, Head

He’ll Just Be Hungry Again In An Hour

An unfortunate Chinese woman who failed to answer her estranged husband's 2am phone call got a surprise visit at work the next day. The husband showed up and in a fit of temper bit her nose off and swallowed it. Due to the tissue being unrecoverable it will be at least 3 months before any reconstructive surgery can be done for her.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 10, 2015 - Comments (1)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Cannibalism, Husbands, Can’t Possibly Be True, Face and Facial Expressions, Eating

Johnson Smith Catalog Item #35

From the 1950s catalog.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 18, 2015 - Comments (4)
Category: Johnson Smith Catalog, Body Fluids, 1950s, Face and Facial Expressions

Authentic Indian Makeup Kit

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 15, 2014 - Comments (9)
Category: Costumes and Masks, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1950s, Face and Facial Expressions, Hair and Hairstyling, Native Americans

Weird 1915 Kite

What was this home handyman in Popular Mechanics smoking?

Original plans here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 21, 2013 - Comments (4)
Category: Recreation, Toys, Surrealism, Children, 1910s, Face and Facial Expressions, Fictional Monsters

“That Mystery Half-Wit Sure Has the Girls All Agog!”

[Click to enlarge.]

Original ad.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 12, 2013 - Comments (4)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Costumes and Masks, Stereotypes and Cliches, Comics, 1950s, Face and Facial Expressions, Fictional Monsters

DNA Portraits

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg collects random DNA samples she finds on the street (on pieces of gum, cigarettes, hair, etc.) She then analyzes the DNA to identify the phenotypic traits of its owner (eye color, hair color, skin color, etc.). From this info, she creates a sculpture of the person, using a 3D printer. So it's possible that you could walk into her gallery and see yourself there! More info at policymic.com, or check out Dewey-Hagborg's website.

Posted By: Alex - Tue May 14, 2013 - Comments (8)
Category: Art, Face and Facial Expressions

Driver’s License Photo as Art

Art is usually hung on walls, but the art of Fredrik Saker is now displayed on his driver's license, because he submitted a painted self-portrait of himself to the Swedish Transport Board for them to use as his license photo. And because it's a good likeness of him, the officials at the Transport Board accepted it. The self-portrait and his license are below. Saker has titled the portrait "This is not me." The BBC News suggests that Saker's work recalls "the art of the 16th Century miniaturists like Nicholas Hilliard" as well as "the Norwegian-born artist, Kjartan Slettemark, who made a career through questions of identity and travelled round Europe in the 1970s on a passport in which his head and beard had been superimposed on a photograph of the US president, Richard Nixon."


Saker couldn't have done this in the U.S. because the state Department of Motor Vehicles don't let you submit your own photo. (At least, they don't in California, which is the one I'm familiar with.) Though it might work for a passport application.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Dec 16, 2012 - Comments (6)
Category: Art, Face and Facial Expressions

Big Mouth Dentist

The dental patient depicted was a favorite at dental training college for his easy access.

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 21, 2012 - Comments (7)
Category: Freaks, Oddities, Quirks of Nature, 1920s, Face and Facial Expressions

Alum-laced Peanut Butter

What else could explain that intense puckering?

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 12, 2012 - Comments (3)
Category: Food, 1910s, Face and Facial Expressions