The content is boring but the design is awesome. How often do you you see a dwindling hourglass connected to flaming chariot wheels on a newspaper's masthead? This would be a sick tattoo for an actuary.

Anne Maria Mitchell Payne was an incredible woman that taught formerly enslaved children after the American Civil War. She drew upon that experience to write two children's books that feature black protagonists. Today's post explores her remarkable life. losthistorybooks.com/2026/06/21/a...

William Forster Mitchell was a devoted abolitionist who worked to educate Black Americans before, during, and after the Civil War. His namesake was also an incredible man that traveled the world to promote abolition. You can read about them both on my blog: losthistorybooks.com/2026/06/18/w...

Want to read about obscure 19th century Episcopalian children's literature? Then this post is for you! losthistorybooks.com/2026/06/09/p...

Working on another blog post; I'm really cleaning up around here. Part of the reason I haven't posted this stuff before is because so much of it is just scaffolding for a much more interesting project. I don't think folks want to read circulation figures for 19th century children's periodicals.

I’m trying to get my mojo back by finishing old blog posts that have been languishing in drafts. Today I wrote about a 19th century author named Helen E. Brown. She was once a household name for thousands of children but now she is almost unknown. losthistorybooks.com/2026/06/16/h...

I fell down a rabbit hole and ended up reading about the landmark Supreme Court case: United States v. Ninety-Five Barrels Alleged Apple Cider Vinegar @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social this feels like something you’d enjoy. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...

A new documentary about history and memory in Natchez, Mississippi is available on the PBS Documentaries YouTube Channel. I highly recommend it. youtu.be/jHAauml9rV4

I thought I knew the boundaries of my current project, but I keep stumbling into ever more Illustrated papers! I’m going to have one heck of a bibliography when this is all done.

Evergreen.

I just stumbled across another example of illustrated magazines within illustrated magazines. This one is detailed enough for each issue to be recognizable. Top row, third from left is the image titled Bob the Cabin Boy. it's the cover of the September 1868 edition of the British Workman.

Still digging through issues of The British Workman and versions in several different languages. It’s surprisingly fun to match up the cover images.

I saw The Return of Benjamin Lay at the Friends House earlier today; it was inspiring on so many levels! It features actor Mark Povinelli, director Tony Buba, and producer @marcusrediker.bsky.social. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading more about Benjamin Lay very soon.

It took me forever to realize this says: Doct. Sproat. The crucial context was finding a list of churches and ministers in Philadelphia. Rev. James Sproat D. D. (1722-1793) was pastor of Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia.

Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory is a great book. I got an advance reader copy via NetGalley. If you want a taste of @johngmarks.com research skills, check out the thread below. 🗃️ Here's a link to pre-order: uncpress.org/978146969352...

This is a great article about the struggle to commemorate slavery at the old presidential residence in Philadelphia. It’s free to read at the link below. 🗃️

I love seeing handwritten inscriptions on old textbooks. This one belonged to a child named Kitty Roman in 1789.

Check out this article by @katiesisneros.bsky.social. I’ve seen countless examples of reused woodcuts in 19th century publications. It’s very cool to see the same thing in 17th century ones. 🗃️

The Edmonia Lewis book arrived!!! It’s so beautiful.

My power is still out so I decided to spend a few hours at the library. There’s some riveting material here.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

If you want to understand the ideology behind the current push to censor the Smithsonian and National Parks, you should listen to this interview. I know there's a lot going on in the world. But if you have the capacity to listen, I strongly encourage you to do so. 🗃️

There’s new book about Edmonia Lewis! She is one of my favorite artists and the source of a tantalizing piece of lost media. In 1866, one of her early sculptures was photographed. It was just a draft depicting a freedwoman with her child. I don’t know if the photo survived but I’m still searching. 🗃️

I did not expect this book to be so captivating. I’ve been glued to every page.

I’ve been looking at National Parks material flagged for review and flipping through my collection of historical brochures and textbooks. I’m trying to transform my frustration into an article. We cannot go backwards. 🗃️

This is worth the read. I’ve been shifting through the flagged material too and it’s deeply distressing.

Post a pic you took, no context, to bring some zen to the feed.

I’m still tracing the movement of illustrations across 19th century children’s periodicals. In a few instances, I can connect them to a painting which is really satisfying. This one is titled Wolf and the Lamb By Willam Mulready. An engraving based on it was used on both sides of the Atlantic.

I got this beauty in the mail today - it’s very well written with tons of illustrations. I highly recommend it.

I just got my requested scans from the Columbia University Library. This is a Japanese children’s periodical titled: よろこばしきおとづれ (Yorokobashiki otozure)/ Glad Tidings. It was created by Christian missionaries in Japan.

Can someone recommend an independent researcher that can visit an archive in New Haven, CT? I really need someone ASAP. I would prefer someone experienced, but in theory anyone that can read these city names and dates in cursive could be fine. It should take 4-6 hours. 🗃️

I also just learned that searching Google Books is not working. It’s really bizarre. It appears at least some of the advanced search functions still work. 🗃️ inauthor: intitle: intext: insubject:

I have finally collated all my research into The British Workman and its associated periodicals. If you're interested, check it out on my blog: losthistorybooks.com/2026/01/26/w...

Tonight’s agenda: finding extant copies of The British Workman in foreign languages. According to this listing in the publisher’s catalog, it was translated into eight languages! Another listing indicates these were intended for foreign sailors and soldiers. 📰

More adventures in children's magazines - this time in Swedish! I think this image is originally from a London paper; I just can't find the original source online. I can show that it was used in The Child at Home in 1871, Folkvännen in 1875, and Arbetarens vän in 1878.

I examined digitized copies Y medelwr ieuanc and I can identify most of the cover images from 1871. Seeing them side by side is quite striking. journals.library.wales/browse/2036997

Quick question: do you know of any individuals with a snail mail newsletter? Substack is fun and all, but I’m embracing offline connections this year. I’m thinking about starting my own too. 🗃️

I have once again stumbled across a foreign children's periodical based on an American one. This time - it's in WELSH! Y Medelwr Ienuanc was based on The Young Reaper and re-used the masthead and illustrations. journals.library.wales/browse/2036997

I just learned that the American Antiquarian Society digitized some Hawaiian language materials, including a paper for children titled Ke Alaula. Like other missionary papers, it appears to re-use illustrations made by the American Tract Society in NY. 🗃️ www.americanantiquarian.org/hawaiian-lan...

Merry Christmas everyone! Please enjoy some cute Christmas illustrations from old newspapers.

My image index is coming along nicely but now I see newspaper illustrations every time I close my eyes. 🙃

The March 1856 edition of the British Workman has an illustration of someone selling the January 1856 edition. The detail is really incredible. Even in Victorian times, people enjoyed going full meta.

I stumbled across another fantastic illustration of electrotyping. Along the way, I solved a little mystery too! This illustration is from the December 1865 edition of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. The article provides a detailed description of their entire printing operation. 🧵

I love finding the ✨perfect✨ period illustration. This image from Le Monde illustré depicts the process of electrotyping wood block engravings. It is on page 13 of the January 7, 1860 edition. 🗃️

I’ve finally organized and expanded the list of lost materials that I’m currently searching for. Check it out: losthistorybooks.com/help-me/

I’ve been examining the illustrations this Children’s magazine published by Christian missionaries in Shanghai. All the issues for 1875 are online courtesy of @bodleian.ox.ac.uk It’s titled: 小孩月报 (Xiaohai Yuebao). Which just means “Child’s Paper.” 🧵 🗃️ digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/211c...

I should have heeded this warning. The letters listed in the attached register were not in the box after all. 🙃

I had a surprising amount of fun browsing old ecclesiastical Journals. This is from the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio.

I’ve been looking at runaway slave ads from the American Revolutionary War and it’s been a humbling experience. If you have some time, I invite you to read some of their names in the thread below. 🗃️🧵 A man named Bone from New Hampshire.

I recently got to view some of William F. Allen’s handwritten notes from the 1860s. This excerpt includes a musical transcription of a song he heard former slaves singing near Helena, Arkansas. It would ultimately be published in Slave Songs of the United States in 1867.