Hi and welcome to ‘a handful of history’, my fortnightly sharing of real-life stories from around the world. All the narratives I pick are rooted in history one way or another, yet I feel that most of them carry themes and happenings that seem very present day-like. I create this blog out of love and curiosity for the field of human history and culture, and I’m happy that you find it interesting too. My blog and newsletters are free; if you want to help me keep it going, please join my newsletter. THANK YOU. Thanks for being here - let's dive in. Enjoy! Majken xx
The Art of Whaling
During the 1800s, the island of Nantucket (situated c. 480 kilometres (300 miles) off the coast straight east of NYC) was widely famous for its whaling industry. The researcher and writer, Jessica Boyall, has dived into the hundreds of logbooks and journals of the Nantucket whalers. The books are frequently illustrated, showing daily shipboard life, faraway lands, and - most often - whales. In this article, Boyall takes us through some of the unique and beautiful images made by the seamen - and one woman too.
Above: a whale chase depicted in the log of the ship "Washington" kept by James G. Coffin (1842–1844).
“Ship’s officers used logbooks for a variety of practical reasons: charting different species, sightings, and killings. Some logs, like that of the ship "Indian Chief", kept by Thomas R. Bloomfield, contain careful, intricately-patterned drawings of the creatures, accompanied by the co-ordinates of where they were spotted."
Drawings of whales in the log of the ship "Indian Chief" kept by Thomas R. Bloomfield (1842–1844).
An excerpt from the "Essex"'s logbook, i.e. the ship that was sunken by a whale and whose faith later was the inspiration behind the book “Moby Dick”.
“Drawing of Essex being struck by the whale, sketched later in life by Thomas Nickerson, who was a cabin boy on the ship and more than 50 years later wrote about the ordeal in "The Loss of the Ship Essex" (1876).”
“Susan C. Austin Veeder was one of the first Nantucket women to accompany their husband to sea. Her decision to do so was perhaps motivated by more than a sense of adventure, given that on his next voyage her husband deferred from his post as captain, took up with a Polynesian woman, and never returned home.”
Two pages from Susan C. Austin Veeder’s Whaling Journal.
Log of the ship "Washington" + Log of the ship "Indian Chief"+ photo "Essex" + Susan C. Austin Veeder whaling journal.
Crush it Like Cleopatra
“Effortlessly learnt a lot of very interesting history”, “Witty, engaging and informative”, “Next season, please.” Listeners of the Audible podcast “Crush it Like Cleopatra” agree that this is an entertaining way of getting some insights into the life of the past. And so do I.
In six episodes, the three comedians Sindhu Vee, Mawaan Rizwan and Emily Lloyd-Saini learn about and - not least - try out different bits of advice handed out by philosophers and rulers and other essential people throughout history. We are taken through subjects like Beauty (an episode in which Sindhu takes up advice from Cleopatra and bathes in milk), Relationships (Emily puts some age-old romance advice to the test by giving her boyfriend a courgette wrapped with plug-hole-hair to demonstrate her love), and more. The ‘historian in the house’ is philosopher Jules Evans.
Antiques & Curiosities
I’d never come across John Derian before I accidentally stumbled upon the “John Derian Picture Book”. And I'm happy I did! Derian is a decoupage artist and a curator of antiques and curiosities. Situated in New York, he produces handmade plates, trays, paperweights - functional home goods all decorated using nostalgic pictures from the past. Also, he sells antiques of various kinds.
The “John Derian Picture Book” contains fantastic images from the 18th and 19th centuries - illustrations, chromolithographs and rare reproductions. “Poring over “John Derian Picture Book” is like following the artist into a dusty corner of an antique bookstore”, it says in the introduction, and I must agree. (After flipping through the book, I immediately paid a visit to the nearest antique bookstore myself.)
Trailer: a peek into the "John Derian Picture Book".
Uproar
Being female and playing in a Cuban Rumba band is apparently a no-go. However, some Cuban women do it anyway. In this short documentary, “Uproar” by Moe Najati, we get to hear their side of the story. And not least, we get to listen in on the energetic Rumba music.
“Deep in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Havana, you will find Rumba Morena; a band of nine Cuban dancers, drummers, and singers, performing with astounding passion, and fervour.
Whilst it's not unusual to hear the sound of Rumba drifting from alleys and venues in Havana, Rumba Morena is different - they are all women.
Uproar explores the complex intersection of religion, music and gender dynamics affecting the circumstances around Rumba Morena and the roots influencing the male resistance to Rumba Morena’s music.”
"Uproar", documentary by Moe Najati - full length.
Scars Made Into Visible Art
In an article about the Japanese artist, Atsushi Watanabe, he tells us that he used to be a “hikikomori”. A hikikomori is a person who withdraws from the surrounding world to cope with the pressure society puts upon them. At one point, Watanabe remained in bed for over seven months, he reveals. It is estimated that around 1,2% of Japan’s population are hikikomori.
As a way to process his hikikomori years, Watanabe has made the ongoing art project “Tell Me Your Emotional Scars”. On a website, people can anonymously share their emotional pain experiences, and Watanabe then takes the messages and renders them into concrete plates. Next, he breaks the plates, and at the end, he puts them back together again using the traditional Japanese art of kintsugi.
Kin = golden, tsugi = joinery. So literally, kintsugi means ‘to join with gold’.
In Zen aesthetics, the broken pieces of a smashed pot should be carefully picked up, reassembled and then glued together with lacquer inflected with a very luxuriant gold powder with no attempt to disguise the damage. On the contrary, the scars are made highly visible and transformed into beautiful art.
Kintsugi belongs to the Zen ideals of 'wabi sabi', which cherishes what is simple, unpretentious and aged – especially if it has a rustic or weathered quality.
A story is told of one of the great proponents of wabi sabi, Sen no Rikyu (1522-99). On a journey through southern Japan, he was once invited to a dinner by a host who thought he would be impressed by an elaborate and expensive antique tea jar that he had bought from China. But Rikyu didn’t even seem to notice this item and instead spent his time chatting and admiring a branch swaying in the breeze outside. In despair at this lack of interest, once Rikyu had left, the devastated host smashed the jar to pieces and retired to his room. But the other guests more wisely gathered the fragments and stuck them together through kintsugi. When Rikyu next came to visit, the philosopher turned to the repaired jar and, with a knowing smile, exclaimed: ‘Now it is magnificent’.
Concrete boards smashed and fixed with “Kintsugi” Golden Lacquer, by Atsushi Watanabe.
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