History | The Slowdown

Skip to main content

124 stories related to History

A cake of dried pu-erh with a colorful tag. — Like a Fine Wine, China’s Traditional Pu-Erh Tea Gets Better Over Time
2 minute read

The Secret Perfume of Birds cover — The Secret History of Bird Smells
7 minute read

A navy blue watch on a desk next to a picture of the moon — A. Lange & Söhne’s Latest Timepieces Transform a Wrist Into a Site of Wonder
2 minute read

Split screen of jewelry designer Elsa Peretti and fashion stylist Kate Young — The Distilled Splendor of Elsa Peretti’s Jewelry and Homewares
3 minute read

Billy Martin standing before a bright, white light, looking into the camera. — Drummer Billy Martin’s Covid-19 Quarantine Playlist
3 minute read

Craft & Forge artisan — Spare Home Accessories, Informed by the Artisans of Colonial Williamsburg
3 minute read

The Rebirth Brass Band in a still from “Take Me to the River: New Orleans.” (Courtesy “Take Me to the River: New Orleans”) — Songs from the Big Easy, Recorded by Top Musicians Across Generations
3 minute read

The Reverso watch — An Iconic Japanese Woodblock Print, Translated Into a Wrist-Sized Wonder
2 minute read

A Vintage Odyssey cover image, featuring a vintage microphone. — The History of Vintage Recording Gear, Written by an All-Knowing Industry Veteran
2 minute read

A patchwork tapestry by Megumi Shauna Arai. — Megumi Shauna Arai’s Enchanting Textiles Are Patchworks of Stories and Traditions
4 minute read

Perfumer Yosh Han — A San Francisco Perfumer’s Campaign to Decolonize Scent
6 minute read

Catherine Haley Epstein stands with her hand on her hip in front of several drawings. — This Olfactory Expert Is Amassing a Vocabulary for Smells
4 minute read

Facade of the New York tofu shop Fong On — The Evolution of the Fare at Fong On, New York’s Oldest Family-Owned Tofu Shop
3 minute read

Building with the words "blues blood bruise" illuminated on its facade — A New Exhibition Explores the Omnipresence of Black Grief
3 minute read

A photograph of images from the Picture Collection’s Handshaking folder by Taryn Simon, featured in the exhibition “The Color of a Flea’s Eye.” — The Incredible Past and Pivotal Future of the New York Public Library Picture Collection
4 minute read

Two Cartier watches — Cartier’s First Solar-Powered Watch Features Straps Made From Food Scraps
3 minute read

Cecilia Bembibre in a blue shirt, leaning over a table with a book. — Cecilia Bembibre Is On a Mission to Save the Scents of History
2 minute read

Courtesy The University of Chicago Press — A Commemoration of AACM’s Legacy in Experimental Jazz
3 minute read

A piece of Monique Péan's jewelry. — Jewelry Designer Monique Péan Creates a Feat of Meteoric Proportions, Literally
4 minute read

A classic ice cream truck in the summer. — A New Ice Cream Truck Jingle, Created by Wu-Tang Clan Rapper RZA
2 minute read

Author and professor Hsuan L. Hsu on a yellow background. — In Literature and Art, Smell Is a Powerful Means to Convey Risk
2 minute read

Charlie Chaplin riding the gears of a massive machine. — What We’re Watching on the Criterion Collection’s New Streaming Service
2 minute read

A single red rose on a white background. — Why Roses Are Synonymous With Love
5 minute read

Courtesy Strange Attractor Press — A New Book Explores How, Via X-Rays, Banned Albums Made It Into the Cold War–Era U.S.S.R.
2 minute read

Meech Boakye’s corn-on-the-cob broth. (Courtesy Meech Boakye) — Meech Boakye Explores the “Multispecies Collaboration” That Produces Our Food
3 minute read

Stylist Kate Young — Stylist Kate Young on Cartier’s Ever-Enduring Timepieces
4 minute read

Taste Makers book by Mayukh Sen — Meet Seven Immigrant Women Who Shaped the Way America Eats
3 minute read

Return Brewing’s inaugural beers, Heathenous and Polished Pilsner. — In New York’s Hudson Valley, a Brewery of Innovation and Intent
3 minute read

One of three versions of Thomas Ball’s sculpture “Emancipation Group” on view at “re:mancipation.” (Courtesy the Chazen Museum of Art and the Colby College Museum of Art) — Sanford Biggers, a Collective of Artists, and a Museum Interrogate a Problematic Abraham Lincoln Monument
10 minute read

“The Sense of Smell in the Middle Ages: A Source of Certainty” book cover — Dr. Katelynn Robinson Unpacks the Role of Odors in the Middle Ages
5 minute read

A painting depicts a young woman smelling a red flower. — According to This French Historian, “Bad” Odors Are Learned, Not Inherent
2 minute read

Stissing House — How a Storied Heritage Building Became a Contemporary Community Pub
5 minute read

David Bowie shooting a video for the song “Rebel Rebel” in 1974. (Photo: AVRO) — David Bowie’s Music as a Navigational Portal to Our Inner Worlds
4 minute read

Black and white abstract photo of twin towers by Simon Chaput — Simon Chaput’s Striking Photos of the Twin Towers Are a Love Letter to New York
5 minute read

The Ebony test kitchen. (Photo: Francis Dzikowski. Courtesy the Museum of Food and Drink.) — In Manhattan, an Exhibition Honoring How Black Food Traditions Shaped What America Eats
6 minute read

Papier d’Arménie burning papers — These Scented Strips of Paper From France Are the Ultimate Deodorizers
5 minute read

A promo image by The Black Music History Library with white text on black background. — This Digital Archive Will Teach You About Black Music History
1 minute read

A kintsugi kit on a wooden table, next to several repaired plates. — The Enduring Relevance of Kintsugi, the Japanese Art of Repairing Broken Ceramics
2 minute read

The front and back cover of Spencer Bailey's book, “In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials” — Spencer Bailey on Memorials, Abstraction, and the Act of Unforgetting
7 minute read

Laurent Pouppeville, director of the Musée International de la Parfumerie. (Courtesy Communauté d’Agglomération du Pays de Grasse) — How Grasse, France, Went From a Smelly City to the Perfume Capital of the World
4 minute read

A vintage envelope addressed by former president Abraham Lincoln — The Fascinating, Often Shameful History of U.S. Voting Ballot Design
2 minute read

Author and professor A. Joan Saab — The Strange, Long-Standing Relationship Between Seeing and Believing
4 minute read

A dew-covered white and pink rose. — Author and Curator Peter Kukielski on the Wonders of Roses in Bloom
4 minute read

Qahwah House coffee and pastries — A Café That Makes Traditional Coffees Using Beans from Yemen, the Brew’s Birthplace
6 minute read

Baked potatoes sitting on wax paper with salt and pepper. — The Overlooked Potential of a Hot Potato
2 minute read

Stylist Kate Young walks viewers through the signature elements of the Burberry trench on her YouTube show, “Hello Fashion.” — The Perennial Power of the Burberry Trench
3 minute read

Two speakers made from cast iron. — Vintage Loudspeakers, Restored and Transformed Into Aural Works of Art
2 minute read

An old pair of scissors with a yellow handle. — This Necessary New Book Honors the Craftsmanship of Tools
2 minute read

Writer and author Julian Sanction — Why History’s Harrowing Polar Expeditions Get Julian Sancton’s Blood Pumping
5 minute read

Malcolm James in a blue tracksuit, in front of a white background. — How Technology, Politics, and Perception Transformed the Role of Music in Black Life
2 minute read

A photo of a model in a glittering dress, from inside Studio 54. — A Studio 54 Playlist by Brooklyn Museum Curator Matthew Yakobosky
2 minute read

9/11 survivor Michael Hingson and his guide dog, Roselle. — How Scent Helped This Blind 9/11 Survivor Escape Tower One
4 minute read

Installation view of the “Hermès in the Making” exhibition in Troy, Michigan. (Photo: William Jess Laird) — In Detroit, a Six-Day Hermès Exhibition Celebrates Craft and Community
6 minute read

Stylist Kate Young — Dior’s Practically Unparalleled Design History
4 minute read

Laura Baldassari on a red background, singing. — Laura Baldassari’s Opera Playlist Is Exactly What We’re Craving Right Now
3 minute read

Two bundles of palo santo sticks in a gold tray. — The Cleansing Craze Around Palo Santo
2 minute read

A wide-blade rip saw. — The Tools and Techniques That Built Japan
2 minute read

Three clear perfume vials with insects encased in their glass stand on a white backdrop. — Artist Anicka Yi Mines Biology and Technology to Craft a Line of Perfumes
5 minute read

A security officer wearing bright yellow and orange safety gear. — “Worn Stories” Explores How Memories Are Made and Maintained Through Clothing
2 minute read

A Letter from Mother Teresa, submitted to the Museum of Material Memory by Siddharth Sunder. (Courtesy Museum of Material Memory) — A Digital Museum Tells Time-Honored Stories of the Indian Subcontinent Through Everyday Objects and Family Heirlooms
12 minute read

Neanderthal perfume in a white case. — Lonneke Gordijn of Studio Drift’s Favorite Perfume
2 minute read

A solar-powered mezcal wheel at Casa Silencio. (Courtesy Casa Silencio) — These Eclectic Mezcal Experiences Are Gateways to Mexico’s History and Culture
3 minute read

Installation view of “Plastic: Remaking Our World.” (Photo: Bettina Matthiessen) — At Germany’s Vitra Design Museum, an Exhibition Considers the Promises and Problems of Plastic
6 minute read

A large glacier on a cliff above the ocean. — A New Podcast Unpacks the Beauty and Fragility of Glacier National Park
2 minute read

The entrance to the Bauhaus Museum Dessau. — A New Bauhaus Museum Worthy of Its Lineage
2 minute read

Daniel Libeskind in a black suit in front of a red wall, sitting on a geometric seat. — Daniel Libeskind’s “Classical Studies” Playlist
2 minute read

(Photo: Delfino Sisto Legnani) — A Book About Joints Celebrates the Big Ideas Behind Tiny Details
4 minute read

Rana and Harjit Sodhi holding a photo of their late brother, Balbir Singh Sodi, who died on 9/11 — These Illuminating 9/11 Podcast Episodes Bring Survivor Stories to Life
4 minute read

The “shite” (primary performer) in “Makura Jido” (“Chrysanthemum Boy”). (Photo: Yutaka Ishida. Courtesy Japan Society) — Ever Heard of Noh Theater? Our Primer to Three Major Productions Arriving in New York City This Fall
16 minute read

A woman kneels and paints a large rolled canvas on the ground, in front of other paintings lined up on a wall. — Helen Molesworth on the “Radical Women” Featured in the Getty’s New Podcast
5 minute read

A New Biography Looks Back on Stewart Brand’s Planetary Impact

Tubes of sunscreen and a perfume shot in front of palm leaf branches — This ’80s Summer–Inspired Fragrance Line Evokes the Era’s Popsicles, Pool Toys, and Speedos
2 minute read

Karl Lagerfeld in 2014. (Photo: Christopher William Adach) — A New “Cultural Biography” on Karl Lagerfeld Illuminates the Person Behind the Image
23 minute read

An orange and blue candle on a wood surface. — A Designer Pays Homage to His Grandfather With a Line of Evocative Candles
1 minute read

black and white photo of scholar and critic Donatien Grau — A New Book Tackles the Hotly Debated Role of Encyclopedic Museums
4 minute read

Four bottles of perfume next to a large quill feather. — This Perfume Brand Makes Scents That Evoke Los Angeles’s Rich Music History
2 minute read

Courtesy Parfum d’Empire — How a Spidery Weed Spawned This Sweet-Smelling Perfume
3 minute read

Perfume samples at The Institute for Art and Olfaction. (Courtesy The Institute for Art and Olfaction) — Nuri McBride Paves the Way for Broader Understandings of the Crafts and Cultures of Scent
6 minute read

Harriet Tubman's face stamped onto a $20 bill. — Harriet Tubman’s Face Can Appear on a $20 Bill After All
1 minute read

Incense burning on a pack of sticks on a red background. — The Best Japanese Incense Sticks Around
1 minute read

Glen Adamson in a dark jacket and shirt, smiling at the camera. — Glenn Adamson’s New Book Explains How Skilled Makers Made America
2 minute read

Five bottles of perfume on an ombre table — Old Family Photographs Are This Self-Taught Perfumer’s Muse
2 minute read

Two wooden boxes, one with a clear top and one with a wooden top. — These Wood Boxes Hold Centuries of Japanese Culture and Craftsmanship
2 minute read

Moromi condiments — A Connecticut Condiment-Maker Combines Local Ingredients With Japanese Fermented-Food Traditions
3 minute read

Book Cover of Until Proven Safe — A New Book Explores the Longstanding Practice of Quarantine—and Why It Must Change
2 minute read

An orange and white handout from Black Mountain College. — Black Mountain College Is About to Come to a Screen Near You
2 minute read

Bundle of incense sticks by Baba Watermill. — A Storied Japanese Watermill Produces the Primary Ingredient in This All-Natural Incense
2 minute read

Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art — On the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s New Podcast, Materials Get the Spotlight
4 minute read

Washington Square Park in New York City’s Greenwich Village. (Photo: Spencer Bailey) — A Walking Tour of Greenwich Village With Architecture Critic Michael Kimmelman
28 minute read

Interior of an industrial space with yellow scaffolding — This Soundscape Brings an Age-Old Model of Communal Living to Life
3 minute read

A book cover with plants inside a vial. — Harold McGee Unpicks the Science of Scent
1 minute read

Ted Gioia in front of a large window. — Jazz Critic and Historian Ted Gioia’s “Subversive Songs” Playlist
3 minute read

A Radiooooo illustration with a woman with red hair and blue skin. — Avoid Algorithms With the Incredibly Refreshing Radiooooo
2 minute read

Soy sauce sommelier Keiko Kuroshima — Meet Keiko Kuroshima, Japan’s First Female Soy Sauce Sommelier
4 minute read

Author and scholar Elliott H. Powell with a red scarf in front of a mural. — Elliott H. Powell Traces the History of Black Musicians Engaging with South Asian Culture and Sounds
2 minute read

Michael W. Twitty sitting with a plate of biscuits in front of a large open fireplace. — Michael W. Twitty Unpacks the Overlooked History of Southern Food
2 minute read

Peter Adjaye wearing headphones and a fedora, on a light blue background. — Peter Adjaye’s Emotive Soundscapes Immerse Listeners in the Past and Present
4 minute read

Ha Ko's paper leaf-shaped incense — Exquisite Leaf-Shaped Incense, Made from Japanese Washi Paper
2 minute read

Cover of “The Trayvon Generation” by Elizabeth Alexander — Elizabeth Alexander Explores the Grief, Gratitude, and Creativity of the “Trayvon Generation”
5 minute read

The Earth on a black background — What We’re Reading on the Internet Archive
1 minute read

A jade gua sha tool next to a sprig of rosemary. — The World of Gua Sha Facial Massages
2 minute read

Photo: Tom Arber — How a Master Organist is Making the Archaic Instrument Cool Again
8 minute read

A pink and blue throw blanket over a grey felt couch. — Røros Tweed’s Intricately Crafted, Beautifully Designed Throw Blankets
1 minute read

View of Thomas J Price’s “Beyond Measure” exhibition at Hauser & Wirth’s Downtown Los Angeles gallery. (Photo: Keith Lubow. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth) — With His Monumental Bronze Sculptures, Thomas J Price Honors the Everyday Features of Black Life
6 minute read

An old sweater darned with purple thread. — With Darning, Celia Pym Brings the Stories of Clothes to Life
2 minute read

A still from Steve McQueen's "Small Axe" depicting two people holding each other on the street in London — In “Small Axe,” Steve McQueen Exposes Nuanced Truths of Black Life in Britain
3 minute read

author and environmental anthropologist Gina Rae La Cerva — Environmental Anthropologist and “Feasting Wild” Author Gina Rae La Cerva’s Media Diet
6 minute read

A digital collage featuring scam rap stars, financial app logos, and piles of bitcoin tokens and U.S. dollars. — A&R Rep Kolby Turnher’s “Scam Rap” Playlist
3 minute read

Elyn Zimmerman's 1993 World Trade Center bombing memorial — Elyn Zimmerman Created a Memorial to the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing—Then It Was Destroyed on 9/11
7 minute read

Potter Edmund de Waal with books — Master Potter Edmund de Waal on the Necessity of Revisiting the Past
6 minute read

Four images arranged in a grid depicting a man in a suit, the words "Less than Zero" in red on a black background, an address, and a picture of an outdoor courtyard — Benjamin Critton on Modernist Homes in Popular Films
4 minute read

A large white fireworks explosion in a black sky. — The Fraught, Noisy History of Fireworks in America
2 minute read

Author and potter Bonnie Kemske in her studio — A New Book Examines the Enduring Relevance of Kintsugi as Metaphor
3 minute read

Cover of “The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption” by Katy Kelleher. (Courtesy Simon and Schuster) — Desiring Beauty, Even If It Kills Us
8 minute read

A photo display in the Nashville Museum of African American Music. — A New Nashville Museum Traces 400 Years of Black Music
2 minute read

Hare with amber eyes netsuke figurine — Visualizing a Family History by Gathering Fractured Pieces of the Past
3 minute read

vanessa german. (Photo: AJ Mitchell Photography. Courtesy Kasmin, New York) — vanessa german on Art as a Way of Life and Love as a “Human Technology”
43 minute read

Neil Chapman. (Courtesy Neil Chapman) — What Makes a Perfume a Masterpiece, According to a Veteran Scent Blogger
9 minute read

A baker making bread — This Berlin Craft Bakery Brings Ancient Grains Into a Contemporary Context
3 minute read

A Numero Group illustration in black and white. — This Chicago Music Label Is on a Mission to Unearth Lost Sounds
2 minute read

Daniel Boulud and other chefs serve food to first responders after the attacks in September 2001 — Daniel Boulud on Feeding First Responders in the Aftermath of 9/11
6 minute read

Colorful Chinese dish — An Instagram Account Captures the Breadth and Beauty of Chinese Cuisine
2 minute read

A collective house near the Catholic mission on the Catrimani River in the Roraima state of Brazil, photographed by Claudia Andujar in 1976. (Courtesy the artist) — The Cosmovision of the Yanomami People and the Violent Forces That Threaten Them
12 minute read

How Louis Vuitton Evolved From Parisian Trunk-Maker to International Luxury Juggernaut