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I am slowly working my way through my book and have approached my first deadline -the introduction. I wanted to have a draft of it completed by September 1st. My goal was to have my introduction be 10,000 words, roughly 20 pages. I finished editing the first draft of my introduction on August 31st … [Read more...] about Writing Blog: Introduction Update

Restore woman to health, and give her what God has ordained as her birthright-- the control of her own person -- and the trade of the abortionist will soon cease; but until then not only will the abortionist flourish, but the larger race of empirics in every city, who sell useless or injurious … [Read more...] about Russell Thacher Trall & His Book “Sexual Physiology” Part 2

As I wait on a book for the second part of the Trall blog, I have decided to share some news - I have begun writing a book on nineteenth-century brothel guides. I honestly did not think this research would become a book, I could not see it grow into something more than my Commonplace article, … [Read more...] about Writing Blog: I Have Begun Writing a Book…

Last time my partner and I went to Philly we visited the record store, The Long In the Truth where I was excited to find a small green book titled Sexual Physiology: A Scientific and Popular Exposition of the Fundamental Problems in Sociology by Russell Thacher Trall, published in 1874. Upon looking … [Read more...] about Russell Thacher Trall & the Water Cure Movement

Recently on a visit to Cape May, NJ my partner and I stopped by an antique shop that we have visited many times before. I purchased several pieces of ephemera and a TY Beanie Baby Goose named "Loosy." No, I will not remove the tag, I do not want her to lose her monetary value, haha. I digress, two … [Read more...] about What is this Really?: Maurice Pepin’s WWI-Era Postcards

A couple of years ago, my brother gave me what appeared to be a reproduction of a nineteenth-century brothel token for my birthday. One side of the coin “All Night $3 Check” is engraved and the other side reads “Uncle Sam Hotel 12 Beautiful Young Ladies to Assist You Yuma Arizona Territory.” Further … [Read more...] about Brothel Token: Fantasy or Repro?

This past year, like many millennials in their 30’s, I have accumulated over twenty house plants. I have also become interested in the different uses of herbs and have made three different salves and candles. I was excited when I stumbled upon a collection of herb books from c. 1930s-1940s. Two of … [Read more...] about Books & Herbs 1936-1939

While browsing in a bookstore in Philly called Brickbat Books, my partner handed me a booklet encased in a plastic sleeve. It was a 1952 manual titled, Sex Manual for Those Married or About to Be Written for the Layman by George Lombard Kelly and the foreword by Robert B. Greenblatt. The manual is … [Read more...] about A Prescription for Married Couples: Sex Manuals & Marriage Guides 1850-1952

My partner and I attended the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit, Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia. We had no idea what to expect and did not know what else was included other than the projection show and even there we did not know how long it would be or if it was a … [Read more...] about Stepped into the World of Van Gogh