• Colour drawing of a staged theatrical scene framed by two symmetrical classical structures with niches containing gilded statues, flanked by trees. At the centre, a painted backdrop shows an island within an archipelago, with a visible settlement; in the foreground, a vessel approaches the shore. Four figures stand before the backdrop holding branches and other objects. The composition is enclosed within a thin rectangular gold border.

canada-landscape-cityscape

Canadian Modernism at the Present Time

Here, Brian Trehearne expands on his inspirations, and the wider context behind his article in Modernist Cultures (November 2018). My article in Modernist Cultures volume 13.4, ‘Canadian Modernism at the Present Time’, had a number of prompts, only one of which…

Frederick Douglass and Ten Scottish Worthies

Recent research has suggested that Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was the most photographed American of the nineteenth century.  The former slave who became a leading intellectual and civil rights campaigner of his age, was captured on camera more times than George…

A history of American horror film in 10 images

In his new book, The Birth of the American Horror Film, Gary D. Rhodes delves into the archives to focus on 10 key horror genres prominent in American cinema between 1895 and 1915. From ghosts and witches to mad scientists…