- Record crops and searching the records: digging deep in the archivesHere we return to our case study of Annie Williams, Welsh immigrant to Canada and inventor of a skirt elevator system. This time we're reflecting on the sources we used and some of the highs and lows of trying to...more
- Being ahead of the storm: emigration, invention and settler lifeIn this first of a series of blog posts we're going to share some of our research relating to one Annie Williams. Annie held multiple patents for a skirt elevator (also known as a skirt lifter) that she invented. Here...more
- I spy with my little eye…Surveillance is deeply embedded in our everyday life experiences. ‘Thanks’ to the democratization of surveillance, a plethora of tracking devices are cheaply and readily available to consumers; from phones, smart watches and home surveillance cameras to video baby and pet monitors. Many...more
- Clothing the “Perfect” Mother?During and following the (first) UK lockdown in March, there has been much discussion over childcare. Specifically, debates centred around what the ‘staying at home’ policy and the closure of schools meant for both children and those caring for them....more
- A Time-Travellers Pocket: What secrets do 200 years of pockets hold?Can we map citizens by their pockets? Not in terms of what is IN their pockets (though this is super interesting too) but by the changing shape, position and purpose of pockets. Are there really that many pockets? How many...more
- Beaches, Bodies & Bathing Couture: Who gets to show off what & where?Every year come springtime, lifestyle magazines, TV programs and online features dish out advice on ‘how to get beach body ready’ in anticipation for the summer months spent lounging on the beach, frolicking in the sea or, at the very...more
- Care, surveillance & the monitoring of childhood"Naughty, romping girls and boys tear their clothes and make a noise…" - Hoffmann’s (1845) Der Struwwelpeter As a child I was deeply fascinated by the old German book written by Heinrich Hoffmann (1845): Der Struwwelpeter. Although this is a...more
- Policing & the Politics of ProtectionAs hundreds of thousands of protesters around the world have joined the rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter movement since late May, protesters in casual clothing have been regularly met by police in full riot gear. These uniforms usually...more
