- 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
- The politics of male underwearWhat can we learn by researching the inventive histories of men's underwear? While the world is eagerly watching the battle of two powerful white men over the USA, we in the POP team have turned to male underwear patents to...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
- We have been inventing PPE for centuries. But who gets protected?The classic image of the French plague doctor with the beak mask has been circulating on social media. The proboscis, filled with herbs and spices, apparently safeguarded the wearer from poisonous air borne particles or miasma. While there’s little evidence...more
