Stassa Edwards

Stassa Edwards is a writer based in Miami. Her essays have appeared in Aeon, Lapham's Quarterly, Cabinet Quarterly, Atlas Obscura and the Public Domain Review.

Photograph of Jefferson Davis in Women’s Clothing
After the Civil War, popular prints and doctored photographs played on the idea that Confederate president Jefferson Davis had been arrested wearing women’s clothes.... READ ON
Show & Tell: A 17th Century Toilet Pendant
Fashion, hygiene, and medical ideas of the day all blended together in this object.... READ ON
Show & Tell: A Deer Tooth Amulet From Germany
A 19th century fad for deer tooth jewelry was imported into England by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert.... READ ON
Show & Tell: Seven Sutherland Sisters’ Hair Grower
Between them the seven sisters had some 37 feet of tresses, which helped advertise their best-selling hair tonic (and Broadway act).... READ ON
Show & Tell: Chinese Snuff Bottles From the End of an Era
In the Chinese court, it was customary to use snuff bottles, small corked containers that kept the pricey contents fresh and flavorful.... READ ON
Show & Tell: Portrait of Sophie Blanchard, Famous 19th Century Female Balloonist
Sophie Blanchard was renowned for her spectacular show, but her hydrogen-filled balloon combined with fireworks proved a deadly mix.... READ ON
Show & Tell: A 17th Century Birthing Plate
The modern "push present" has centuries-old roots.... READ ON
Show & Tell: 'A Study in Butter'
Thousands once came to see a princess sculpted in butter.... READ ON
Show & Tell: A "Speaking" Arm Reliquary of Saint Pantaleon
The arm reliquary was a kind of prop that stood in for the saint.... READ ON
Show & Tell: Artificial Hand by Ambroise Paré
A design from a rare work by one of the most innovative surgeons in Renaissance medicine.... READ ON
Show & Tell: Caricature of the Chevalier D'Eon a.k.a. Mademoiselle de Beaumont
A diplomat, spy, and celebrated fencer, D'Éon lived the first half of life as a man and the second half as a woman.... READ ON
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