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History Clippings

@historyclippings.bsky.social

11K followers 5.9K following 1K posts

Clippings found during my historical research. Showcasing the awesome primary material from around the web. DM me for submissions. Run by @joedragovich.bsky.social Check out my 📖 on tea-smuggling gangsters: https://lnk.to/Hawkhurst

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Jul 29

I can finally reveal why this account has been on hiatus for the summer...

I've been working on a piece for the New York Times on the 1980s cola space race!

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/s...

Its been a great experience working with the Times editors on this. #nasa #space #coke #pepsi

When Coke and Pepsi Fought for Soft Drink Supremacy in Space

www.nytimes.com

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 1d

There's so much stuff out there in these digital archives.

Using public domain images is also a good way to demonstrate copyright!

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 1d

That's awesome!

So that's for stuff like underlining?

History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 2d

I'm designing some new business cards for myself and I thought, instead of using some lame clip art, I would find something cool in an old newspaper.

Voila! A really cool typewriter illustration from 1911.

Is that a tiny pencil on the top?

#c20th 🗃️

www.loc.gov/resource/sn8...

a 19th century line illustration of a typewriter thre are lots of exposed mechanisms on what looks like a ceramic body.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 4d

Chinese, Italian, Swedish, frog's legs and a "succulent roast duckling" for good measure. Here's a President's Day restaurant guide from 1941.

some cool stuff in here, particularly the international style places.

#c20th 🗃️ 🍜

www.loc.gov/resource/sn8...

TAKE your Washington's Birthday
guests to JENE'’S . , . this is one
of the most popular restaurants in
town, famous for its American and
Italian dishes, with such specialties
as chicken cacciatora, scaloppine of
veal a la Marsala and veal cutlets
a la Parmegiana. For his spaghetti
Jene has 10 different sauces, and his
American steaks are supreme! Din-
ners $1 and $1.50. You'll be interested
in Jene’s rare imported wines and
famous cocktails. 1707 DeSales-st nw.
Just around the corner from the
Mayflower Hotel.

The Smorgishord

ID YOU know that you can help
yourself to Hl you can Hai at
the SMORGASBORD .... this is
Washington's original Swedish din-
ing spot with a smorgasbord laden
with intriguing dishes. Don’t let
your holiday go by without dropping
in at 1625 K-st nw. Today and to-
morrow very special dinners will be
on the menu for 85¢c, $1 and $1.25, so
join the crowds and make 1625 K-st
nw one of your stops.

HAVE you tried the big Louisiana
frog legs served day in and day |
out at PARCHEY’S? Their flavor is
more delicate than chicken and this
mid-town restaurant serves them to
suit every size budget. Frog leg
plates with one, two or three pairs
are 50c, T5c and $1... complete din-
ners with frog legs, French fries,
cream cole slaw and sliced tomatoes,
75 cents. Hurry in! 19th and K streets
now,

food you'll
never forget is served at THE
CHINESE LANTERN in its true na-
tive style. Here's where Hl official
and diplomatic Washington feasts on
breaded shrimps, fried chopped
chicken and Chinese mushrooms or
almonds, fresh lotus nut soup and
fried fresh lobster. Holiday dinners,
T5e to $2. 6 Massachusetts-av nw.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 11d

Baseball player "Germany" Schaefer using a handheld camera. 1911

I love this photo. The juxtaposition of the baseball player and this oversized camera is really cool and kinda funny to my modern eyes.

A smart phone has a 1 inch square camera...

🗃️ #c20th #baseball

LOC Flickr
flic.kr/p/4i78qX

Turn of the century baseball player holding a large, old camera with both hands. One of his hands is in a baseball mitt.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 12d

Thanks everyone who took the time to reply to this today. I appreciate it.

Based on the responses, I'm going to continue to write alt text by hand.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 12d

Hey thanks for this. That's a big help going forward when I'm working on the alt text for posts. Appreciate it.

History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 12d

I agree. Its one of the reasons I was exploring it as an option for captions. I felt like I was t using the al text space to it's full potential.

History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 12d

Thanks for sharing your experience with it. I'm getting the general impression these things don't produce a better quality output, even with human editing.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 12d

Thanks for this. It's good to know these models aren't there yet.

History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 13d

That's an interesting point. I always approached alt text as a pure description of the image for the visually impaired. I had never thought that it should directly link to the post itself.

Though I suppose that's also another reason why I think I'm doing a poor job of it most of the time.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 13d

How do people feel about using AI (LLMs like chatGPT) to generate alt text for images in bsky posts?

I've used tesseract to OCR newspaper clips for alt text before, but I'm thinking that an LLM will do a better job of visually describing images, and will better serve visually impaired readers.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 13d

"Soul Winning Revival Center"

I love the juxtaposition of mid century architecture and that very American expression of a religious revival.

1977, California

🗃️

LOC
flic.kr/p/2rvzfix

Photo of building that looks like a gas station that says "Soul Winning Revival Center, George and Hattie Maunder Ministers"

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · 25d

Of course, Victorians were a very reserved people and never, ever even hinted about sex...

Well done to the #c19th ad man that made me do a double take 131 years later.

However I'm not sure chewing tobacco and kissing go together. yikes.

1894

LOC
www.loc.gov/resource/sn9...

#advertising

🗃️

Picture: a drawing of a man and woman kissing.

Text: 3 of enjoyment is found by every lover of good chewing tobacco in LORILLARD’S famous

Climax Plug

This tobacco represents. the result of 134 year’s experience in blending and preparing tobacco to suit a universal taste. A delicious flavor has been imparted to it without the addition of any harmful element. In substance it is unequalled by any chewing tobacco ever prepared. When you want a delicious satisfying chew, try CLIMAX PLUG.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Sep 9

I've been diving into some #shortstories I've found in some #c19th newspapers.

This one, "Mr.Wilson" is a cool story that reads more modern than 1890.

And is a fun source that says $65 was 1,300 glasses of (presumably cheap) beer in 1890!

🗃️

www.loc.gov/resource/sn9...

“I dare say you didn’t look up into the rolling cloud of smoke to see the good fairy of the hoboes.”’

“Fairy!”

“Cert. You didn’t expect the guardian fairy of the hoboes to tear around
the country in all kinds of weather with a little white robe and some ostrich feather wings?”

He counted the money from one pocket and found that it amounted to $65, or 1,300 glasses of beer.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Aug 9

Is it like the marshmallows fluf that I used to eat my peanut butter sandwiches in the 90s?

History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Aug 9

That's one thing that draws me to all of these old ads.

Commercial art is art and I love to see the passion and craft in this work that was meant to be ephemeral.

History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Aug 6

Because I've been thinking about soda for the last six months, here's a copy of the National Soda Fountain Guide from 1913.

Loads of adverts from the period and some good industry info!

I cant tell if Malo-Creme is good or a horror show.

#c20th 🗃️ 🍜

dn720700.ca.archive.org/0/items/nati...

Ice cream topping advert from a trade magazine, 1913

Coca cola advert, 1913. Man pouring soda from a tap.

Cooler, advert showing the machines with glass jars and taps, 1913

Cocoa adverts with a tiny cherub stirring a cup of cocoa. 1913

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Jul 29

When Coke and Pepsi Fought for Soft Drink Supremacy in Space

www.nytimes.com

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Feb 23

Just a heads up to everyone that I'm going to go into low-power mode here until the summer.

I've got a lot of writing projects on the go, one of which I'm really excited about and will reveal more when/if it's a done deal.

I'm diving in, I'll be back in the summer!

Man in 1940s diving suit on the side of a boat.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Feb 20

The Abdul Hamid II Collection at the LOC is a really awesome and extensive collection of photos from the late #c19th Ottoman Empire.

Its a great, diverse visual resource for that period and is somehting you could get lost for hours in.

🗃️

www.loc.gov/collecti...

[Tuberculosis ward of the Hasköy Hospital for Women] / Constantinople, Abdullah Frères.

[Students, middle school Eyüp Rüşdiyesi] / Abdullah Frères, photographes de S.M.I. le Sultan.

Vue de la Tour de Galata / Abdullah Frères.

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Feb 19

The Imperial Ironclad Frigates Hamidiye, Osmaniye and Aziziye seen during equipping

late #c19th

This is part of a much larger collection of photographs of the late Ottoman Empire. A really great visual resource for people studying that period.

LOC
lccn.loc.gov/2003674603

framed photo of ironclad warships, late 19th century

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Feb 18

Margate Pier, late #c19th

It's a cool shot. It's interesting how the pier branches out.

LOC
flic.kr/p/eLRKfM

Photo of Margate pier, late 19th century

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Feb 17

Map of Hawaii "Unsurveyed and very imperfectly known", late #c18th or #c19th

includes A detail of Honolulu, when it was quite small.

Its hi-res and worth a look!

LOC
www.loc.gov/resource...

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History Clippings @historyclippings.bsky.social · Feb 16

Fireworks over the Brooklyn Bridge, 1983

#c20th

LOC
flic.kr/p/2nvwypb

Color photo of fireworks over the Brooklyn Bridge

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