Katherine Tycz
@ciaokatet.bsky.social
2K followers 1.3K following 28 posts
Historian of decorative arts, material culture, #materialtext & devotional practice https://katherinetycz.com/
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ciaokatet.bsky.social
My research into early modern conclave ballots and tally sheets in the @natlibscot.bsky.social was featured in the @heraldscotland.bsky.social this weekend!

#Conclave2025 #Conclave1655 #printedforms #earlymodern #bookhistory #papalprint #conclave #emthings
www.heraldscotland.com
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
drlindseyfitz.bsky.social
"The Tooth Worm as Hell's Demon,” 18th century. The two halves open up to reveal a scene about the infernal torments of a tooth worms which people believed caused cavities in the past. Complete with mini skulls, hellfire, and naked people wielding clubs.
Two carvings of a tooth. Inside are scenes from Hell.
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
standrewshist.bsky.social
📣 #CfP: "Death and Bereavement in Early Modern Britain, 1520–1689"

Join us for a one-day conference at the University of St Andrews on 26 June 2026. The keynote speaker is Professor Alec Ryrie.

The deadline for proposals is 11 December 2025. #EarlyModernHistory #skystorians
ciaokatet.bsky.social
One of my students has been featured on the university special collections blog for their work from my Material Bibliography class. It's a fascinating book with tons of manuscript additions. Check it out! 📖
universalstc.bsky.social
Ellen Robertson, a Book History MLitt student @standrewshist.bsky.social, has written on her fascinating research on a book of metrical psalms with extensive manuscript annotations held in the Special Collections @uniofstandrews.bsky.social!
university-collections.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2025/08/19/s...
Detail of the printed musical annotations in University of St Andrews’ copy of Sternhold, Thomas, Whitingham, William, Hopkins, John, The Whole Booke of Psalmes, collected into English Meter, (London, 1583), Bib BS1440.S8B83.
ciaokatet.bsky.social
Oh very jealous! 🤩 That's been on my list for over a decade as well!
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
bamcshane.bsky.social
#cfp for the 2026 Conference of the History of Women Religious of Britain and Ireland, ‘Women Religious: Patronage & Networks from Medieval to Modern’ taking place at Queen Mary University of London on 11/12 June. Please share widely #nuntastic

historyofwomenreligious.org/call-for-pap...
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
universalstc.bsky.social
'Well, sir, learn to jest in good time; there's time for all things'-William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors

☛ New on the blog: ‘By a Lover of Ha, Ha, He’: Jest Books in a Cambridge Auction Catalogue by Anna Grace Gragg (MLitt student @standrewshist.bsky.social) 🃏📖😆

ustc.ac.uk/news/by-a-lo...
An etching by William Hogarth entitled 'The Laughing Audience', dated to 1733. In the scene an audience of people is depicted in a theatre, there are people seated in rows in the foreground, mostly men in wigs, all of whom are laughing. The upper register depicts the balcony seats were men flirt with women who are selling something out of baskets. There are lit candle sconces on the walls.
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
rebpaf.bsky.social
‼️Next year, the REBPAF Final Conference will be held in Dublin.‼️
We invite submissions of papers & posters; the deadline is 15 Dec 2025. We look forward to your contributions and to welcoming you to Ireland!📚
#REBPAF #MSCA #REBPAFConference #CfP #BookHistory
[See images for details & how to apply.]
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
jillburke.bsky.social
This is for people who are familiar with Italian sixteenth-century handwriting and/or who are clever at manipulating images. I think someone wrote their name on this frontispiece to a beauty manual in 1571 then the later owner, Girolamo Garofano, wrote over it. Can anyone make the first name out?
ciaokatet.bsky.social
3 countries, 3 US states, 6 cities, and 6 jobs (between academia, teaching, and museums), then mix in a global pandemic, no wonder I'm tired after 7 years of this ... An oddly comforting read, even though it's sad things haven't improved in the last ten years.
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
universalstc.bsky.social
Ahoy there! New blog post!

Demi van Breukelen, master's student @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social & visiting researcher @standrewshist.bsky.social explores:
🌊'A Sea of Print: Printed Treasures in the Dutch Prize Papers Collection'

ustc.ac.uk/news/a-sea-o...
#printhistory #earlymodern #maritimehistory
The Frigate Peter and Paul in the Port of Amsterdam (17th Century), by Abraham Storck, Historisch Scheepvart Museum, Amsterdam 

A 17th century Dutch seascape painting illustrating at least 7 sail boats of various sizes, including the frigate of Peter and Paul, as well as a smaller transport row boat. The seas are calm and the sky is covered in swirling and fluffy clouds.
ciaokatet.bsky.social
So lovely! And you rarely see the scene of the Holy Family Dinner in iconography. What a fascinating find!
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
zannavanloon.bsky.social
A woman's touch in an #earlymodern handwritten book?

This 17th-century manuscript belonged to M. Josephine, a woman who seems to have left her mark in a unique way, by pasting in 28 different engravings, that speak to individual expression within the pages of the book.

#bookhistory #rarebooks 💙📚📜
Page in the manuscript featuring a music staff and the text of the 'Salve Regina', below is an engraving with a holy person reading a book near a tree with a church in the background. The engraving is pasted in. Flyleaf of the book with the provenance note reading 'a l'usage de M. Josephine The centre of the book with two facing pasted in engravings of religious scenes. Page in the manuscript featuring a French text on Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, in the right corner is an engraving with the holy family, Jesus on the lap of Joseph, while Mary prepares a meal. The engraving is pasted in.
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
wordsmith.bsky.social
A contributor has had to withdraw from something I'm editing, late in the day. I'm looking for a sprightly 10,000 book historical words on the broad theme of 'consumers/consumption' and the period 1450-1650 (not necessarily all of it).
ciaokatet.bsky.social
My research into early modern conclave ballots and tally sheets in the @natlibscot.bsky.social was featured in the @heraldscotland.bsky.social this weekend!

#Conclave2025 #Conclave1655 #printedforms #earlymodern #bookhistory #papalprint #conclave #emthings
www.heraldscotland.com
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Per @washingtonpost.com: 'President Donald Trump on Thursday fired Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress — the first woman and first African American to hold the position. She was informed of the decision in a terse, two-sentence email'.

#DrCarlaHayden #LibraryofCongress.
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
lisafdavis.bsky.social
This is both lovely and important.
caitlinest.bsky.social
Please boost! The NOEL PRIZE, in memory of the great and good and much-missed Will Noel.

Celebrate your (or any) open access library project. No project too small, or too big. Full details here, deadline 8/1, extremely low-effort Google Form: pacscl.org/what-we-do/f...
The Noel Prize – PACSCL
pacscl.org
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
rcpsgheritage.bsky.social
It's #WorldDonkeyDay 🫏
To celebrate here's a delightful little donkey trotting through the pages of Historia Animalium (c.1602) by Conrad Gesner.
An open book showing a woodcut illustration of a donkey. The donkey has one foot raised as if walking along the page.
ciaokatet.bsky.social
Wrote a little blog about some fascinating printed conclave documents I came across in the @natlibscot.bsky.social! 🗝️

Many thanks to the cataloguers of their Special Collections for documenting these objects so diligently!
universalstc.bsky.social
CONCLAVE! 🗝️

As we await white smoke, read about some rare printed objects from early modern conclaves preserved in @natlibscot.bsky.social! In this post, USTC postdoc, @ciaokatet.bsky.social, explores blank conclave vote tallying sheets and sample ballots. #conclave2025 www.ustc.ac.uk/news/conclave
Detail of two of the [Four voting slips for the election of a Pope]. [Rome?: Reverenda Camera Apostolica?, 16--?], National Library of Scotland, Crawford.B.41(15). Reproduced with permission from materials on loan to the National Library of Scotland from the Balcarres Heritage Trust.
ciaokatet.bsky.social
This is absolutely brilliant @liamsims.bsky.social, I'm going to share it with Deborah Krohn, who has written a lot on Scappi's images!
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
dbellingradt.bsky.social
The giant page of Gutenberg fame can now be seen for a while in the Mainz Cathedral. #booksky
Photo of the lifted giant page in the Mainz Cathedral. Copyrights: Markus Kohz. Photo of the lifted giant page in the Mainz Cathedral. Copyrights: Markus Kohz.
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
dbellingradt.bsky.social
Just in case if you missed this printing event in #Mainz: they publically printed a giant page of the Gutenberg bible in the format 5 x 7,20 meter. #bookhistory #skystorians
A photo of the printing event in Mainz (from April 26-27th, 2025) showing a moment of the printing process: two men are lifting the paper from the woodblock. Copyrights from Markus Kohz. A photo of the printing event in Mainz (from April 26-27th, 2025) showing the giant woodblick, and the giant printed paper open air. Copyrights from Markus Kohz.
Reposted by Katherine Tycz
bemccollective.bsky.social
Congratulations to Joshua Rushton, whose article 'The Emotional Dimension of Shrine Formation in Early Modern Catholicism' is now out in Cultural and Social History. Read more about this fascinating work here: sites.manchester.ac.uk/bodies-emoti...
New Cultural and Social History Article by Dr Joshua Rushton
sites.manchester.ac.uk