Victorian-era Broadway of Saratoga Springs was immaculate, although it still looks quite similar today — minus some of the elegant facades and verandas.

But other places weren't so lucky...

2. San Francisco, California (c.1876)

Most of San Fran's Victorian downtown was lost in the great earthquake (and fires) of 1906. Before then, it was routinely compared to Europe's finest metropolises: the "Paris of the Pacific"...

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Jul 2

A thread of astonishing details (and anatomical accuracies) in sculpture 🧵

1. The imprint of Pluto's hand on the thigh of Proserpina...

Baroque sculptor Bernini achieved a true illusion of human flesh. But The Abduction of Proserpina (1622) also contorted stone into other amazing details — like the curls of Pluto's beard...

2. Muscle in the forearm of Moses (1515)

Michelangelo understood the human body so well, he knew that when you raise your little finger, a tiny muscle in the forearm (called the 'extensor') contracts. He carved this detail into Moses...

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Jul 1

What do biblical angels actually look like?

Well, there are 9 different types — the lowest-ranked angels are the most human-looking.

After that, things get weird… (thread) 🧵

Over the centuries, theologians have tried to make sense of the various angels mentioned in the Bible, and establish what they look like.

We often think of winged beings acting as messengers on Earth — but that's just the beginning.

Thomas Aquinas (building on 6th century writings) identified 9 types of angels. He grouped them in 3 orders: lowest, middle and highest.

The lowest are closest to humans, and the highest are closest to God...

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Jun 28

Why is everywhere in America starting to lose its identity?

It's mostly because of one thing — scale... (thread) 🧵

Dropped in any American city 100 years ago, you could probably tell immediately where you were.

Chicago's greystones, built from locally-quarried stone, or San Fran's Victorian rows would give it away — places had unmistakable character.

For a long time, places have been getting more similar. Industrialization reduced reliance on local materials, and readily-available steel and concrete detached architecture from its environment.

But something else changed more recently...

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Jun 27

What are the best-preserved wonders of Ancient Egypt besides the pyramids?

First, there's this 2,000-year-old temple — celestial carvings cover every inch of its ceiling.

And that's still the original paint... (thread) 🧵

The Temple of Hathor near Luxor is one of the most immaculate temples we have, built by Cleopatra's father (Ptolemy XII) around 54 BC.

Very little daylight reaches the paintwork inside, so its blue glow never faded...

Just up the Nile is the Temple of Khnum in Esna.

Full-color reliefs of the zodiac and constellations adorn every surface, preserved for millennia beneath layers of soot. It was scraped away a few years ago, revealing this...

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Jun 25

Many of Europe's greatest architectural wonders were lost to history — or willingly demolished.

Here are some you haven't heard of... 🧵

1. Neue Elbbrücke Bridge: torn down to add an additional lane

Hamburg's greatest bridge was destroyed not by aerial bombs, but by urban planning zealots.

The original, completed in 1887, had two beautiful neo-Gothic gateways — destroyed in 1959 to widen the bridge.

2. Pont Notre-Dame, Paris

Medieval Paris had bustling "living bridges", with shops and homes towered 4 or 5 stories high.

The Pont Notre-Dame's buildings were razed for sanitary reasons, and to avoid risk of collapse in the 18th century.

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