Tag Archives: unsettling

Leeches! Leeches!! Leeches!!! A small collection of vintage advertisements for medical leeches

Posted on 6 May 2012 by

Leeches have been used for bloodletting for centuries, becoming so popular in the 18th and 19th centuries that they were almost farmed to extinction in Europe. Although falling out of fashion in the later half of the 20th century, their … Continue reading →

Posted in Curiosities, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

EJ Bellocq and the Storyville prostitutes

Posted on 12 November 2011 by

Storyville was the legendary red-light district of New Orleans, which famously legalized prostitution between 1898-1917. After its abolition in 1918, the buildings were almost entirely torn down, from the expensive high-class mansions to the cheap “cribs”. Today, little remains of … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Suicide landscapes by Philip Braham

Posted on 31 October 2011 by

At first glance, the work of Scottish photographer Philip Braham seems to be a simple series of postcard-pretty (albeit slightly haunting) black & white photographs of Scottish landscapes. But, much like Scotland itself, beyond the surface lays something darker. Sadly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Art | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The unsettling aesthetic of Petrina Hicks

Posted on 20 October 2011 by

I adore the sensuous yet unsettling aesthetic in the work of Australian artist Petrina Hicks. She seduces my eyes with the clean and glossy look of commercial advertising photography, but injects it with a surreal – even slightly creepy – … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Art | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment