The Bizarre Branding of America’s Early Secret Societies

During their golden age, America’s secret societies produced some of history’s most remarkable branding materials—from symbols to signage, lithographs, costumes and more. In their new book “As Above, So Below: Art of the American Fraternal Society, 1850-1930” art collectors Bruce Lee Webb and Lynne Adele uncover these elaborate creations and dig in to the impact they had on early American society. Take a look inside …

Experience Shakespeare’s Globe Theater Through Virtual Reality

The legendary plays put on by Shakespeare at the Globe Theater are no longer the stuff of history books. Students at the Florida International University in Miami have created an entire virtual world replicating the space, performances and atmosphere just as it was in 1598 London. A collaboration between architecture, computer science and theater students, the project (called I-CAVE) hopes to introduce a new way …

The History of Spite Houses, Homes Built on Contempt

Spite houses are homes built on anger and revenge. Though the motivations behind them vary—from blocking a neighbor’s view to stopping the construction of a road—they never seem to fit into their surroundings. Hyperallergic has rounded up some of the most well-known spite houses, including Edith Masefield’s Seattle home, which now sits encircled by commercial towers after she refused to sell to developers.