Word with a Past: Maverick

The word “maverick” has always had overtones of the American West in my head—or at least the American West of a childhood spent watching shows like Gun Smoke, Bonanza, and, of course, Maverick.[1] Imagine my surprise when I recently learned that the word in fact has its roots in nineteenth century Texas. Samuel A Maverick…

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Before Walt Disney…

A decade before Walt Disney released his first animated short, “Alice’s Day at the Sea” in 1924, illustrator Louis Glackens (1866-1933) created trailblazing animated shorts featuring mermaids, anthropomorphic beasts, and political satire. His career has often been treated as a footnote to that of his younger brother, Ashcan School artist William J. Glackens.[1] Both Glackens…

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Hopping for Sufferage

I’m spending some time looking at the women’s suffrage movement—not the big sweeping arc of the movement, the major events or the big names, but the smaller stories within the story.[1] I’m finding some fascinating stuff. But the most unusual thing I’ve found so far is a fundraising event called the hopperie. Held at Luna…

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