Aug 24, 2026
Exploiting the gender wars. Sheet music from 175 years ago. The issues of the day were, it transpires, not so very different from our own obsessions. PLAYLIST 1851 1. The Bloomer Valse Some fifty years ago my Aunt Jenny, an antiquary of the first order, presented...
May 13, 2026
MY FAVOURITE ARTIST HAS A NEW SHOW Disclaimer: I’m married to her. (Banksy is No.2) Karey Shinn has a new solo exhibition of photographs, “Portraits: Icons of Thrift,” at the Worth Gallery in Toronto, May 28–June 7. Here is a brief selection (low...
Apr 2, 2026
Times Roman: A Revaluation. By Peggy Lang, Alphabet and Image: 2, Published by James Shand at the Shenval Press, 1946. Preliminary drawing for the new Times typeface, reproduced size as, completed in the offices of The Times in 1931. WHO REALLY...
Feb 10, 2026
“Galvanic” demonstrations were amongst the vogue for scientific theatre in early 19th century Britain, an inspiration for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Engraving from Les Merveilles de la science, 1870, showing Dr. Andrew Ure in 1818, shocking the corpse of a murderer...
Jan 24, 2026
IN PRAISE OF NOSTALGIA It’s a strategy that’s served me well. I was astounded by Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. It gave me the kind of chills usually experienced from witnessing stellar performance in sports or the arts, but rarely in...
Dec 31, 2025
TOP TEN 2025 It’s been a busy year! Creating for social media is a bit of a grind, and a lot of work for something so ephemeral—but I love doing it, especially as I’m collaborating with my daughter Zoë Shinn. 1. BEST SELLING TYPEFACE Once again it’s the Aptly...
