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I've read some discussions online about why people in vintage photographs frequently appear to be so much older than they actually were at the time. It turns out there are multiple reasons, from poor nutrition and vitamin deficiencies to the physical toll of industrial occupations--and sometimes just the unconscious biases of the contemporary viewer. But here's one facet of that discussion that you don't hear much about: people in 19th century photographs who, despite the stiff clothing and washed-out lighting, are just full-on gorgeous. Exhibit A: This strapping lad is not only beautiful but also, somehow, someone I feel like I could have seen on the subway last week. The swept-back hair, the bedroom eyes, and good grief that chinstrap beard (very Williamsburg, bro, and I don't mean the colonial one): this young buck is close to timeless. A daguerreotype ("the mirror with a memory") creates its own allure, of course, but you just can't argue with a jawline like that. Somebody open a window. Okay, I'm finished. #daguerreotypeportrait #antiquephotographs #cabinetdecuriosité #cabinetofcuriosities #wunderkammerngallery #eclecticdecorating #maximalistdecorating #odditiescollector #historicalartifacts #victorianmen #hauntingphoto #gorgeousdudes #perfecthairdontcare #eclectichomedecor

Selfie Dump 2023-2025. (Never done one of these before.) The following: Numbers 1-3 at home in my bedroom's gilt Empire mirror and then in the bathroom shaving mirror on that random day I dressed up. Number 4: my friend Fred's salon on Lower East Side. Number 5: the stateroom I booked on the RMS Queen Mary in March. Number 6: back in my living room on a good hair day. I need more interesting locales but I'm permanently post-pandemic and my apartment seems to be my world now. #selfiedump #boredathomeselfie #gaydude #gayoverfifty #gaygoatee #gayotterselfie #gayotters #stockydudes #livingwithantiques #livingwithanxiety #giltmirror #antiquemirror #accordianmirror #myboudoir #eclecticism

Selfie Dump 2023-2025. (Never done one of these before.) The following: Numbers 1-3 at home in my bedroom's gilt Empire mirror and then in the bathroom shaving mirror on that random day I dressed up. Number 4: my friend Fred's salon on Lower East Side. Number 5: the stateroom I booked on the RMS Queen Mary in March. Number 6: back in my living room on a good hair day. I need more interesting locales but I'm permanently post-pandemic and my apartment seems to be my world now. #selfiedump #boredathomeselfie #gaydude #gayoverfifty #gaygoatee #gayotterselfie #gayotters #stockydudes #livingwithantiques #livingwithanxiety #giltmirror #antiquemirror #accordianmirror #myboudoir #eclecticism

Selfie Dump 2023-2025. (Never done one of these before.) The following: Numbers 1-3 at home in my bedroom's gilt Empire mirror and then in the bathroom shaving mirror on that random day I dressed up. Number 4: my friend Fred's salon on Lower East Side. Number 5: the stateroom I booked on the RMS Queen Mary in March. Number 6: back in my living room on a good hair day. I need more interesting locales but I'm permanently post-pandemic and my apartment seems to be my world now. #selfiedump #boredathomeselfie #gaydude #gayoverfifty #gaygoatee #gayotterselfie #gayotters #stockydudes #livingwithantiques #livingwithanxiety #giltmirror #antiquemirror #accordianmirror #myboudoir #eclecticism

Selfie Dump 2023-2025. (Never done one of these before.) The following: Numbers 1-3 at home in my bedroom's gilt Empire mirror and then in the bathroom shaving mirror on that random day I dressed up. Number 4: my friend Fred's salon on Lower East Side. Number 5: the stateroom I booked on the RMS Queen Mary in March. Number 6: back in my living room on a good hair day. I need more interesting locales but I'm permanently post-pandemic and my apartment seems to be my world now. #selfiedump #boredathomeselfie #gaydude #gayoverfifty #gaygoatee #gayotterselfie #gayotters #stockydudes #livingwithantiques #livingwithanxiety #giltmirror #antiquemirror #accordianmirror #myboudoir #eclecticism

Selfie Dump 2023-2025. (Never done one of these before.) The following: Numbers 1-3 at home in my bedroom's gilt Empire mirror and then in the bathroom shaving mirror on that random day I dressed up. Number 4: my friend Fred's salon on Lower East Side. Number 5: the stateroom I booked on the RMS Queen Mary in March. Number 6: back in my living room on a good hair day. I need more interesting locales but I'm permanently post-pandemic and my apartment seems to be my world now. #selfiedump #boredathomeselfie #gaydude #gayoverfifty #gaygoatee #gayotterselfie #gayotters #stockydudes #livingwithantiques #livingwithanxiety #giltmirror #antiquemirror #accordianmirror #myboudoir #eclecticism

Selfie Dump 2023-2025. (Never done one of these before.) The following: Numbers 1-3 at home in my bedroom's gilt Empire mirror and then in the bathroom shaving mirror on that random day I dressed up. Number 4: my friend Fred's salon on Lower East Side. Number 5: the stateroom I booked on the RMS Queen Mary in March. Number 6: back in my living room on a good hair day. I need more interesting locales but I'm permanently post-pandemic and my apartment seems to be my world now. #selfiedump #boredathomeselfie #gaydude #gayoverfifty #gaygoatee #gayotterselfie #gayotters #stockydudes #livingwithantiques #livingwithanxiety #giltmirror #antiquemirror #accordianmirror #myboudoir #eclecticism

Two newish maritime additions to the kitchen: a silver tray from the Canadian steamer "Princess Royal" and a Limoges cup and saucer from the transatlantic steamer "Île de France." The "Princess" served the coast of British Columbia between 1906 and 1933, taking passengers between Vancouver and Victoria and sometimes down to Seattle. Launched in 1927, the "Île" was among the great ocean liners on the North Atlantic run prior to World War II for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, which Americans knew as simply the French Line. This cup and saucer would have been used in first class--the dining room and possibly in the smoking salon as well. The "Île" served for 32 years, her moment in the spotlight coming in 1956, when she came to the aid of the sinking "Andrea Doria" about 45 miles south of Nantucket. There had been 1,706 souls aboard the "Doria," and the "Île" rescued 753 of them. #oddities #odditorium #eclecticdecor #eclecticism #nauticaldecor #nauticaldecor #nauticalantiques #steamships #steamship #moreismore #moreismoredecor #frenchstyle #canadianhistory #pacificanorthwest #lostera #apartmentherapy #oceanlinerstyle #oceanliners

Two newish maritime additions to the kitchen: a silver tray from the Canadian steamer "Princess Royal" and a Limoges cup and saucer from the transatlantic steamer "Île de France." The "Princess" served the coast of British Columbia between 1906 and 1933, taking passengers between Vancouver and Victoria and sometimes down to Seattle. Launched in 1927, the "Île" was among the great ocean liners on the North Atlantic run prior to World War II for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, which Americans knew as simply the French Line. This cup and saucer would have been used in first class--the dining room and possibly in the smoking salon as well. The "Île" served for 32 years, her moment in the spotlight coming in 1956, when she came to the aid of the sinking "Andrea Doria" about 45 miles south of Nantucket. There had been 1,706 souls aboard the "Doria," and the "Île" rescued 753 of them. #oddities #odditorium #eclecticdecor #eclecticism #nauticaldecor #nauticaldecor #nauticalantiques #steamships #steamship #moreismore #moreismoredecor #frenchstyle #canadianhistory #pacificanorthwest #lostera #apartmentherapy #oceanlinerstyle #oceanliners

Two newish maritime additions to the kitchen: a silver tray from the Canadian steamer "Princess Royal" and a Limoges cup and saucer from the transatlantic steamer "Île de France." The "Princess" served the coast of British Columbia between 1906 and 1933, taking passengers between Vancouver and Victoria and sometimes down to Seattle. Launched in 1927, the "Île" was among the great ocean liners on the North Atlantic run prior to World War II for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, which Americans knew as simply the French Line. This cup and saucer would have been used in first class--the dining room and possibly in the smoking salon as well. The "Île" served for 32 years, her moment in the spotlight coming in 1956, when she came to the aid of the sinking "Andrea Doria" about 45 miles south of Nantucket. There had been 1,706 souls aboard the "Doria," and the "Île" rescued 753 of them. #oddities #odditorium #eclecticdecor #eclecticism #nauticaldecor #nauticaldecor #nauticalantiques #steamships #steamship #moreismore #moreismoredecor #frenchstyle #canadianhistory #pacificanorthwest #lostera #apartmentherapy #oceanlinerstyle #oceanliners

Two newish maritime additions to the kitchen: a silver tray from the Canadian steamer "Princess Royal" and a Limoges cup and saucer from the transatlantic steamer "Île de France." The "Princess" served the coast of British Columbia between 1906 and 1933, taking passengers between Vancouver and Victoria and sometimes down to Seattle. Launched in 1927, the "Île" was among the great ocean liners on the North Atlantic run prior to World War II for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, which Americans knew as simply the French Line. This cup and saucer would have been used in first class--the dining room and possibly in the smoking salon as well. The "Île" served for 32 years, her moment in the spotlight coming in 1956, when she came to the aid of the sinking "Andrea Doria" about 45 miles south of Nantucket. There had been 1,706 souls aboard the "Doria," and the "Île" rescued 753 of them. #oddities #odditorium #eclecticdecor #eclecticism #nauticaldecor #nauticaldecor #nauticalantiques #steamships #steamship #moreismore #moreismoredecor #frenchstyle #canadianhistory #pacificanorthwest #lostera #apartmentherapy #oceanlinerstyle #oceanliners

Two newish maritime additions to the kitchen: a silver tray from the Canadian steamer "Princess Royal" and a Limoges cup and saucer from the transatlantic steamer "Île de France." The "Princess" served the coast of British Columbia between 1906 and 1933, taking passengers between Vancouver and Victoria and sometimes down to Seattle. Launched in 1927, the "Île" was among the great ocean liners on the North Atlantic run prior to World War II for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, which Americans knew as simply the French Line. This cup and saucer would have been used in first class--the dining room and possibly in the smoking salon as well. The "Île" served for 32 years, her moment in the spotlight coming in 1956, when she came to the aid of the sinking "Andrea Doria" about 45 miles south of Nantucket. There had been 1,706 souls aboard the "Doria," and the "Île" rescued 753 of them. #oddities #odditorium #eclecticdecor #eclecticism #nauticaldecor #nauticaldecor #nauticalantiques #steamships #steamship #moreismore #moreismoredecor #frenchstyle #canadianhistory #pacificanorthwest #lostera #apartmentherapy #oceanlinerstyle #oceanliners

A late Thursday night in my living room, Brooklyn, NYC. #moreismoredecor #maximalistinteriors #moodlighting #eclectichome #vintagetaxidermy #victorianmood #spookyseason👻 #hauntedhome #esoterica #ofditiesandcuriosities #oddities #maximalistdreamer #victoriangothic #darkart #gothicaesthetic

The top shelf of my wunderkammer is running out of space but, after moving a few things around this weekend, it's about as good as it's likely to get. On the left are the poisons and medicines of yore--arsenic, strychnine, chloroform, ether, mercury pills (for syphilis), Thorazine, Benzedrine, pharmaceutical cocaine, and so on. The porcelain skeleton is an old and relatively rare sake bottle that just added to the mood. Atop the iron stand on the left is a kapala, a ceremonial cup traditionally used in Tibetan Buddhism ceremonies. It's made from the calvarium of a human skull, then finished with a decorative bronze rim. (As kapalas go, this one is very modest.) On the right side is the first skull I bought around 20 years ago, sitting atop a leather-bound Gray's Anatomy textbook. Just below the dried roses is an unlikely find from a long-gone Chelsea secondhand store, a late 19th century photo viewer, probably French: the magnifying glass frame and other hardware is ormolu, set into a black marble base. There's a Victorian-era gentleman's syringe, a laboratory magnifier and a rock crystal ball in here as well. Added most recently is the photo on the cabinet's back wall showing a group shot of eight anatomy students posing with a cadaver. If I'd chosen a reliable and well-compensated career field instead of being a writer, by now I'd have amassed many cabinets of curiosities instead of this one; a house full of antiques and not just an apartment's worth. But I'd like to think that a limited budget sharpens the acquisitive eye. #morbidanatomy #vultureculture #medicalhistory #poisons #lunaticasylum #wunderkammer #cabinetofcuriosities #mementomori #deathart #oddities #strangeandunusual #eclectichome #humanbones #humanskullcollector

Here's an After and (swipe left) Before look at my late 19th century French armchair set. (Only showing one chair here for ease of comparison.) Light colors are usually not my thing, but the dark shades in the parlor were piling up so relentlessly that the room was disappearing and so I wanted to throw something a little different into the mix. This gold brocade (woven in Spain, not France, but what can you do?) is a better period fit than the solid dark green upholstery that was on the chairs when I bought them. (That green competed with the wall green and got on my nerves.) Also, a "duh" moment: custom upholstery is waaaay pricier than even this jaded New Yorker imagined, so it took a few years for me to afford this commission. I hope I chose well because... well, it's too late now! (Maybe it needs an accent pillow?) #upholstery #customupholstery #frenchfurniture #frencharmchairs #eclecticinteriors #eclecticism #maximalistdecor #moreismoredecor #vultureculture #mylivingroom #mycurrentdesignsituation #furniturerestoration

Here's an After and (swipe left) Before look at my late 19th century French armchair set. (Only showing one chair here for ease of comparison.) Light colors are usually not my thing, but the dark shades in the parlor were piling up so relentlessly that the room was disappearing and so I wanted to throw something a little different into the mix. This gold brocade (woven in Spain, not France, but what can you do?) is a better period fit than the solid dark green upholstery that was on the chairs when I bought them. (That green competed with the wall green and got on my nerves.) Also, a "duh" moment: custom upholstery is waaaay pricier than even this jaded New Yorker imagined, so it took a few years for me to afford this commission. I hope I chose well because... well, it's too late now! (Maybe it needs an accent pillow?) #upholstery #customupholstery #frenchfurniture #frencharmchairs #eclecticinteriors #eclecticism #maximalistdecor #moreismoredecor #vultureculture #mylivingroom #mycurrentdesignsituation #furniturerestoration

Up until the late 1920s, when membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was at its peak, many lodges kept a human skeleton on hand for the initiation rite--which was really little more than a humble acknowledgment of one's own mortality. With death closer at hand back then (life expectancy for men stood at 54 years) Americans were a decidedly less squeamish lot. Today, as some of the old lodges find themselves sold and repurposed for other uses, resident skeletons occasionally appear--sometimes literally in closets--no doubt to the shock and horror of the buildings' new owners. What becomes of these artifacts? A few are donated to osteology departments or even interred, while others make their way to the open market. This one (who is in fact not a fellow but a woman) has taken up residence at @anastaciasphilly. Of course, a kneeler and veil were on hand already. I'm much obliged to Anastacia and her husband Scott for hosting me yesterday. As for this fine piece, it's about as close as I get to praying. #oddities #odditiesandcuriosities #humanskeleton #eclecticinteriors #maximalistdecor #humanskullcollector #humanskullsandbones #gothicaesthetic #mementomori #wunderkammer #vultureculture

I found this late-19th century etched crystal bottle on eBay. Fifteen bucks. Put it in the bathroom. I decanted some leftover Kiehl's Facial Fuel Energizing Face Wash for Men 🙄 into it for want of anything else. Only then did I realize this astringent takes on a romantic, iridescent quality when light passes through it. Here I'm holding the bottle over the slag-glass lamp in the living room. This vibe suddenly feels like a late night at Le Grand Ecart in Paris in the 1920s. Not that I'd know. Only read about the place. #maximalism #moreismoredecor #moreismore #parisianvibes #cutcrystal #leadcrystal #antiquebottle #apothecarybottles #mycurrentview #eclecticism #odditiesandcuriosities

I finally found a suitable wall bracket and hung up the old chain censer. I got this thing going a few times and the gouts of white frankincense smoke it's capable of expelling are truly remarkable. This piece is probably another subconscious nod to my having been an altar boy once, and to the dualism that certain boys take from the job: an enduring love of the pomp and ceremony, and an enduring sense of betrayal over the self hatred taught by clerics who claim to be talking about love. So my thurible now hangs in a pagan's den. I've sinned far worse than this, thank heavens. 😈 #artifacts #wunderkammer #oddities #gothstyle #antiquarian #haunted #maximalism #eclecticdecor #eclecticism #bizarre #apartmenttherapy #cornerofmyhome#churchsalvage

I finally found a suitable wall bracket and hung up the old chain censer. I got this thing going a few times and the gouts of white frankincense smoke it's capable of expelling are truly remarkable. This piece is probably another subconscious nod to my having been an altar boy once, and to the dualism that certain boys take from the job: an enduring love of the pomp and ceremony, and an enduring sense of betrayal over the self hatred taught by clerics who claim to be talking about love. So my thurible now hangs in a pagan's den. I've sinned far worse than this, thank heavens. 😈 #artifacts #wunderkammer #oddities #gothstyle #antiquarian #haunted #maximalism #eclecticdecor #eclecticism #bizarre #apartmenttherapy #cornerofmyhome#churchsalvage

I love these old mirrors with the silver flecking off the back. I think this one was $20 at the Housing Works thrift shop in Chelsea. I hung it on the door because every so often, from the corner of my eye, it serves to make this apartment look bigger. #antiquemirror #housingworksthriftshops #myapartmenttherapy #maximalistinteriors #maximalisthome #moreismoredecor #thriftstorefinds #thrifting #lowlightleague #eclectichome #eclecticdesign #eclecticism #victorianstyle #persiancarpet

The electric candelabra (pounced upon in a thrift shop on Third Avenue in Manhattan) still has its original sketchy wiring, so I only plug it in for photo ops. Almost every place from which I rescued my orphaned treasures in the 1980s and ‘90s is gone now—gentrified straight out of their lots and storefronts to make way for another Chipotle or some more “luxury condominium residences.” My 36 years in NYC—the majority of my 55 years on earth—now survives in this odditorium nobody sees. Except for on Instagram, I guess. #churchrelics #oldchurch #eclectichome #eclecticdecor #oddities #odditiesandcuriosities #maximalistinteriors #maximalism #maximalisthome #myapartmenttherapy #nycapartment

After weeks of lying half dead on the sofa (thanks, Covid ☠️) I finally have just enough energy to get back to working on some long-overdue freelance writing. The crepuscular light in my lair here inspires work on the 19th century historical subjects that speak to me. Or was it whisper and snarl to me? #maximalistinteriors #maximalism #eclecticdecor #eclecticism #wunderkammer #cabinetofcuriosities #moreismoredecor #interieur #mylivingroom #myworkspace #odditiesandcuriosities #mydarkhome #mydarkmood