Nienke Groskamp
@nienkegroskamp
PhD student in history & philosophy of science, studying esotericism and reproduction in 19th-century America @ Cambridge. All views are spirit-dictated.
Some editor felt it necessary to include a "gnaws-eating" (read: nauseating) joke between serious notices. Ha ha. From the Spiritualist newspaper "The Banner of Light", oct 7, 1876
Another great spirit photograph. On the chair is London physician and mountaineer Stanhope Templeman Speer; standing behind him is William Stainton Moses, founder of London's College for Psychic Studies (still active!). The interesting figure is his 'spirit' control Rector.
when your friend texts "shall we buy a masonic hall in Norwich" you don't ask questions, you just do what needs to be done www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/7...
1878 diary entry: "The poor man who was working in the shed of Mr. Leet, who has been bringing detonating powders from L to analyze, was blown up today and instantly killed." 😳
Anyway just saw a thai inspired noodle salad recipe suggest LINGUINI as the noodle base. fucking americans
The spiritualist lady whose diary I'm reading apparently sat for a spirit photograph with the famous William H. Mumler, but she is not pleased with its results! Here's a picture of Mary Todd Lincoln, Abe's widow, with her beloved husband behind her in spirit.
I'm reading the diaries of a young woman from rural Vermont, 1869, and she constantly misspelled "mopped" and thereby ends up moping almost every day :(
Yesterday I visited Oxford to take part in the @bodyinhistoryox.bsky.social conference. Academically it was great, but I must say that the highlight was to sit on a square drinking Aperol slushies at golden hour. Thanks everyone!!
Weird moment when the movie matches the mug (mug is from Zabar’s, a deli on the upper west side in new york)
I had the best time on the heterodox healing panel at #SSHM2026 with the wonderful and sharp @kristofsmeyers.bsky.social and kitt price (adjectives apply to both)!
The brilliant @caitjan.bsky.social and Helen Stratford in action, talking about (and drawing out) the history productivity and disability #SSHM2026 @sshmedicine.bsky.social
okay okay one more: 1887 girlies coming out to stargaze; the weather was too cold for the boys
What every 14-year old girl wants: The History of the Dutch Republic From The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana) · Sun, Dec 24, 1893
In 1893, Ella Wheeler Wilcox predicted that by 1993, the "dangerous power of large monopolies and vast corporations" would be a thing of the past. Sounds great...
Playing with some ectoplasm today in the Cambridge UL special collections reading room!
(To be fair, the primary sources are so fun that a talk like this practically writes itself. It includes the sexological clinic notes of "Mrs." Ida C. Craddock, married to a spirit, and the gentlemen fresh off the world's first Ferris Wheel roaming the streets of "Little Cairo.")
Another day, another yap about reproductive history! This time at the termly Cambridge Reproduction Forum. I had five minutes to talk about the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and how it linked visions of global evolution, sex radicalism, and metaphysical religious movements.
Newspapers are so fun. What do you mean the notice of one of my main characters' arrest is immediately followed by instructions on how to cook beets
I had such a blast talking about spirits in Leuven last week! Many thanks for organising @kristofsmeyers.bsky.social !
These drawings are from a young girl (c. 8-12 years old) in Cambridge, MA, c. 1876-1880. They depict her daily activities and milestones: visiting friends, getting her ears pierced, taking trips to the Hudson River. I'm completely mesmerized by this young artist! www.masshist.org/database/vie...
1901 ad. After all the Ozempic ads I'm getting on YouTube and Spotify it is refreshing but also terrifying to see there is nothing new under the sun.
I'm very grateful for the friends I made but especially to Professor Sarah Richardson and the @genderscilab.bsky.social for making this all possible. It's been unforgettable, and I will definitely be back! (4/4)
The seasons changed from snowstorms to spring days. I celebrated Easter and Passover and the Super Bowl, and shared the streets with coyotes and turkeys, all with friends old and new. (3/?) (here are some goofy seasonal photos of me)
I love the archives. Here is a diary from 1875 complete with dried flowers, beautifully preserved