Fashionably Strange: A History of Victorian Creepiness (Online)
Taught by J.R. Pepper
JR Pepper is a Brooklyn born-and-raised artist, lecturer, researcher and self described 'professional eccentric'. She holds both a BA and an MA in art history specializing in Surrealism and spirit photography. Her artwork has been seen in various gallery shows, websites, album covers, and publications, including Haunted America:FAQ by Dave Thompson. She has spoken at lectured at a wide range of venues and conventions including New York Anime Festival, New York Comic Con, Tokyo in Tulsa, Catland Books, The Morbid Anatomy Museum and is a fellow and curator of the NY branch of Odd Salon. She currently works as an assistant and retoucher for The Burns Archive and is a tour guide at Green-wood Cemetery.
image credit: Bill Wadman
There’s a general consensus in film and media that Victorians were a bit… odd to say the least. But what did they do that made them so odd, so strange, so creepy?
From professional mourning clothing, taxidermy, and an obsession with death to bizarre photography and fashionable communication with the spirit world, there’s no doubt that the Victorians were decidedly creepy. In this talk we will explore what made the Victorians the true masters of the macabre.
