17th century Archives

In a black and white film still, a woman points a small pistol at a man, the two staring at each other in early 20th century fashion.

How Can I Use That?: The Influences of Edward Gorey

Posted on 19 February 202519 February 2025 by The Gothic Dispatch

He famously read Dracula at the age of seven. From then on, Edward Gorey and his host of pale-skinned, dark-eyed characters feasted on culture wherever they could find it.

Join me in marking what would have been the 100th birthday of the Grandfather of Goth by digging into his biggest influences. Piece together the clues scattered throughout his life. Examine the strange and disturbing marks they left on his work. And hunt his favourite artists, writers and filmmakers around the world and through the centuries.

In a display case in Toledo’s museum of witchcraft in Spain is a handwritten recipe book surrounded by obscure plants preserved in jars.

The wise healer becomes the evil witch in Toledo’s Brujeria Museum

Posted on 17 April 202415 August 2024 by The Gothic Dispatch

Just as superstition and misunderstanding have ruined the reputation of this writer, so they ruined the image of the witch in 15th century Europe.

Greetings from the Brujeria Museum, a cabinet of curiosities collecting the history of witchcraft in Spain – and her fall from wise healer to wicked heathen. Learn why witchcraft was safer practiced in the south of Spain. Read the handwritten recipe books for spells of transformation, invisibility and more. And help keep the image of the wise witch alive – even if you can’t save the other.