Amelia Soth is a writer and editor based in Chicago, Illinois. She writes the column “Cabinet of Curiosities” for JSTOR Daily and has also contributed articles at Hyperallergic and the Wellcome Collection.
ESSAYS
“The Occult Remedy the Puritans Embraced,” JSTOR Daily.
“The Afterlife of Royal Hair,” JSTOR Daily.
“Paper Theaters: The Home Entertainment of Yesteryear,” JSTOR Daily.
“The Souls of Magnets,” JSTOR Daily.
“The Moveable Tent Cities of the Ottoman Empire,” JSTOR Daily.
“The Prince of Quacks (And How He Captivated London),” JSTOR Daily.
“These Gravity-Defying Sculptures Provoked Accusations of Demonic Possession,” JSTOR Daily.
“Why Did the Victorians Harbor Warm Feelings For Leeches?” JSTOR Daily.
“The Extremely Real Science Behind the Basilisk’s Lethal Gaze,” JSTOR Daily.
“Why Did Thieves’ Cant Carry An Unshakable Allure?” JSTOR Daily.
“The Cadaver Synod: Putting A Dead Pope on Trial,” JSTOR Daily.
“Public Dissection was a Gruesome Spectacle,” JSTOR Daily.
“When Dancing Plagues Struck Medieval Europe,” JSTOR Daily.
“Elixirs of Immortal Life Were a Deadly Obsession,” JSTOR Daily.
“The Landlord Asks for a Christmas Rose,” JSTOR Daily.
“The Tangled History of Weaving With Spider Silk,” JSTOR Daily.
“A Recipe for Flies and Frogs,” JSTOR Daily.
PHOTO ESSAYS
“Southern Italy’s Centuries-Long Dancing Mania,” Wellcome Collection.
“Bloodletting at the Barber-Surgeon’s,” Wellcome Collection.
“Electric Marvels in the Age of Enlightenment,” Wellcome Collection.
“When Civilization Made People Sick,” Wellcome Collection.
“Deadly Stinks and Life-Saving Aromas in Plague-Stricken London,” Wellcome Collection.
“Exposing the Secrets of the Human Body,” Wellcome Collection.
“Miracle Cure-Alls Throughout the Ages,” Wellcome Collection.
“Vintage ‘Soviet Santa’ Postcards Were Propaganda for the Space Race,” Hyperallergic.
Preoccupations
Illuminated manuscripts. Arachnids. Microbes. Alchemy.