Tag: History

An engraving after a photograph of Teresa Stolz (1834–1902): a Bohemian-born soprano and one of Verdi's favorite singers. She famously sang Aida in the opera's European premiere at La Scala in 1872. Here she stands in a confident three-quarter pose, her right hand planted on her hip and her left arm hanging relaxed at her side. She gazes off to the left with a serious, determined expression, with strong dark brows and a steady stare. Her long, dark, wavy hair falls past her shoulders. The costume is an elaborate 19th-century theatrical idea of an Ethiopian princess: A jeweled band across her forehead with a large round ornament at the temple, topped with a plume of feathers, long drop earrings, a broad beaded collar necklace in an Egyptian style, armbands on her upper arm, and bracelets on both wrists. Public domain. For “My P.U.”

“My P.U.” and Other Poems by Paul Hostovsky

aromatica poetica October 6, 2026

Crumbs Whenever she ate she talked about food, all the magnificent repasts of her past, with her mouth full. And he’d sit across from her and watch the food on her plate grow smaller and more insignificant with each description of some towering feast or exquisite confection of her youth. She’d close her eyes to remember, shaking her head as if to say, “No, you can’t really see it from here.” Then she’d open her eyes and he’d feed on …

Olfactory Report 5: Scent as Protagonist * Catherine Haley Epstein

aromatica poetica May 19, 2021

If you are reading this, you likely do not need convincing that indeed, scent is a protagonist in our lives, our society, and our world. We follow it everywhere, watching how it creates change and makes gorgeous metaphors for things – haunting, beautiful, and terrifying. Just as music and visual art can have an active role in changing our perceptions, so too does scent. While scent is invisible, it is intrinsically related to gender, race, politics etc.. We see it …

Layered collage of Colonial Williamsburg photographs (featured below) of taverns and dishes in different opacities.

“Eating Up History in Colonial Williamsburg” * Essay * Kate Chamberlin

aromatica poetica July 2, 2020

For three days in 1999,we walked and ate our way through Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia! We Stepped back into the 18th Century, an era when our forefathers were on the cusp of revolution. We walked the paths and ate in the taverns where the American Revolution began and our new nation was born. Colonial Williamsburg is In the center of one of America’s most historic triangles. just southwest is Jamestown, where English colonization took root in 1607; southeast is Yorktown, …

“The Birth of Adonis” by Picart. Myrrha, in tree form, gives birth to Adonis with women kneeling around.

Myrrh: Myth, Resin, Love, and the Everlasting

aromatica poetica May 21, 2018

In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Orpheus sings of the unfortunate Myrrha, who, overcome by a perverse love for her father, tricked him into having sex with her with the help of her loyal nurse. When her father took a lamp to the face of his nubile mystery lover and found his very own daughter, he snatched his sword and made to kill her. She ran away and wandered from Arabia to Sabaea. After nine months, her burden weighing heavy, she collapsed and …

The Great Pyramids of Giza stand in a dried flowers and spice desert with a garlanded camel under Hubble telescope vision sky.

The Art of Perfumery, Introduction & History I, by G.W. Septimus Piesse, 1857

aromatica poetica May 8, 2018

*This introduction to The Art of Perfumery (1857) comes from the Project Gutenberg edition. We’ve referred to our author, G.W. Septimus Piesse before, quoting with great admiration his forward-looking thoughts on the problematic secrecy of perfumery–a quote that you will read in context here. This introduction to a comprehensive manual and recipe book for Victorian perfumers inspires a love of scent that is at the heart of Aromatica Poetica.* THE ART OF PERFUMERY, AND METHOD OF OBTAINING THE ODORS OF …