Thomas Edison

Watch the Only Footage of Mark Twain in Existence

Well, this is pretty amazing. In this short silent film, the only known footage of Mark Twain in the world, we get to catch a glimpse of the legendary author doing the things that we have always dreamed about him doing — ambling about his estate in his signature white suit, smoking his cigar, having tea with his daughters, and looking amiably crotchety all the while — as captured by Thomas Edison (!) in 1909. Click through to watch this tiny snippet of history, and then go read some Twain. … Read More

A Peek Inside the Notebooks of Famous Authors, Artists and Visionaries

It’s no secret that we at Flavorpill are fascinated by the marginalia of our favorite artists’ lives — we swoon over their doodles, dig through their sketchbooks, and posthumously ogle their beach photos. Recently, aided by one of our favorite Tumblr destinations for literary ephemera, Fuck Yeah, Manuscripts!, we’ve indulged in a little more snooping, and put together this collection of a few of the notebooks, journals and diaries of some of our favorite creative minds — authors, artists, actors, musicians, scientists — so as to better get to know their inner selves. Click through to page through the notebooks of a few famous creatives, and let us know which one looks the most like your own in the comments. … Read More

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in the Office

Today at Flavorpill, we completely freaked out over this brilliant X-Men/Peanuts mashup. We were glad to see that Vulture agrees with us on who the biggest asshole on HBO is. (Hint: He’s on Game of Thrones.) We were surprised by the racy pin-up art that you can find on… Read More

Watch Cinema’s Delightfully Awkward First Kiss, 1896

For decades, it’s been just about impossible to see a movie or turn on the TV without witnessing a romantic kiss. And whether it represents the long-awaited union of two people who were meant for each other, a quick peck between married folks, or a stolen adulterous moment, a passionate smooch still has the power to captivate us. But here’s something we’ve never thought to wonder: What did the first kiss on film look like, and when did it happen? Thanks to Brainpickings, we’ve now seen it for ourselves. Thomas Edison shot cinema’s first smackeroo in 1896, at his Black Maria studio, in an era where kissing in public was still quite risqué. Perhaps that’s why the brief clip, starring the actress May Irwin, is so wonderfully awkward. First, she and her unidentified, mustachioed paramour whisper what we assume are sweet nothings to each other, and it sort of looks like he’s chewing on her face. Then, he bestows on her some curious, rapid-fire kisses. Watch and puzzle over these bizarre, turn-of-the-century mating rituals after the jump, and then read more about the history of the film at Brainpickings. … Read More

Video of the Day: A Journey Across the Brooklyn Bridge, 1899

Ever wonder what it was like to ride over the Brooklyn Bridge in the 19th century? Jason Kottke pointed us to this early Edison video, taken from the front of a B.M.T. train traveling from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 1899. We’re not sure whether the shaky image has more to do with the camera or the vehicle, but one thing is clear: the simple crossing was a hell of a lot more exciting (and apparently scarier, too) a hundred years ago than it is now. … Read More

Exclusive Q&A: Lydia Millet’s Celebrity-Filled Animal Planet

To say that author Lydia Millet’s first book of short stories (after six novels) is merely a tome about human and animal relationships would be a blatant understatement, too Cesar’s Way. In Love in Infant Monkeys the animal and human (er, super human in the case of Madonna in the opening story, “Sexing the Pheasant”) hierarchy is leveled, with each influencing the other’s life, decisions, and emotions. After the jump Millet, who lives in Tucson, Arizona, discusses her lions, tigers, and bears… oh… Read More