The Steampunk Librarian

Dances of Vice, May 2009: Les Secrets du Boudoir

Last week, I set off for New York and Dances of Vice, a monthly event that's a trip back in time. Each month has a different theme. This month? Secrets of the Boudoir. Oh dear, I thought. Wearing skirts above my ankles out in public is nervewracking enough for me; wearing lingerie seemed above and beyond my capabilities.

Fortunately, Bunny and the Club Creatures brought me down to earth and helped me pull an outfit together, and before I knew it we were walking down the streets of Brooklyn, en route to the Montauk Club.

The Montauk Club by day

Me, on the streets of Brooklyn, by Satori

We arrived to find the party in full swing, with the lovely Minsky Sisters performing for a crowd downstairs and photographs occuring upstairs. And everyone looked gorgeous.

The beautiful and the fantastic at Dances of Vice

There was much dancing downstairs, courtesy of Grandpa Musselman and His Syncopators (some of whom are pictured below):

Performing at Dances of Vice, by Satori

Even the shoes were lovely. The heels on the top left belong to Shien Lee, the originator and organizer for Dances of Vice.

Shoes of vice

Throughout the night, everyone was friendly and fun, and all my bizarre fears came to nothing, even though I did say to Poison at one point, "This is less clothing than I wear to bed." (That's not strictly true, by the way.)

Curves on the crosswalk, taken by Satori

As it turned out, the reason for the lingerie theme was a pragmatic one; the Montauk has no air conditioning. As a result, Dances of Vice is going on hiatus for the summer and will return in the fall, when everyone can wear several layers without falling down from the heat. This also means that I can start saving now for my eventual return!

 

Walking the streets after the dance, taken by Satori

Provided I don't get arrested, that is.

More photos of May's "Secrets in the Boudoir" are on New York City's Metromix page. Many thanks to Satori for letting me use his photos for this entry!

mischief, memory, and telecalulographs

Two entries today! The first is the link format you all know and love; the next will be photo-heavy. To the links we go...

 

Jake Hildebrandt has built a Telecalculograph that's beyond amazing...and you can win it! (Only if you're in North America, sadly -- but once you see it, you'll understand the shipping difficulties.)

 

However, over in the UK, White Mischief has just finished up a show and there will probably be many more to come. The site is huge and detailed and fun.

 

While not confined to the Victorian era, the Memory Palace's podcasts showcase fascinating historical tidbits, and are highly recommended for anyone interested in weird history!

 

If you're interested in steampunking your computer, this entry on Dintz is for you. Go wild!

Dances of Vice -- teaser

Here's a teaser, taken from New York's Metromix page on Dances of Vice.

 

And yes, that's me, second from left.   ;)

 

stopgap

Dances of Vice was amazing and wonderful, and I will have the pictures to prove it soon, along with a proper update! Check back in the next few days.

Dances of Vice, books of steampunk, and more

Okay, it's official: the Steampunk Librarian (aka me) is going to be at Dances of Vice in New York City this weekend, even though this month's dress theme is about as far from my comfort zone as one can get! If you see me there, say hi.

 

Did you know there's a calendar for steampunk-related events? It's true, and you can email the site to add events as well.

 

The Affinity Bridge was summarized as "a steampunk Sherlock Holmes story with zombies."  That's pretty hard to resist.  Also, Scott Westerfeld teases his readers with this preview of a steampunk-themed trilogy that's due to start this fall.

 

If you visit the Science Museum in London sometime soon, you may get a strange and wonderful booklet from a cabbie. If you're nowhere near the museum, it's also available in PDF.

 

You may remember Doktor A and his fantastic Spooky Pop creations; now behold his Mechtorians!

 

And finally...let's look to the future and envision a world of hybrid locomotives. Why not?

spring cleaning and some new arrivals

It's time to clean out the archives at the Steampunk Librarian, and by "archives" I mean "links I accumulated over the last few months and forgot to post." Voila:

 

• The centennial celebration of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition;
• Vaudeville Nation, a former exhibition at the New York Public Library;
• The "Image Porthole" database of the Steamship Historical Society of America, encompassing decades of steamships and their crews;
• An extensive collection of clipper ship trade cards;
• A manual on telegraph rules and regulations from 1871;
• The "1910 Los Angeles International Aviation Meet Research Collection," which should bring joy to anyone interested in dirigibles;
• and the amazing clockwork desk designed by John Muir, whom is known today for his conservation efforts but was also quite the tinkerer.

There are new links, too! Steampowered World is a new weblog on the scene, and NeoSteam is now asking for beta testers.  Also, Jere sent me photographic proof of a steampunk vibrator. Yikes.