Curio Cabinet

"Spit spreads death!" read the signs on Philadelphia streetcars in 1918. Under the grip of a deadly influenza breakout that killed over 50 million people globally, across the nation lawmakers initiated campaigns to encourage everyday citizens to wear preventive masks. The above photo was taken in the U.S. Navy hospital in Mare Island, California, where Corpsmen made preparations to attend to the ill. Earlier that year, the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article calling those who refused to wear masks "dangerous [slackers]," the same language used for those who refused to support World War I efforts. From baseball players to telephone operators, people considered it their patriotic duty to protect their health and that of others. In spite of some gripes about closing down schools and large sporting events at the time, masks that were properly produced and worn did slow the spread of influenza at the time. We even get our habits of sneezing and coughing into handkerchiefs from this era! It seems good manners, good hygiene, and goodwill towards others go hand in hand during any pandemic.
 

Below: more photos of mask-wearing citizens in 1918 from around the world.
 

Image credit & copyright: U.S. Navy, Underwood And Underwood, Bettmann Archive, National Archives, Getty Images
 

Title: Head of an Oba

Artist: Edo Peoples
Created: 16th Century
Medium: brass
Current location: Bristol Museum, Bristol, UK
 

On July 17, 2020, French officials put their heads together to draft a new law. It was a continuation of one already in effect, which would see the return of 26 more artifacts looted during French colonization of Africa, returned to their native countries. Among these were several famous sculptures known as Benin Bronzes. Head of an Oba is a classic example of a Benin bronze, crafted by the Edo people in the 14th-to-16th-century kingdom of Benin (presently Nigeria). The cast brass head lacks eyes, yet is remarkably lifelike, as it had to be in order to represent a specific Oba, or king. The Oba's ornate, chin-covering collar and woven crown are shown in extreme detail, from the tiny shells decorating the top to the beaded fringe hanging from the sides. Such sculptures were placed in the royal palace in Benin, to ensure that past Obas could continue to watch over their kingdom. How fitting that some of these sculptures will watch over Nigeria again, after spending so long in European museums.
 

Below: a short video explaining the debate over the exhibition of Benin Bronzes, and two more famous Benin sculptures, Head, Guinea Coast and Altar to the Hand (Ikegobo).
 

Image credit & copyright: The Cleveland Museum of art/The Metropolitan Museum of Art
 

The surprisingly fraught history of a cartoon icon.

Betty Boop is one of the most recognizable and enduring cartoon characters of all time. With her oversized head, curly hair, and signature "boop oop a doop" catchphrase, she's been iconic since her first cartoon appearance on this day in 1930. However, Betty Boop has a surprisingly dark past, fraught with racism, theft, and a long legal battle.  

Betty Boop was created by American animator Max Fleischer. She first appeared in the 1930 cartoon Dizzy Dishes, though in an unusual form. Believe it or not, Betty Boop was originally a floppy-eared, dog-nosed anthropomorphic poodle (probably so she would fit in with the other animal characters in Dizzy Dishes). Even in dog form, though, Betty Boop was instantly recognizable as a caricature of Jazz Age flapper performers—particularly one whom Fleischer himself would cite as inspiration: Helen Kane.  

Kane was an actress, singer, and stage performer who had risen to fame after scatting "boop oop a doop" during a performance of the song That's My Weakness Now at the Paramount Theater, in 1927. She soon began billing herself as "The boop-oop-a-doop Girl". In 1928, she sang I Wanna Be Loved by You in Oscar Hammerstein's musical comedy, Good Boy. The song would quickly become her signature number. By the time Betty Boop debuted in 1930, Kane was seemingly on top of the world. But the singer had a secret, which would only be revealed during an upcoming legal battle.  

As it turned out, Kane didn't appreciate that her likeness had been used to create Betty Boop. Some speculate that this could have been due to the risqué nature of many early Betty Boop cartoons. Whatever the specifics, Kane sued Fleischer and Paramount (who distributed his cartoons) for $250,000 in 1932. She alleged unfair competition and exploitation of her personality and image. Adjusted for inflation, Kane's lawsuit would be a $4.7 million dollar suit today.  

Kane came into the case with compelling evidence. She cited quotes from Grim Natwick, an animator who worked alongside Fleischer, about using Kane's photo as direct inspiration. She also pointed out that the women who voiced Betty Boop (Margie Hines, Mae Questel, Bonnie Poe, Kate Wright and Little Ann Little) were found in a Helen-Kane-Impersonator contest hosted by Paramount.  

Kane's case seemed airtight. However, Paramount had evidence of their own. Incredibly, they revealed in court that Kane herself was a thief! Her performance and singing style had been taken, at least partially, from a black performer called Baby Esther.  

As her stage name implied, Baby Esther was known for her "baby voice" singing style, which she developed while working as a child performer in Chicago. After moving to New York, she continued performing as a singer, actress, and acrobat until her teens, mostly in Harlem. Esther was particularly known for her habit of scatting "boo boo boo" and "doo doo doo" during her songs.  

Kane's court case saw testimony from Lou Walton, manager of the Cotton Club, where Esther often performed. He said that Kane and her manager had watched Baby Esther perform there in 1928, and had stolen Esther's act. A sound film of Esther's performance was even played in court as evidence. This was particularly damning, given that Kane had already played a recording of herself for comparison with Betty Boop. Because Esther had developed her style as a child performer, Kane couldn't argue that she'd come up with it first. The judge thus ruled in favor of Paramount.  

Despite her contentious past, Betty Boop had a much easier time outliving the Jazz Age than live performers, like Kane. Today, even those who have never seen a Betty Boop cartoon have almost certainly seen the character herself featured on merchandise from bumper stickers to clothing. Not only does Universal still feature Betty Boop stores at their theme parks, there is even an online Betty Boop superstore. This gal has some serious staying power!  

Below: Betty Boop's debut in Dizzy Dishes, plus photos of Baby Esther and Helen Kane, on whom Boop was based.
 

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

Splish, splash, SPLOSH! In 2011, 9,000 Kentucky University students gathered to pelt each other with 175,000 water balloons, but sadly, balloon-o-phile Edward Horsford missed out on the big one. The high-speed photographer specializes in suspending the gravity-defying moment when a water balloon's membrane retracts and releases its blobby bowels—but the secret to Horsford's photography technique lies not in H2O, but in lighting. For the photo above, he waited until nightfall before aiming two intersected lights over his hand, so even his fingers showed as no more than silhouettes. And as for the impeccable timing, Horsford set his camera for a one-to-two-second increment of exposure and rigged it to a microphone, so it flashed right as it detected the audio from the balloon's pop. But let's get to brass tacks: how does Horsford choose to gush his rubber globules? With the classic needle method, of course. Now that we think about it, maybe it's for the best that a needle-wielding, balloon-stabbing Horsford missed the Kentuckian balloon brawl after all!
 

Below: more of Horsford's unraveling balloons.
 

Image credit & copyright: Edward Horsford
 

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

Title: Horsefly
Artist: Masayoshi Matsumoto (b. 1990)
Created: 2017
Medium: rubber balloons
 

Masayoshi Matsumoto is in a league above your average birthday party clowns. The 29-year-old Japanese artist has the internet abuzz with his incredible balloon animal sculptures, including the intricate horsefly above. Everything from the fly's bulbous eyes, to its pointed antennae, to the symmetrical and bent legs, are created from balloons at varying degrees of inflation. Each creation is made up of dozens of balloons, which Matsumoto assembles without adhesives of any sort. Besides being able to create convincing textures, the artist has perfected the body position of his intricate sculptures, making them appear surprisingly lifelike. But they're not immune to the effects of time, and like all balloons, eventually deflate. For those aspiring to create these fleeting but awesome forms, the artist has posted several photo tutorials on his website (or you can learn the basics on Curious!). Given how fun and creative his creations are, we have a feeling Matsumoto's work will be blowing up soon.

 
Below: a couple more of Matsumoto's recent works.
 

 
Image credit & copyright: Masayoshi Matsumoto
 

Title: I See Red: Target
Artist: Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (b. 1940)
Created: 1992
Medium: mixed media on canvas
Dimensions: 134 x 42 in (340.4 x 106.7 cm)
Current location: National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
 

Last month the National Gallery of Art acquired its first work by a Native American Artist. I See Red: Target by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith is a mixed media painting that tells the tale of the objectification of Indigenous peoples in the U.S. The Salish and Kootenai Nations-artist created the work as part of a series commemorating the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas. It consists of two canvases covered in red and yellow paint, with comics featuring Native American stereotypes, a Washington Redskins flag, as well as a "Community Service and Interest Courses Workshop" flyer with a photo of several Indigenous peoples in regalia—signifying a "red face" tokenism masking itself as diversity. At the head of the work is a dart board with a crown, which both references Jasper Johns' Target, a work now displayed alongside Smith's in the National Gallery, and the shape of a feathered headdress. Of the acquisition, Smith remarked how surprising it was that no Native American art had made it to the National Gallery before, though it was great to break the "buckskin ceiling."

 

Image credit & copyright: National Gallery of Art