Podcast
My Victorian Nightmare
Here you’ll find mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian Era. For ad-free listening, witchy content, Victorian True Crime Extras and Dark Poetry, join The Patreon!
And check out my new podcast series, The Death of Edgar Allan Poe!
- History chart
- #90
- Episodes
- 126
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 42 min
- On air since
- 2024
- Latest episode
- 1 day ago
Episodes
126 episodes, newest first
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42 min
Ep. 119 - The Georgia Murderess
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the most insane true crime story from the Victorian era – that you never heard of. This is the murder and trial of the Georgia Murderess, Kate Southern.
Thank you to today’s sponsor!
Try skincare from Alloy. Visit https://www.myalloy.com/ and use code VICTORIAN for 20% off your first order!
Subscribe to the Patreon for ad-free listening!
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe Collection
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
Today's Instagram Post
Help yourself to MVN merch!
Genevieve’s book, Where to Begin – Eclectic Witchcraft for Beginners
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42 min
Ep. 118 - The Vampire Panic of Highgate Cemetery & Victorian Devil Sightings
Show notes
Thank you to today’s sponsor!
Spoiler: you can feel amazing in menopause. Visit https://myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for 20% off your first order!
Subscribe to the Patreon for ad-free listening!
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe Collection
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
Today's Instagram Post
My Halloween Party Playlist
Help yourself to MVN merch!
Genevieve’s book, Where to Begin – Eclectic Witchcraft for Beginners
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28 min
Introducing | The Death of Edgar Allan Poe
Show notes
This is the first episode of The Death of Edgar Allan Poe.
You can find all episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and ad-free on Patreon.
This is a chilling five-part narrative podcast, written and narrated by My Victorian Nightmare’s Genevieve Manion and starring multiple award winning voice actor, MacLeod Andrews. The series follows Poe through his turbulent life and career as he is relentlessly haunted by the spirits of the dead—victims who demand that he write their stories.
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44 min
Ep. 117 - A Victorian Witch Killing & The History of Witch Hunting
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will share the history of witch hunting in England, and the murder case of a man in Victorian England suspected of witchcraft. The disturbing murder of Old Dummy in 1863.
Thank you to today’s sponsor!
Try skincare from Alloy. Visit https://www.myalloy.com/ and use code VICTORIAN for 20% off your first order!
Subscribe to the Patreon for ad-free listening!
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe Collection
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
My Halloween Party Playlist
Help yourself to MVN merch!
Genevieve’s book, Where to Begin – Eclectic Witchcraft for Beginners
-
43 min
Ep. 116 - Scientifically Studied Victorian Ghost Stories
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will share a number of Victorian ghost encounters recorded by The Society for Psychical Research: the ghostly women in black, mysterious reflections of deceased fathers, smiling dead sisters at the foot of the bed and much, much more.
Thank you to today’s sponsors!
Alloy is the only menopause platform with a scalp-to-lash hair care solution. Visit https://myalloy.com/ and use code VICTORIAN for 20% off your first order!
AquaOmega: One of the highest-dose omega-3 supplements per serving, no fish burps, and for every bottle sold, removes 1 lb. of plastic and debris from the ocean and coastlines. Use code VICTORIAN for 20% off at https://myaquaomega.com/victorian.
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe onSpotifyand Apple Podcasts
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe Collection
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
Subscribe to the Patreon for ad-free listening!
Help yourself to MVN merch!
Genevieve’s book, Where to Begin – Eclectic Witchcraft for Beginners
References:
https://iapsop.com/archive/materials/spr_proceedings/
https://www.spr.ac.uk/node/6070
https://thescolefiles.blogspot.com/p/the-society-for-psychical-research-spr.html
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46 min
Ep. 115 - Lizzie Borden: Monster or Maligned?
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the facts of the Lizzie Borden axe murder case — what we know to be true, what the Netflix series Monster got wrong, what it got right, and exactly why this particular axe murder case, versus so many others, caught fire when it did.
Thank you to today’s sponsors!
AquaOmega: One of the highest-dose omega-3 supplements per serving, no fish burps, and for every bottle sold, removes 1 lb. of plastic and debris from the ocean and coastlines. Use code VICTORIAN for 20% off at https://myaquaomega.com/Victorian.
Alloy is the only menopause platform with a scalp-to-lash hair care solution. Visit myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for 20% off your first order!
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe Collection
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
Subscribe to the Patreon for ad-free listening!
Help yourself to MVN merch!
Genevieve’s book, Where to Begin – Eclectic Witchcraft for Beginners
Today’s Instagram Post
References:
https://crimearchives.net/1893_borden/html/1892-08-11_borden_news_new-york-times.htm
https://lizzieandrewborden.com/hatchetonline/ones-idea-of-cordiality-lizzie-borden-on-the-stand
https://crimearchives.net/1893_borden/html/1893-06-07_borden_trial_testimony_sullivan.html
https://people.com/andrew-abby-borden-murder-suspects-12145774
https://www.biography.com/crime/a69168135/was-aileen-wuornos-the-first-female-serial-killer
https://time.com/7329607/aileen-wuornos-netflix-documentary
https://www.biography.com/crime/a71038230/lizzie-borden-isolated-life-after-murder-trial
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizzie_Borden
https://newengland.com/yankee/history/long-silence-lizzie-borden
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44 min
Ep. 114 - The Souls Behind the Stones
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the sudden deaths, shattered dreams, haunting tales, gothic obsessions, mysteries and answers – the true stories behind 3 of the most intriguing graves in Greenwood, Evergreen and Père Lachaise cemeteries. The Graves of Charlotte Canda, George Rodenbach and “Midnight Mary,” Mary E. Hart.
Thank you to today’s sponsor!
Alloy is the only menopause platform with a scalp-to-lash hair care solution. Visit https://myalloy.com/ and use code VICTORIAN for 20% off your first order!
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe onSpotifyand Apple Podcasts
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe Collection
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
Subscribe to the Patreon for ad-free listening!
Help yourself to MVN merch!
Genevieve’s book, Where to Begin – Eclectic Witchcraft for Beginners
Today’s Instagram Post
References:
https://boroughsofthedead.com/charlotte/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Canda
https://differentvisions.org/the-grave-of-the-rose/
https://www.rem.routledge.com/articles/rodenbach-georges-1855-1898
https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/litterature/Georges_Rodenbach/176547
https://www.popmatters.com/109498-loren-connors-the-curse-of-midnight-mary-2496066706.html
https://campuspress.yale.edu/yaleinscriptions/2024/11/10/midnight-mary
https://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-ghost-of-midnight-mary.html
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46 min
Ep. 113 - The True Inspirations Behind Dracula & The Film’s Iconic Costumes
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will do a deep dive into Bram Stoker’s notes, interviews and musings about the inspiration behind his vampiric creation, Dracula, and then she will discuss the inspiration behind some of the most iconic costume designs in film history: Eiko Ishioka’s richly inspired, deeply symbolic costumes for Francis Ford Coppola’s film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Thank you to today’s sponsor!
Try the original M4 skincare from Alloy. Visit https://myalloy.com/ and use code VICTORIAN for 20% off your first order!
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe Patreon Collection
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
Subscribe to the Patreon or ad-free listening!
Help yourself to MVN Merch!
Genevieve’s book, Where to Begin – Eclectic Witchcraft for Beginners
Today’s Instagram Post
References:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/last-voyage-of-the-demeter-dracula-dmitry
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36394788/
https://www.supernaturalstudies.com/previous-journal-issues/vol-7-issue-1/cade
https://archive.org/details/bramstokersnotes0000stok
https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/en/exhibitions/eiko-ishioka/
https://www.gothickeatspress.com/dracula-essays/eiko-ishiokas-costume-design
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49 min
Ep. 112 - Damnit, Mary Ann Cotton!
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will bring us back to the murder scenes, the time-slips, the haunted lunatic asylums and hotels of past episodes, and share the back stories to their creations.
Thank you to today’s sponsors!
Spoiler: you can feel amazing in menopause. Visit https://myalloy.com/ and use code VICTORIAN for 20% off your first order!
AquaOmega: One of the highest-dose omega-3 supplements per serving, no fish burps, and for every bottle sold, removes 1 lb. of plastic and debris from the ocean and coastlines. Use code VICTORIAN for 20% off at myaquaomega.com/VICTORIAN.
The Death of Edgar Allan Poe Collection
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening!
Help yourself to MVN merch!
Genevieve’s book, Where to Begin – Eclectic Witchcraft for Beginners
-
45 min
Ep. 111 - The Tragically HAUNTED History of the Kreischer Family
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the tragic history of the Kreischer family, the many deaths, mob murders and truly creepy hauntings of the Kreischer family mansion that still stands to this very day. She will also discuss the recent discovery of a body that received a vampire burial in the 16th century and what other “deviant” and “anti-revenant” burial practices entailed.
Thank you to today’s sponsors!
AquaOmega: One of the highest-dose omega-3 supplements per serving, no fish burps, and for every bottle sold, removes 1 lb. of plastic and debris from the ocean and coastlines. Use code VICTORIAN for 20% off at myaquaomega.com/VICTORIAN.
Alloy is the only menopause platform with a scalp-to-lash hair care solution. Visit myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for 20% off your first order!
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening!
Help Yourself to MVN Merch!
Genevieve’s book, Where to Begin – Eclectic Witchcraft for Beginners
Today’s Instagram Post
References:
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/21/science/vampire-burial-young-woman-poland
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7458347
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_burial
https://nyghosts.com/the-kreischer-house/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kreischer_House
https://www.storiesofthesupernatural.info/kreischermansion.html
https://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2025/11/hgb-ep-613-kreischer-mansion.html
https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nye/pr/2008/2008oct27.html
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42 min
Ep. 110 - Cannibal Cats and Ghosts with Guns
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will dive back into the Illustrated Police News, The 19th century’s worst newspaper. She will discuss horrifying murder attempts with hot pokers, deadly champagne suppers, the science of decapitation, men falling dead at funerals, ghosts with guns, cannibal cats and much, much more.
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Today’s Instagram Post
References:
“The Science of Decapitation” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872.
“What Befel a New York Swell Who Persisted in Laughing at a “Dolly Varden” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872.
“A Woman in New York Thrusts a Red Hot Iron down Her Husband’s Throat” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872.
“Sewed in a Sheet—An Injured Wife’s Revenge on an Indolent Husband at Louisville, Ky.” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872.
“A CORPSE AT THE FOOT OF THE STAIRS” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872.
“How They Drink in England” – The Illustrated Police News, May 7th, 1872.
“CURIOUS CASUALTIES” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879.
“Cremated Alive—The Fatal Sequel of a Champagne Supper—Terrible Revenge of a Harlot” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879.
“A Live Turkey Loose in a Drug Store” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879.
“Crazed by the Blow of an Icicle—Remarkable Accident to an English Tourist Behind the Cataract of Niagara” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879.
“A STRANGE SUICIDE”– The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879.
“Cannibal Cats—How They Feasted Off the Corpse of a Dead Man” – The Illustrated Police News, Jan. 4th, 1879.
“A Ghost With a Revolver” – The Illustrated Police News, Oct. 10th, 1885.
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43 min
Ep. 109 - The Fascinating Funeral Industry of the 19th Century
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the funeral industry of the 19th century and a few of her favorite death-centered professions that are no longer in high demand today, but were positively fascinating: funeral cookie bakers, corpse-watchers, mutes and professional mourners.
Thank you to today’s sponsor, Alloy!
Try the original estrogen-powered M4 skincare from Alloy. Visit https://www.myalloy.com and use code VICTORIAN for $20 off your first order!
Subscribeto the Newsletter!
Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening!
Help Yourself to MVN Merch!
Today’s Instagram Post
My Problematic Award-Winning Video
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin-eater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleventh_edition_of_the_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica
https://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/england/englishness-funeral-food.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_biscuit
https://www.victorianlondon.org/death/characteroffunerals.htm
https://austins.co.uk/blog/the-history-of-the-victorian-mute/
https://thevictorianbookofthedead.wordpress.com/tag/professional-mourners
https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/alma%3A99127049613408651
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15792/pg15792-images.html
https://thevictorianbookofthedead.wordpress.com/category/buried-alive/
“Prematurely Buried” - Kilmore Free Press, Jan. 18th 1883.
“Narrowly Escaped Burial Alive” - The Clinton Independent, Thursday Feb. 18th, 1892.
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41 min
Ep. 108 - Haunted Underground Stations & Unusual Death Omens
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss verifiable accounts of tragedies that many believe explain the hauntings of 2 London Underground stations: Bank and Farringdon. She will also discuss a few unusual omens that Victorians believed predicted certain doom.
Thank you to today’s sponsor!
Subscribe to the Newsletter!
Subscribe to the Patreon free trial for ad-free listening!
Help Yourself to MVN merch!
Today’s Instagram Post
References:
https://www.davidcastleton.net/london-underground-haunted-stations-ghosts-tube/
https://freetoursbyfoot.com/ghosts-london-underground-stations/
https://www.paranormaldatabase.com/reports/underground.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground
https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-crime-and-execution-of-the-metyards-70c6824bae
https://www.executedtoday.com/2015/07/19/1762-sarah-metyard-and-sally-metyard-mother-and-daughter/
https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2023/04/03/sarah-whitehead-the-bank-nun-ghost/
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42 min
Ep. 107 - The TRAGIC Paris Charity Bazaar Fire of 1897
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the Paris Charity Bazaar fire of 1897: how an event devoted to gaiety, high society socializing and generosity became one of the deadliest fire tragedies in French history.
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The Burglar Bitten by a Skeleton Tote
Today’s Instagram Post
References:
https://www.geriwalton.com/the-tragic-1897-charity-bazaar-fire-or-the-bazar-de-la-charite-in-paris/
https://www.broadhistory.com/the-fire-that-started-a-victorian-gender-war/
https://education.persee.fr/doc/magen_1257-5593_1897_num_64_33_31454
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazar_de_la_Charit%C3%A9
https://doctorfire.com/pages/Paris_fire.pdf
https://parishistoryofourstreets.com/2021/04/29/the-bazaar-de-la-charite-disaster-part-one/
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48 min
Ep. 106 - The Lincoln Assassination & Its HORRIFIC Aftermath
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the shocking, little-known disasters and tragedies that began to unfold even before the smoke had cleared: the psychological unraveling of Mary Todd Lincoln, The Ford Theater collapse of 1893, the unthinkable murder/attempted suicide of the Rathbones and the numerous hauntings of the Ford Theater that still linger to this very day.
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Today’s Instagram Post
References:
https://ghostcitytours.com/washington-dc/haunted-washington-dc/fords-theatre/
https://dcghosts.com/fords-theatre/
https://www.nps.gov/foth/learn/historyculture/the-collapse-of-ford-s-theatre.htm
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/06/07/henry-reed-rathbone/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wilkes_Booth
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/abraham-lincoln-funeral
https://fords.org/an-african-american-hero-emerges-from-the-tragic-fords-theatre-collapse-of-1893/
https://msmagazine.com/2012/12/05/mary-todd-lincoln-a-lunatic-or-just-grieving/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Todd_Lincoln
The_assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln_%28IA_assassxxxxxx00linc%29.pdf
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42 min
Ep. 105 - The NOTORIOUS Case of Dr. Crippen
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the murder case of Dr. Hawley Crippen: one of the most sensational murder cases in English history. We’ll discuss The glitz and glamour, the torrid affairs, the astounding escape attempt by sea, and the modern scientific discoveries that have raised serious concerns that maybe, they got the wrong guy.
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Today’s Instagram Post
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawley_Harvey_Crippen
https://prashganendran.com/the-notorious-dr-crippen-and-the-hilldrop-crescent-murder/
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-10802059
https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/the-notorious-case-of-dr-crippen/
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42 min
Ep. 104 - Haunted Theaters and Their Tragic Histories
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss two Victorian theater tragedies, the lives and deaths of illusionist Sigmund Neuberger, otherwise known as the Great Lafayette, and actor William Terriss, as well as their alleged hauntings of the theaters where they met their tragic ends; The Adelphi Theater in London, and the Festival Theater in Edinburgh.
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Today’s Instagram post
References:
https://thelittlehouseofhorrors.com/the-great-lafayette/
https://folkhorrorrevival.com/2017/01/08/the-great-lafayette
https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/explore-the-uks-most-haunted-theatres-with-ghost-stories_1661281/
https://sancass.medium.com/the-man-who-had-two-funerals-bf740ad6a0fe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Neuberger
https://www.victorianvoices.net/ARTICLES/STRAND/1893B/S1893B-DogCemetery.pdf
“Lafayette’s Funeral - Great Gathering in Edinburgh” - Liverpool Daily Post, May 15th, 1911.
https://london-beyond-time-and-place.com/william-terriss-the-ghost-of-a-murdered-actor/
https://bowstreetmuseum.org.uk/adelphi-murder/
https://www.thomaswhodgkinson.com/features/hello/
https://www.haunted-britain.com/the-ghost-of-william-terriss.htm
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39 min
Ep. 103 - MASSACRE on the Mary Russell
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss one the 19th century’s most shocking maritime murder cases, the massacre on the Mary Russell in 1828: a story of the slow unraveling of a captain’s sanity, bloodshed, and survival against all odds on the open seas.
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Today’s Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaoAJhTDzc7/?img_index=1
References:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/crime/mary-russell-19th-century-massacre-legal-case
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Russell_murders
https://historyireland.com/forced-from-this-world-massacre-on-the-mary-russell/
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41 min
Ep. 102 - Metallic Immortality: Cast Iron Coffins & Electroplating The Dead
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the cast iron Fisk coffins of the mid-19th century, and the shockingly bizarre and disturbing proposals to electroplate dead bodies so that they may become golden, silver, brass or bronze statues that you could keep in your home forever.
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Today’s Instagram post
References:
https://katieisms.substack.com/p/the-true-history-behind-the-stunning-coffins-in-frankenstein
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morbid-monday-fisk-mummy-case
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroplating
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morbid-monday-electroplating-corpses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Holmes_(mortician)
https://mthistoryrevealed.blogspot.com/2013/10/polishing-mothers-silverand-mother-too.html?m=1
“Explosion of a Metallic Coffin” - The New York Times, Nov. 6th, 1858.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-the-quest-to-preserve-lenins-body-helps-the-living
https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/survival-of-rare-anglo-saxon-coffins/
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45 min
Ep. 101 - The DARK History Behind the 19th Century’s Most Haunting Paintings
Show notes
In this episode, Genevieve will discuss the dark histories and meanings behind three 19th century masterpieces: Edvard Munch’s electrifying “The Scream,” Théodore Géricault’s devastating “Raft of the Medusa,” and John William Waterhouse’s haunting Pre-Raphaelite work, “The Lady of Shalott.”
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Today’s Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaEAk2sDygf/?img_index=8
References:
https://www.artandobject.com/news/horrifying-history-behind-raft-medusa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raft_of_the_Medusa
https://smarthistory.org/theodore-gericault-raft-of-the-medusa/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream
https://smarthistory.org/munch-the-scream/
https://chatgpt.com/c/6a3ae6cc-3698-83ea-b510-7f8e7c458bfd
https://mydailyartdisplay.uk/2019/06/06/john-william-waterhouse-part-2/
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