Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
History
July 12, 2021

Discover ‘Candle Clocks’: History’s Original Alarm Clocks Before Electricity

Today, candlelight is primarily used for romantic dinners or temporary solutions in power outages. Before electricity, however, the candle had diverse uses. Candles were a critical source of light, they could be affixed to chandeliers or carried around in convenient brass holders. And their wax could be used to seal correspondence for privacy or official approval.

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Art History
July 5, 2021

9 Pioneering European Women Painters Making History in the 18th and 19th Centuries

The 19th-century Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot once said, “I do not think any man would ever treat a woman as his equal, and it is all I ask because I know my worth.” Morisot, at times, expressed frustration that her painterly skills were described—in a condescending tone–as superficially light and feminine. A fixture of the Parisian art scene, Morisot was positioned for commercial and artistic success.

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History
July 1, 2021

Meet the Talented Brontë Sisters: Charlotte, Emily, and Anne

The book Wuthering Heights is a commonly read piece of literature in high school or college. In fact, the novel is one of the few works by female writers that is typically assigned in literature courses covering the canon of Western literature. To say the canonical works skew male is an understatement. However, three sisters in 19th-century England managed to bust their way into the male-dominated world of publishing.

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Travel
June 25, 2021

Get Close to Whales With Iceland’s First Quiet Electric Boat Tours

Whale watching can be a magical experience. There are few animal experiences which can match watching a whale breach or breeze by with a curious calf. However, whale watching boat tours—like many other activities—are not environmentally neutral. Standard fuel-based engines produce carbon dioxide emissions. The noise of these engines can also be disrupting to the local ecosystems, whales included. A family-owned Icelandic whale-watching company has the answer—silent electric boats.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.