CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly, a “monk for the modern age” by George Parker, and “a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure” by Clint Marsh. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.
You've heard of "forced perspective," but we call this unusual effect "horsed perspective." From Across France in a Caravan by George Nugent Bankes, 1892.
This image inspired an additional caption: "Back in my day, even taking a break was miles away." From Through Connemara in a Governess Cart by Edith Somerville, 1893.
I wonder if this 1889 drawing of a daredevil girl on a horse (made from both bottle corks and burnt matches) was an early attempt to educate children on the dangers of smoking and drinking.