The Poison Fiend

That is one whacked out Death, and I especially like the pitchforks at the bottom. Lydia Sherman, not someone you would have wanted to marry.

Philadelphia - 1873 - The National Library of Medicine

Christmas card

Frankly, this guy is kind of a dick.

1930s - @ The San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

deeper water than they cared to encounter

A LARGE SHARK CAPTURED A large shark has been prowling about the lower harbour for some time past, and up to Tuesday night evaded all efforts of the fishermen to take it. However at nightfall on Tuesday, Mr John Noble, a well known lower harbour fisherman was returning home, he was informed that the monster, some 18 ft long, was in the vicinity of Mr W. Innes's fishery. Mr Noble who has previously taken several sharks in the Port Chalmers waters, at once manned his boat and sent in persuit, succeeding, after a hard contest, in harpooning the creature off the George street wharf. The fish was then towed around to Tunnage's fishery to be hauled up. Here what might have been a very serious accident occurred, for a number of young and old of both sexes desirous of seeing the shark made their way round to Mr Tunnage's fishery and took up a position on the landing-stage designed for the reception of the fish. In all, the unexpected visitors must have been between 30 and 40. The landing stage (only intended to support the weight of the fish) proved unable to support the weight and it sank, taking its occupants into deeper water than they cared to encounter. One young lady, seeing the stage was sinking, very pluckily held on to a wire rope stretched above her head, and succeeded in sustaining herself and two friends. Some few bruises were sustained by some of the young people on the stage, but eventually everyone was landed.

Port Chalmers, Otago, NZ - 1901 - Natural Library NZ on the Commons

Addams Family Mansion

So much dusty rose. Who would have guessed?

0001 Cemetery Lane - 1965 - @ Monster Army, seen at Nag on the Lake

Private Slaughterhouse

I feel like this is the single most straightforward business card I have ever seen. Need a butcher? Here. Butchers.

Montreal, Canada - 1906 - @ Andre Vandal

Bal de l'Internat 1912

The dog carrying the arm is the perfect grace note. Where did I leave my time machine?

France - 1912 - @ Kinky Delight

Murder Scene and Death Auto

At what point did the practical and the beautiful diverge?

Los Angeles, CA - 1928 - Lieut. Edwin L. Berger, posing - @ Skyscraper Page

Useful

Sometimes nothing I could say would best the facts: "Meet Mrs. Josephine Smith, aged 84, whose hobby is digging graves."

Drouin, Australia
1944, photographer Jim Fitzpatrick
@ National Library of Australia Commons

danger zone

Just so you get the scope here, those guys are about 6 and a half miles from the explosion. Still, I have to believe that ain't safe. 

Nevada Proving Grounds

1953

from OSUL

I was not prepared for a shark.

Wait a cotton pickin minute, what happened to that shark's teeth? And why is it still terrifying?

Vancouver, Canada

from The Dependent Magazine

discovery of fossils

Well now what the hell am I supposed to do with them?

Dinosaur National Park

1923

from The Smithsonian

a little late

The dog sees right through it.

no information available

from Found Films

Married By Satan

Russian artwork is something else. This is amazing and horrible. Oh, the glaring eyes!

Russian Movie Poster

1917

from Wrong Side of the Art

Skeleton

And the skeleton, ever the frail and solelmn philosopher, hung quietly inside, saying not a word, suspended like a delicate insect within a chrysalis, waiting and waiting. 

This illustration scared me as a kid, but not as much as the story itself. 

October Country by Ray Bradbury 

1955, illustrator Joe Mugnaini 

from and everything else too

invisible PLAGUE GERMS

I can picture someone designing this flier. "What's scary? Bombs. No, that's not enough. INVISIBLE PLAGUE GERMS!" Look, I've been bombed in Tallahassee plenty of times - it's not that bad.

Tallahassee, Florida

1954

from Florida Memory

She Wasn't Ready for Death

I love this! Look at those hands, and her hair and her cleavage. I even kind of love the blinds in the window behind her.

The Old Battle Ax

1943, artist Rudolph Belarski

from x-ray delta one's flickr stream

History of Science Fiction

I don't usually choose to feature stuff that's making the rounds, but this is so beautiful that I honestly couldn't help it. If blogger doesn't want to host the full size of this one and you can't make it large enough to see all the details, go to Ward's site, below, and enlarge it there. 

Artist Ward Shelley

seen at Virtual Futures 2.0

Abe and Marilyn

This one shot encapsulates everything that is great about America.

Hollywood, California

1950s, photographer Milton Greene

from John McNab's flickr stream

Depression Era Shark and Octopus Death Battle

I call shenanigans.

Modern Mechanix Magazine

1933

from Modern Mechanix Blog

Coal Tar Oils

I may play with printing this on a shirt. I love the style. I love the typography. I love the little skull and crossbones.

Classified Ad

from HA! Designs