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Miniature Spaces Carved Into Marble Posted: 30 May 2021 05:26 AM PDT British artist Matthew Simmonds carves miniature architectural models out of hunks of marble. Most of his models feature ancient ruins and older architectural styles, with grand archways, detailed ceilings, and some even come with mini-statues on display in their halls. Colossal has more details:  Within the spaces, Simmonds contrasts the rough, jagged edges of the stone with precise angles and detailed flourishes. "Drawing on the formal language and philosophy of architecture the work explores themes of positive and negative form, the significance of light and darkness, and the relationship between nature and human endeavor," he says ina statement. See more of the artist's carved interiors, which are often less than a foot wide, onhis site. Image credit: Matthew Simmonds via Colossal

Baby Farming, A Victorian Horror Story Posted: 29 May 2021 04:57 PM PDT There are many ways that the intersection of poverty and childcare end in tragedy. Before state-run orphanages and foster care, before licensed daycare centers, there were baby farms, a profit-making industry that preyed on poor mothers. In an era when the most prevalent form of contraception was abortion, for working-class Victorian women who found themselves unable to care for a child, a less dangerous alternative was to surrender their newborn or, "put them out to nurse" at baby farms for a small weekly fee. Most women who chose this route assumed that their child would be properly cared for and receive a wet nurse, attention, room and board at the very least. After all, as referenced heavily in the writings of Jane Austen, wealthier women were also known to put their infants in the care of wet nurses – women who were not the childrens' biological mothers, but who would breastfeed the children. The fictional character Grenouille of Perfume, as well as the titular character of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist were both residents of baby farms. Behind the scenes, there were plenty of practices that boosted profits, like taking in way too many babies and neglecting to feed them. But even worse was the trend to take a one-time fee from the relinquishing mother, which relieved the entrepreneur of the necessity of keeping the child alive at all. Read about the gruesome era of baby farms at Messy Messy Chic.

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