M.J. Rose

Oddly beautiful, beautifully odd, and just plain ODD.

Photographing the Real Bodies of Incorrupt Saints

(from Atlas Obscura)

“The Italian nun grimaced at my camera, reviewing the photo that she had just snapped of me. We had to take another, she explained. The shriveled corpse to my left was beautiful. My face had room for improvement.

So it goes in the world of the incorrupt, a group of saints whose bodies supposedly won’t decompose. This particular corpse belonged to St. Paula Frassinetti, displayed at the Convent of St. Dorotea in Rome. In the popular imagination, they’re like sleeping beauties, but Paula, who’s been dead for 133 years, is shriveled and brown inside her crystal casket. This paradox is what makes the incorrupt fascinating…”

For much more, click here. Lots of photos.

Grange Farm, located in the heart of England, was the home of Jack and Audrey for 70 years…

The Contents Of This Home Have Been Untouched Since The 1940s. This Goes Beyond Fascinating

By Houston Barber

“Have you ever loved a place so much you wished you would never leave? What if you not only never left, but also kept everything in the same place for your entire life? That’s exactly what brother and sister combo Jack and Audrey Newton did for 70 years until their recent death. The siblings stayed in their childhood home since the early 1940s, never getting married and refusing all technological advancements.

Their lifestyle was mostly a mystery until the house was set up for auction after the death of its elderly residents. More than 500 items, trapped in time, were discovered inside…”

For the rest, a video, and many, many photos, click here.

This makes us think how fun it would be to make snow globes with scenes from our favorite novels. Any creatives out there up to the task?

Snow globes filled with sinister scenes of people in peril

(Dangerous Minds)

Artists Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz have been collaborating for the past 22 years. During half of that time, between the years 2001 and 2013, they created a series of snow globes called “Travelers.”

Martin and Muñoz’s snow globes feature unusual and rather sinister scenes of tiny people in peril amid a snowy environment. Instead of the standard corny images of local attractions inside globes that you find at the airport, the contents of Martin and Muñoz’s snow globes are reminiscent of nightmares that were conjured up by an overactive, anxiety-riddled mind. Martin and Muñoz only made 250 of their terrifying snow globes which when they were made available for sale, sold for $750 a piece. Much of Martin and Muñoz incredible work is featured in a book they published back in 2008 called, “Travelers.” When it comes to the snow globes themselves, after a rather exhaustive search of various auction sites, I was unable to locate any available for purchase. To remedy that, I’ve included images of the more sinister snow globes from the “Travelers” series for your enjoyment. Sweet dreams!…”

For the entire gallery, click here.