Keep Romanticism Weird

Description: Counterfactual glam opera set in East Berlin where Patti Lupone plays a state-approved pop star, Mandy Patinkin is her subversive muralist lover, and Kevin Kline is the Stasi agent who wants her to betray him

Description: Eugène-François Vidocq, criminal turned the world's first detective

Description: Eugène-François Vidocq, criminal turned the world's first detective

Description: Michel Foucault as photographed by Elie Kagan confronting the police in 1972

Description: It's Jean Genet ("Saint Genet" is a reference to a book about him by Sartre)

Description: it's Roland Barthes

Description: Radical Member of the House of Commons and p. great it took me forever to make that ransom note text so I hope you enjoy it

Description: The Anglican priestly class was shockingly in favor of social and political inequality so the Chartists would sometimes stage sit-ins in churches Here is a late Victorian illustration depicting one such ca. 1839 protest, coupled with a pithy and historically accurate slogan

Description: William Lovett (1800-1877), the heart of the radical Chartist movement for workers' rights and universal suffrage

Description: Welsh Chartist put on trial for high treason after leading the 1839 Newport Rising. Together with William Jones and Zephaniah Smith he was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered but it was commuted to transportation instead. Got put on hard labor immediately because he would not stop criticizing corrupt politicians. Absolute BAMF

Description: Welsh Chartist put on trial for high treason after leading the 1839 Newport Rising. Together with William Jones and Zephaniah Smith he was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered but it was commuted to transportation instead. Got put on hard labor immediately because he would not stop criticizing corrupt politicians. Absolute BAMF

Description: Welsh Chartist put on trial for high treason after leading the 1839 Newport Rising. Together with William Jones and Zephaniah Smith he was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered but it was commuted to transportation instead. Got put on hard labor immediately because he would not stop criticizing corrupt politicians. Absolute BAMF

Description: Sir Anthony Panizzi, radical Italian political refugee and librarian badass. One man, 21 principles.

Description: Sir Anthony Panizzi, radical Italian political refugee and librarian badass. One man, 21 principles.

Description: In 1832, fifteen members of the Society of the Friends of the People, an underground Republican (i.e., anti-monarchist) organization were put on trial for being RAD AS HELL

Description: Legendary July Monarchy caricaturist who started the trend of drawing Louis-Philippe as a pear

Description: Legendary July Monarchy caricaturist who started the trend of drawing Louis-Philippe as a pear Larger text relative to the image.

Description: Director of immensely original para-noirs

Description: Pierre-François Lacenaire, poet and criminal. He wasn't very good at either poetry or crime but damned if he wasn't good at being a Romantic poet-criminal

Description: Pierre-François Lacenaire, poet and criminal. He wasn't very good at either poetry or crime but damned if he wasn't good at being a Romantic poet-criminal Image bigger relative to the text. Colors tweaked.

Description: The cover art for the rad debut album of a truly iconic French punk band. The graffiti is an easter egg!

Description: 1938 movie starring Lys Gauty (aka "Street Singer").

Description: Imagery from Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's 1964 absurdist class struggle musical.

Description: The cover of the original Broadway cast recording of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's 1964 absurdist class struggle musical.