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Thing4Things

Zara Anishanslin and Joanna Cohen 5 Episodes Jul 14, 2026

Thing4Things is a podcast that explores the hidden histories of everyday objects, from museum artifacts to heirlooms in your grandparents' house. Hosts Zara Anishanslin and Joanna Cohen examine how the material world we live in is shaped by the past, and how those connections influence our present. Each episode focuses on a single item, uncovering stories that challenge traditional historical narratives. The show invites listeners to see ordinary things in a new light by revealing their complex, often surprising pasts.

Episodes

BUTTON Jul 14, 2026 3115 The Expert Guest for "BUTTON" was TK SmithThe smallest thing we've looked at so far this season has a big story to tell. Little enough to fit in the palm of your hand, it transports us from Caribbean battlefields to a prison in France. Along the way, it tells us about the enduring power of portraits--especially for Black revolutionaries like the one who allegedly wore this BUTTON. TK Smith is an a

CAP Jul 3, 2025 1418 Everywhere but their heads. Our fourth episode follows the travels of a cap that won't stay put.The expert guest for “CAP” was Paul Ramirez Jonas.Paul Ramírez Jonas is an artist in the public realm and Professor and Art Department Chair, at the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University. Paul Ramírez Jonas was born in Pomona, California in 1965 and raised in Honduras. Educate

SHIRT Jun 26, 2025 1708 A fringed shirt is not all it seems in our third episode.The expert guest for “SHIRT” was Amanda Vickery.Amanda Vickery is a Professor in Early Modern History at Queen Mary University of London. Her expansive research interests include: the history of British society and culture, gender and family, words and objects, love and power, consumerism and fashion, art and architecture, The Georgians, and

MONUMENT Jun 19, 2025 2260 The strange tale of a tail leads us into the history and art behind the revolutionary toppling of a king.The expert guest for “MONUMENT” was Wendy Bellion.Bellion is Associate Dean for the Humanities and the Sewell C. Biggs Chair in American Art History at the University of Delaware. Bellion's scholarship takes an interdisciplinary approach to American visual and material culture, focusing on the

KEY Jun 12, 2025 2055 The key to the most hated prison fortress in France unlocks the secrets to not one but two revolutionsThe expert guest for “KEY” was Adam Erby.Adam Erby is a Curator at George Washington’s Mount Vernon who is a specialist in furniture and historic interiors. Erby, who was born and raised in south central Virginia among a family of antiques experts, holds degrees from the University of Virginia a

Thing4Things

Episodes

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