The history of things
When the vacuum flask, the hand-held torch and stainless cutlery appeared, and how inventions from workshops and laboratories moved into ordinary homes.
the culture of ordinary things: a magazine about the history and design of everyday objects
Variety Store: the culture of ordinary things
We rarely notice the objects that surround us every day: the torch in a desk drawer, the flask on a top shelf, the suitcase behind the wardrobe, the spoon in the kitchen drawer. Yet each of these things has a biography of its own: an invention, a path into everyday life, changes of shape and material. Variety Store is an independent magazine that tells these biographies and helps you look at ordinary things more closely.
The most important things in a home are rarely on display. They simply work, until one day we stop to wonder where they came from.
Four ways into the magazine
Objects as symbols
Why a suitcase on screen instantly says journey and a lamp on a table says evening conversation, and how objects turn into signs.
Design and form
What familiar objects are made of, why they have the shape they do, and what changes when the engineer makes way for the designer.
Things and memory
A grandmother's sugar bowl, a father's toolbox, a travel bag covered in stickers: how family objects keep stories that nobody ever wrote down.
Magazine sections
- Articles
Six magazine topics, from the history of household things to collecting, plus a catalogue of articles written for English-language readers.
- History
A timeline of ordinary things: Dewar's vessel of 1892, the 1899 torch, stainless steel in 1913, the wheeled suitcase and blue LEDs.
- People
Inventors, designers, craftspeople, curators, restorers and collectors: the roles that together make up the culture of things.
- Collections
Three reading routes: light at home, things for the road and kitchen utensils.
- Events
Design exhibitions, flea markets, open workshops and museum lectures: the kinds of events there are and how to check a listing.
- Analysis
How a vacuum flask works, step by step, and how the materials of ordinary things behave over time.
- Archive
The magazine's contents and a note on the old addresses of this domain.
How to read an old object in five steps
Identify the material
Wood, tinplate, glass, steel or early plastic hint at the approximate period. Notice the weight, the sound it makes when tapped lightly and how the material responds to the warmth of your hand.
Work out how it was made
Even seams and identical parts point to factory production; hammer marks and uneven thickness suggest handwork. Casting, stamping and soldering each leave their own tell-tale signs.
Look for marks and inscriptions
Maker's marks, material stamps, numbers and dates usually hide on the base, on the handle or inside the lid. Write them down in full, even if their meaning is not yet clear.
Study the signs of use
Worn enamel, a darkened handle, a dent or a careful repair show how the object served: on camping trips, in the kitchen every day or only on special occasions.
Find out who it belonged to
Ask your relatives and look for the object in old family photographs. Sometimes a single caption on the back of a print turns a nameless thing into part of a family history.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a shop?
No. Variety Store is an independent magazine about the culture of everyday things. There is no basket, no product catalogue and no checkout, and the magazine has no connection with the former shop on this domain.
Can I buy the things you write about?
No, we sell nothing and take no orders. The objects in our articles are examples from the history of technology and everyday life, not offers for sale.
Can you recommend a brand or a particular model?
No. We do not compare manufacturers, publish rankings or advise on what to pick off the shelf. We are interested in how things work and how they have changed, not in which one to take home.
Where do your facts come from?
From open sources: encyclopaedias of the history of technology, patent specifications and official announcements such as Nobel Committee press releases. Sources are listed at the bottom of every page.
About the project
This domain used to host an online shop selling goods for the home and leisure. Its catalogue and product pages have not survived. The magazine has no connection with the shop and does not restore its content; the name simply came with the domain.
Variety Store writes about things as part of culture: the history of inventions and household habits, industrial design, how objects appear in film, photography and literature, repair, care and collecting. We rely on verified dates and do not write about living people.
Read next
- History
A timeline of ordinary things: Dewar's vessel of 1892, the 1899 torch, stainless steel in 1913, the wheeled suitcase and blue LEDs.
- Articles
Six magazine topics, from the history of household things to collecting, plus a catalogue of articles written for English-language readers.
- Analysis
How a vacuum flask works, step by step, and how the materials of ordinary things behave over time.
- Collections
Three reading routes: light at home, things for the road and kitchen utensils.
- Archive
The magazine's contents and a note on the old addresses of this domain.
Sources
- Nobel Committee: press release on the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics
- Patent offices: specifications of patents for household inventions
- Encyclopaedic sources on the history of technology and design
Dates of inventions and patents are taken from open historical and encyclopaedic sources. Exhibition, fair and museum lecture schedules change, so always check them with the organisers.