Remixing Digital Archives: The Victorian Meme Machine (IHR Digital History Seminar, 10 Nov 2015)

Remixing Digital Archives

The Victorian Meme MachineBob Nicholson // @DigiVictorian // #dhist

Funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation

Remixing Digital Archives

The Victorian Meme MachineBob Nicholson // @DigiVictorian // #dhist

The problem with Victorian jokes

Archival Remixing

Creative Remixing

The Victorian Meme Machine

We Are Not

Amused

“the most fitting place

for [this] book is in the

hands of the young

gentleman who has

undertaken to amuse an

assembled party brought

together […] for the

purpose of spending a

pleasant evening.”

- Morning Post, 5 Dec

1867.

… it has been the custom of

certain individuals frequently

encountered in society (who are

desirous of being called ‘droll

dogs,’ ‘smart fellows,’ ‘capital

company,’ ‘funny creatures,’

‘agreeable rattlers,’ ‘wags,’ and

similar appellations) to maintain

their reputations by pilfering the

jokes of other people, and thus

trade on false capital…

- Lancaster Gazette, 25 January 1845

Hugh Rowley, Puniana: or,

thoughts wise and other-wise,

(London, 1867), p. 157.

1875

• March 1859

• Told at Punch contributor’s dinner

• April 1859

• Reprinted in: North Wales Chronicle, Hampshire Advertiser, Family Herald, Leeds Times,

Manchester Times, Cheshire Observer, Leeds Intelligencer, Berrow’s Worcester Journal,

Westmorland Gazette, Berkshire Chronicle, Hereford Times, Belfast News-Letter.

• 1863

• Sherborne Mercury, Riddles and Jokes Collected by the Editor of Every Boy’s Magazine.

• 1867

• Puniana, Bedfordshire Times and Independent

• 1870

• Judy, Belfast News-Letter, Lancaster Gazette, Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper, Cardif and

Merthyr Guardian, Jackon’s Oxford Journal.

• The Huron Expositor, Hamilton Spectator

• 1885

• Australian Town and Country Journal

Dynamics of laughter

Access to popular attitudes/ideas

Language / Culture

Historical significance

Media Networks

Title

Issue

Headers

Article Text

KEYWORD

Search ‘why is Lord Overstone’

Article TextArticle TextArticle Text

Title

Issue

Headers

Article Text

KEYWORD

Search

Banking OR banker OR

money… etc.

Article TextArticle TextArticle Text

Finding jokes about bankers

Title

Issue

Headers

Article Text

KEYWORD

Search

Banking OR banker OR

money… etc.

Article TextArticle TextArticle Text

Finding jokes about bankers

Article title: ‘jokes’ OR ‘wit’

OR ‘humour’ OR ‘jests’

PoetryJokes Fiction

GossipChildrenLetters

RecipesReviews

Miscelleny / Human Interest

• SOURCE TYPE: Newspaper

• SOURCE TITLE: Lloyd’s Weekly News

• PUB. LOCATION: London

• PUB. DATE: 5 January 1896

• COLUMN TITLE: ‘American Jokes’

• JOKE TITLE: ‘A USEFUL PRESENT.’

• ATTRIBUTION: Puck

• AUTHOR: [--]

• JOKE FORMAT: Conversation

• JOKE SUBJECTS: Mother-in-Laws; Christmas

• NATIONALITY: American

• CHARACTERS: ‘Mrs Henry Peck’; ‘Mr

Henry Peck’; [Mrs Henry

Peck’s Mother / Mr Henry

Peck’s Mother-in-Law]

• JOKE LOCATIONs: [--]

Character One• Name: ‘Mrs. Henry Peck’

• Gender: Female

• Identity: Wife; Daughter

• Age: Adult

• Class: [--]

• Emotion: [--]

• Appearance: [--]

Character Two• Name: ‘Mr. Henry Peck’

• Gender: Male

• Identity: Husband; Son-in-Law

• Age: Adult

• Class: [--]

• Emotion: Anger

• Appearance: [--]

I don’t know what to buy mother for a Christmas present. Do you?

Yes! Buy her a travelling bag!

PoetryJokes Fiction

GossipChildrenLetters

RecipesReviews

Miscelleny / Human Interest

Jokes

Jokes

Remixing the Archive: Challenges

• Digitization

• Extraction from existing archives• Access / Copyright

• Data format

• Automatic or Manual?

Remixing the Archive: Challenges

• Digitization

• Extraction from existing archives• Access / Copyright

• Data format

• Automatic or Manual?

• Integration into new database• Data format

• Image Segmentation

Remixing the Archive: Challenges

• Digitization

• Extraction from existing archives• Access / Copyright

• Data format

• Automatic or Manual?

• Integration into new database• Data format

• Image Segmentation

• Meta-Data• OCR

• Annotations

lad.y Patieut 1to doctor, alout the rocentw-inter):'Achl .Doctor donr, ehure ttiiswoctlrer's killetl. oEruany a.li mo::y wlioneveldicd before.*]fooris}dne, .. .

FACT BrRoxaEn THAN-\Tiorr. · LlrisLLm Pltutieut (to.. Doctor). About the receptWWter) "Ach l Mctor" 'dear, '-Bhlue tMElweallier's kiuedl oE mnyan' mmy who Dev6tl'died before. Monshiw."

A Fact Stronger than Fiction.—Irish Lady Patient (to doctor, about the recent winter): Achl Doctor dear, shore tliisweather’s killed off many an’ many who never died before.—Moonshine, >• ■

Canon MP OCR Samsung Optical Reader ABBYY FineReader

OCR

A Useful* Present,—Mrs* Heart £ (whose mother has been visiting them for® four months): I don't know what to D mother for a Christmas present.

Do J0?. -# Mr. Henry Pecks Yes I Buy her a travel

bag!

ABBYY FineReader

OCR

• SOURCE TYPE: Newspaper

• SOURCE TITLE: Lloyd’s Weekly News

• PUB. LOCATION: London

• PUB. DATE: 5 January 1896

• COLUMN TITLE: ‘American Jokes’

• JOKE TITLE: ‘A USEFUL PRESENT.’

• ATTRIBUTION: Puck

• AUTHOR: [--]

• JOKE FORMAT: Conversation

• JOKE SUBJECTS: Mother-in-Laws; Christmas

• NATIONALITY: American

• CHARACTERS: ‘Mrs Henry Peck’; ‘Mr

Henry Peck’; [Mrs Henry

Peck’s Mother / Mr Henry

Peck’s Mother-in-Law]

• JOKE LOCATIONs: [--]

Character One• Name: ‘Mrs. Henry Peck’

• Gender: Female

• Identity: Wife; Daughter

• Age: Adult

• Class: [--]

• Emotion: [--]

Character Two• Name: ‘Mr. Henry Peck’

• Gender: Male

• Identity: Husband; Son-

in-Law

• Age: Adult

• Class: [--]

• Emotion: Anger

Crowdsourcing

Gamification / Reciprocal Impact

Remixing Digital Archives

The Victorian Meme MachineBob Nicholson // @DigiVictorian // #dhist

Archival Remixing

Creative Remixing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GRgj7Q5OM0

www.DigitalVictorianist.com

@DigiVictorian