Accidental Mysteries

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Accidental Mysteries is an online curiosity shop of extraordinary things, mined from the depths of the online world and brought to you each week by John Foster, a writer, designer and longtime collector of self-taught art and vernacular photography. “I enjoy the search for incredible, obscure objects that challenge, delight and amuse my eye. More so, I enjoy sharing these discoveries with the diverse and informed readers of Design Observer.”

Editor's Note: All images are copyright of their original owners.

Posted in: Accidental Mysteries, Graphic Design, Technology

John Foster and his wife, Teenuh, have been longtime collectors of self-taught art and vernacular photography. Their collection of anonymous, found snapshots has toured the country for five years and has been featured in Harper’s, Newsweek Online and others.

More from John Foster

The Remarkable Mr. Deeds
Work from an anonymous artist who self-identified only as ‘a patient at the State Lunatic Asylum in Nevada, Missouri around 1905.’

Doug Rickard: N. A.
Headfirst into the underbelly

An Archive of Czech Film Posters
Real life #TBT: a publicly accessible database with over 6,000 original, vintage posters from all periods of cinema.

A Visual History of Lunchboxes
Back to school time with a visual history of lunchboxes.

Looking Down: An Interview with Photographer Bryon Darby
Photos of grids and airplanes.

Jobs | November 05