Flori Pierri
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flori-p.bsky.social
Flori Pierri
@flori-p.bsky.social
570 followers 420 following 340 posts
Associate curator of science and technology at the MIT Museum | historian of science | really likes armadillos | currently thinking about computer games | 🌈
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flori-p.bsky.social
In cataloging a collection (I'd say recent acquisition, but it came into the museum in 1996 🫠), I came across an witheringly devastating burn. "You may never have heard of his theory, but you certainly missed nothing."

mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...
June 27, 2025 at 4:28 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
“This should be a trigger warning— it’s a syllabus” 😂😂😂 @profnoctis.bsky.social at #PAXEast talks about his class Mythos to Logos, which uses Final Fantasy games to teach religious studies.
May 9, 2025 at 4:17 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
There’s some Market Basket product placement at #PaxEast 😂
May 8, 2025 at 4:09 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
I don’t think that it was curatorially necessary for me to be around for the mounting of the narwhal tusk, but it sure did make me happy!
A person wearing a brown dress, purple cardigan, and green boots standing next to a narwhal tusk mounted onto a black board.
April 3, 2025 at 4:02 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
This was a fun thing to see in the reference queue. What gets me is the 'sent from my iphone' at the end.

Our reference assistant is top notch and definitely not a grub. Be in touch if you want to license any of the MIT Museum's images for your next publication.

mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...
screenshot of a Hubspot request. Text reads "Spoken like a True Academic. / Absolutely Worthless Human Being. Not a DECISION MAKER. A GRUB eating the entrails out of the HOST. Sent from my iPhone"
March 28, 2025 at 8:33 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
And right next to them, two versions of the same 18th century ship, the Great Harry.
March 20, 2025 at 1:03 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
Are you heading to Boston for #RSA2025 and find yourself with some time to kill? We have no shortage of museums, but for something a little off the beaten track, you can visit these two delightful early modern whales, currently on display in "Moving Objects" at the MIT Museum in Cambridge.
Monochrome engraving depicting, in foreground, Jonah upon a shell-strewn beach after having been spat up by the whale, which is behind him, spouting. Jonah is bearded and almost nude, save for some drapery, and the whale has very large fish-like eyes. In the background, the scene of Jonah being thrown off the boat and the whale opening its mouth to receive him is depicted; further back, there is a coastal city with domes and arches. Text at bottom of page reads "152) Jonah cast over board / Jonah 1" An image of the whale spitting Jonah up onto a shell-covered beach. A sailing ship and a harbor city are visible in the background. The composition bears notable similarity to AF-JX-0209, but is not a direct copy, and the style is different. At the top of the page, in a heart-shape, the number "152" is printed. At the bottom right the engraver's name, P.P. Bouche, is given. Under the image is the following text: "Captaine John Bromhill of Black-wall in the Country of Middlesex Gent, For advancement of this Worke, Contributed this Plate."
March 20, 2025 at 12:59 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
“Utopia Ltd” poster, 1969.

From the tremendously good MIT Office of Design Services.
Blue poster with the words “Utopia Ltd” repeating along the top
March 20, 2025 at 2:56 AM
flori-p.bsky.social
He looks like the sweet buttercup we adopted from the streets of Baltimore. 10/10 recommend a Baltimore alley cat, even if she does keep rummaging in the trash.
March 20, 2025 at 2:46 AM
flori-p.bsky.social
Hello beautiful.

William Ware, Sketch of a capital, circa 1870.

mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...
Charcoal drawing of a column capital with leaf motifs; sketch on off-white paper. Initials 'WRW" rubbed into charcoal background.
March 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
I just love seeing what's going through the digitization pipeline, mostly for the sheer randomness of it all. Wedgewood plates! Brochures! Protests of the 2023 and the 1970 variety! Ship plans! and so much more!
screenshot of a digital asset management system showing a grid of recently uploaded photos.
March 4, 2025 at 11:06 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
I'm processing records of photographs taken at the MIT Radiation Laboratory during WWII, and this photo was titled "Dr. G. Goldman and his equipment. And I can't help but wonder... is the dude in the adult-sized crib part of the equipment?!?
Two men (one sitting and one standing) are looking several pieces of scientific equipment. To the right, an adult lies face down in what looks like a crib made out of wood and chicken wire.
February 7, 2025 at 9:04 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
How I want all of my emails to find me.
January 29, 2025 at 2:04 AM
flori-p.bsky.social
When I was still dissertating and a very heavy user of Google Books (and very occasional user of The Site Formerly Known as Bird), I'd post the accidental Google scan hands I came across. This one (from Thomas Beale's The natural history of the sperm whale) is the first one I've seen in a long time.
a hand wearing protective finger sheaths is turning a page. The page being turned is blurry.
January 27, 2025 at 1:25 AM
flori-p.bsky.social
Maybe next year I'll be a giant glass of coca cola or a can of Karo corn syrup.....

(MIT Museum, GCP-00067067 mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...)
a group of men standing in a line. All of the men are dressed in costume, and the costumes include a tin of Mazola oil, a box of corn starch, a can of Karo corn syrup, and a large glass labeled "Drink Coca-Cola"
January 10, 2025 at 3:46 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
A variety of snowflake forms, from Cornelis Gijsbertsz Zorgdrager's Alte und neue Grönländische Fischerei und Wallfischfang (1723)

Sheet from the MIT Museum, AF-ND-0738

mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...
An engraving that has been stylized to look like the figure is drawn on a piece of paper nailed to a board. The figure itself represents a variety of snowflake forms, labeled A-F and No.1 through No.6.
December 23, 2024 at 6:06 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
How do I become a member so I can hang out in this lounge for the Museum of Modern Art?

I.M. Pei, "Members Lounge for the Museum of Modern Art" (1940)

mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...
December 18, 2024 at 6:55 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
Along with a book that used to be in the Infocom library. If he gets around to returning it, I bet the fines are going to be astounding.
December 17, 2024 at 1:57 AM
flori-p.bsky.social
Today at work I picked up a donation of material from co-creator of Zork, Dave Lebling. He gave us his old Dungeons and Dragons books. 🐉🧌🪨🗿
December 17, 2024 at 1:53 AM
flori-p.bsky.social
Love is when someone checks out two volumes of The German Single Leaf Woodcut, 1600-1700 because your library doesn’t have a copy and you don’t want to wait for and interlibrary loan to check just a few things. 🥰🥰🥰
December 9, 2024 at 3:30 AM
flori-p.bsky.social
You've seen mermaid, but can I interest you in crustaceanman?
image of a beast with the foreparts of a horse and the tail of a sea monster next to a creature with the torso and head of a man and a lower body resembling a lobster
December 4, 2024 at 2:51 AM
flori-p.bsky.social
Another whale I'd like to pet! And this one is currently on display at the MIT Museum if you want to see it. No petting allowed. Sorry.

(MIT Museum, AF-JX-0957)
December 1, 2024 at 12:21 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
What a supremely silly whale. If I were Jonah, I'd just reach over and pet it.

(MIT Museum, AF-JX-0951)

mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...
December 1, 2024 at 12:16 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
Sorry early Christians, this is so #notawhale.

This image is from *De Roma Sotterranea* by Antoine Bosio and has engravings of panels found in early Christian cemeteries.

MIT Museum, AF-JI-0929

mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/...
This image depicts a monstrous creature at sea spitting up a male figure; the creature has a sea serpent's tail, a horse's abdomen and forelegs, a very thin and snakelike neck, and a porcine head. Pencilled note in right margin, beside it, reads "Jonah" .
November 26, 2024 at 10:14 PM
flori-p.bsky.social
Sperm whale with jaunty little man holding a ladder for scale.

(MIT Museum, AF-GA-1117)
Line drawing of a sperm whale and a person holding a latter near the whale's mouth. Text below reads 'sperm whale'
November 25, 2024 at 8:53 PM