Frances Bell
@franrbell.bsky.social
VAP in History at Bates College; W&M and Woodson Institute alum. Researching mobility, the Haitian revolutionary diaspora, and freedom-seeking in the early United States. Handy with a knitting needle, happy on a bicycle. She/her.
Hey, at least I opened the laptop. That counts for something, right?
September 13, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Hey, at least I opened the laptop. That counts for something, right?
A short break in your regular programming: we got married! 🎊🎊
August 20, 2025 at 1:45 AM
A short break in your regular programming: we got married! 🎊🎊
Just took a couple of exciting book proposal steps(!), so we're in the garden to decompress. The bee balm living up to its name!
July 29, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Just took a couple of exciting book proposal steps(!), so we're in the garden to decompress. The bee balm living up to its name!
NYC looking hazy today. Take care of your lungs, folks!
July 26, 2025 at 7:22 PM
NYC looking hazy today. Take care of your lungs, folks!
I walked past this shark today!
.
If you see this, post a shark that isn't from Jaws.
.
If you see this, post a shark that isn't from Jaws.
July 11, 2025 at 12:44 AM
I walked past this shark today!
.
If you see this, post a shark that isn't from Jaws.
.
If you see this, post a shark that isn't from Jaws.
A very lovely letter to Pierre Toussaint from a friend in Baltimore, c. 1820:
"[In your last letter] you told me you believed I had forgotten my old hairdresser. It is true that since I no longer have the pleasure of having my hair done by your hands I have found it necessary to do myself, and...
"[In your last letter] you told me you believed I had forgotten my old hairdresser. It is true that since I no longer have the pleasure of having my hair done by your hands I have found it necessary to do myself, and...
July 8, 2025 at 5:37 PM
A very lovely letter to Pierre Toussaint from a friend in Baltimore, c. 1820:
"[In your last letter] you told me you believed I had forgotten my old hairdresser. It is true that since I no longer have the pleasure of having my hair done by your hands I have found it necessary to do myself, and...
"[In your last letter] you told me you believed I had forgotten my old hairdresser. It is true that since I no longer have the pleasure of having my hair done by your hands I have found it necessary to do myself, and...
Way to find out we have a groundhog.
July 6, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Way to find out we have a groundhog.
One of the perks of teaching at a small, creative liberal arts college: sometimes, mysterious oyster shell labyrinths appear on campus.
May 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
One of the perks of teaching at a small, creative liberal arts college: sometimes, mysterious oyster shell labyrinths appear on campus.
Heard y'all like kittens
April 17, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Heard y'all like kittens
name a film that takes place where you're from
April 16, 2025 at 6:53 PM
name a film that takes place where you're from
Thavolia Glymph's 2013 article "Rose's War and the Gendered Politics of a Slave Insurgency" is an excellent companion read to Du Bois - compliments (and updates) his analysis of insurrection on the plantations.
January 20, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Thavolia Glymph's 2013 article "Rose's War and the Gendered Politics of a Slave Insurgency" is an excellent companion read to Du Bois - compliments (and updates) his analysis of insurrection on the plantations.
We DIYed our Christmas tree this year, and it turned out pretty good! Not bad for cardboard.
December 20, 2024 at 4:45 AM
We DIYed our Christmas tree this year, and it turned out pretty good! Not bad for cardboard.
![A photo of a TV showing a white bulldog running at a dog show. Closed captions read "[cheering]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ebxlyjhtqd232eiwofnmhqmu/bafkreifg3wv2hzt5n2q67ikmv6qq7ojqyi4jgozkt2gpehxcvk6ufc4csu@jpeg)
A cherry pie? A primal ooze from the deep? Either way, it looks delicious.
November 28, 2024 at 2:41 AM
A cherry pie? A primal ooze from the deep? Either way, it looks delicious.
Post a picture you took (no description) to bring some zen to the timeline
November 17, 2024 at 5:04 PM
Post a picture you took (no description) to bring some zen to the timeline
Bowie says, do you need to be checking social media? Or could you be doing whatever this is?
November 5, 2024 at 7:44 PM
Bowie says, do you need to be checking social media? Or could you be doing whatever this is?
This is Bowie! Dreaming blissfully with his one orange brain cell.
November 5, 2024 at 5:01 AM
This is Bowie! Dreaming blissfully with his one orange brain cell.
A quick question for you 20th century skystorians 🗃️ out there: Does anyone know which laws, passed in Mississippi in March 1964, this article is referring to? My students are curious, and I'm struggling to find anything!
November 2, 2024 at 12:36 AM
A quick question for you 20th century skystorians 🗃️ out there: Does anyone know which laws, passed in Mississippi in March 1964, this article is referring to? My students are curious, and I'm struggling to find anything!
Echoes of Hughes taking his knife to the apple of the world.
October 26, 2024 at 7:40 PM
Echoes of Hughes taking his knife to the apple of the world.
Beautiful (if a little uncanny) warm weather in Southern Maine makes for glorious fall hiking. A tree as golden as the sun!
October 22, 2024 at 5:27 PM
Beautiful (if a little uncanny) warm weather in Southern Maine makes for glorious fall hiking. A tree as golden as the sun!
When you're a pirate but you finally get your letters of marque
October 16, 2024 at 8:20 PM
When you're a pirate but you finally get your letters of marque
I mostly don't use in-class revision exercises as an excuse to decorate my office. (Mostly.) But these are pretty great!
October 9, 2024 at 9:54 PM
I mostly don't use in-class revision exercises as an excuse to decorate my office. (Mostly.) But these are pretty great!
We're sharing relaxing videos on Bluesky, you say? 🌿🌊
September 14, 2024 at 3:02 AM
We're sharing relaxing videos on Bluesky, you say? 🌿🌊