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History

1-800-1800

Brought to you by Mandylion®, 1-800-1800 is your guide to 19th-century history, art, literature, culture, and scandal. Each episode, we dial into a random year of the 1800s to gab about the chaos that shaped the modern world. Hosted by Madeline Porsella and Mabel Taylor, two Victorian Nightgown Girls and historians of art and design, 1-800-1800 delivers rigorous research with a healthy dose of gossip. So pick up the phone, the nineteenth century’s calling!

More Mandylion®:
mandylionpress.com
mandylion.substack.com
instagram.com/mandylionpress

Music by Jeronimo Ezquerro Aguilar-Alvarez.

mandylion.substack.com

Latest Episodes:

1-800-1852: The Princess Who Ate a Glass Piano Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

This week on 1-800-1800, Julia Carpenter, who writes the brilliant Substack “A Woman to Know,” joins us to discuss the Bavarian princess who was convinced that she had swallowed a glass piano. Our conversation covers everything from the fluctuating definitions of delusion to medieval nuns and the curative powers of spanking. Happy listening!

Notes:

Read Julia’s original newsletter about Princess Alexandra here (all of the images we discussed are also here!!) and check out Julia’s website and follow her on instagram to read more of her amazing work!

The books we mentioned are:

Victoria Shepherd’s A History of Delusions: The Glass King, A Substitute Husband and a Walking Corpse

Mike Jay’s A Visionary Madness: The Case of James Tilly Matthews and the Influencing Machine

Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven

and Jacqueline Jung’s chapter in History in the Comic Mode: Medieval Communities and the Matter of Person

Other images and links:

The Windsor Beauties

The Hall of Beauties at Nymphenburg Palace

The Visitation (Mary and Elizabeth with rock crystal wombs) at The Met

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mandylion.substack.com/subscribe

1-800-The Testament of Ann Lee Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

Last week, Mabel and Madeline braved a blizzard to go see The Testament of Ann Lee in theaters. In this episode, hear their discussion of the film’s stylistic choices, the actual history of the Shakers, and why there’s so much more to them than beautiful chairs.

1-800-1832: The Great Wave Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

On the first episode of the new year, Mabel and Madeline consider the tortoise and discuss the sweatshirtification of Hokusai’s The Great Wave. We go deep on Prussian Blue, Japanese wood-block printing and its influence on the history of modern painting. Listen, like, rate, subscribe, share, love, kiss kiss, bang bang.

HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVERS

Madeline & Mabel

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mandylion.substack.com/subscribe

1-800-Frankenstein Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mandylion.substack.com

This week Madeline and Mabel read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and discuss Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation for Netflix. We ask and answer the big questions about AI, monsters, pregnancy, and whether Oscar Isaac is hot. Until next time

1-800-1803: On Meat Beating & Batteries Dec 02, 2025

Show notes

This week on 1-800-1800, Madeline guides us through the horrifying world of early 19th century meat batteries and an experiment to raise a malefactor hanged at newgate prison from the dead. Listen for all the facts on nicotine enemas, the “apparently” drowned, and an alternative reality where frogs legs were a necessary component of consumer electronics.

Madeline & Mabel

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mandylion.substack.com/subscribe

1-800-Elsie Venner Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

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This week on 1-800-1800, Mabel and Madeline discuss their new book Elsie Venner with a VERY special guest: Mabel’s dad!! David, a psychiatrist in practice for over thirty years, joins the girls to discuss the novel and help answer the question that preoccupies the characters in the book: What the hell is wrong with Elsie? Tune in for Freud, theology, an…

1-800-1882: Orlando and the Origin of Species Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

Today a man told me that pugs are “inherently naked” and now I can’t think about anything else for long enough to write an episode description. I hope you listen to the podcast anyway, it’s a doozy

Mabel and Madeline

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mandylion.substack.com/subscribe

1-800-The Hill of Dreams Oct 21, 2025

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In this special episode of 1-800-1800, the Mandylion girls discuss, debate, and fawn over their new book, The Hill of Dreams! Welcome to the Mandylion Book Club. Let this episode guide and inspire you on this journey through Arthur Machen’s singular novel, about a young man named Lucian Taylor trying (and failing?) to become a great writer. The book can…

1-800-1840: Everything you never wanted to know about queen victoria's wedding Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

This week’s episode goes out to our book designer Emily and her HUSBAND Jerónimo. They inspired this deep dive into the most important wedding of the 19th century: Victoria & Albert’s!!! We talk about the music, menu, and outfits that went into this event, and also discuss the gnarly diarrhea that Albert had when he first met Victoria. We also discuss incest. TW. hehe xoxo

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mandylion.substack.com/subscribe

1-800-The Morgesons Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

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Hey beautiful people! 1-800-1800 is back with this month’s bonus episode featuring THE MORGESONS!! Herein we discuss the best book ever written, published originally in 1862 by Elizabeth Stoddard, and revived this year by Mandylion Press. The Morgesons is a caustic bildungsroman about a girl named Cassandra and her weird sister Veronica. The sisters fig…

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