01 / ANCIENT ROME
An emperor considers the unmentionable.
Suetonius reports that Claudius was said to have considered permitting guests to pass wind at the dinner table. The wording matters: this is an ancient author’s report of an idea, not proof of an enacted rule.
02 / 1783
Franklin shares a less solemn paper.
On September 16, Benjamin Franklin tells Richard Price about a humorous paper written in response to an academy’s prize question. The National Archives connects it to To the Royal Academy of Brussels.
03 / THE NOVELTY CABINET
The joke becomes an object.
The museum’s illustrated cushion, imaginary radio, and theatrical horn take the subject from the written page to the display case. They are presented as creative gallery entries, without invented acquisition histories.
04 / HERE & NOW
An online museum with a different atmosphere.
History, science, and playful imagination meet in this collection. Read the sources, try the sound, and take the subject as seriously as the occasion requires.