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Viktorija Ošikaitė

‘Anonymous Works’: 50 Mysterious Objects And Artefacts That Are Beyond Weird

Anonymous Earth WEF

The history of human innovation and artistic expression isn’t as straightforward as you think. Craftspeople have created plenty of items that are odder than odd. And though they might raise a few eyebrows or make you do a double take with their weirdness, you can’t deny that there’s something captivating about them.

‘Anonymous Works’ is a long-running social media project whose curator features photos of rare and mysterious vintage objects and artifacts. We’ve collected some of the coolest ones to show you just how bizarre things can get. Keep scrolling to see the awesome pics.

More info: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Blog

#1 A Collection Of Tactile Pictures For The Blind - Created By Martin Kunz, 1902

#2 A Door Lock Created In 1911 By The German Locksmith Frank L. Koralewsky (1872-1941)

It is made of iron, gold, silver and copper, and depicts the fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”

#3 It’s Unbelievable To Think That A Roman Glass Work From 300 Ad Can Survive Intact. This One Is At The Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier An Archaeological Museum In Trier, Germany

Predicting what the future of human technology, innovation, and production will look like is harder than it looks. While it’s easy to make a handful of educated guesses about broad trends, it’s hard to be specific without lots of data. There are so many different factors to consider, after all, including shifts in the investment space, changes in demand, global economic shocks, ever-changing consumer tastes and demands, etc.

One thing that you can do is look ‘upstream’ of an industry’s investment space.

#4 Portrait Of A Group Of Lumberjacks

#5 This Love Letter Was Written By Alfred Joseph Frueh, An American Cartoonist, And Illustrator

He wrote it to his wife Giuliette Fanciulli on January 10, 1913.

When folded according to the instructions, the letter transforms into a mini model of an art gallery.

Frueh made this model to inform his wife about the details of a specific art gallery before her visit.

Image courtesy of the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

#6 A Message For The One You Love Today: “You And I Are Earth”, 1661. Creator Unknown. Found In A London Sewer. Tin-Glazed Earthenware Plate. Collection Of The Museum Of London

In a nutshell, if you want to predict what the tech landscape will likely look like in a few years, look at what corporations are designing today. That way, you can see what technologies specific companies are ‘betting on’ to be relevant in the future.

Broadly speaking, if you see companies investing billions upon billions of dollars into specific technologies, they are expecting that these products will be around at least long enough for them to earn their initial investment back. Though, of course, the aim is to be (extremely) profitable.

#7 Lipstick Case By Jewelry Designer Louis Nichilo, Rome, 1950

#8 Check Out This "Cat And Mouse" Regency-Era Cobweb Made By The English Artist, Eleanor Green In 1817

The original watercolor artwork depicts a calico cat, and when the upper layer of the cobweb is lifted, two cheeky mice are revealed to be scampering below.

“Cobwebs” are a rare example of a mechanical valentine with at least two layers of paper patterned with concentric circles and an image on the top layer

#9 Four Horses, Details From A 17th Century Persian Manuscript

Meanwhile, even if you have a fairly good grasp on current investment trends, it’s still important to be skeptical. You can never fully tell how tech might actually evolve until after it happens.

If anyone tells you that they 100% know what is going to be the Next Big Thing, they likely have no clue what they’re talking about. (But they’re likely trying to hype you up to get you to invest in whatever it is they’re selling.)

#10 Stained Glass Cicada Lamp By Artist Cady Poorman

#11 This Crocheted Wedding Dress Was Made From Hospital Bedsheets

It was made by Marguerite Sirvins (1890–1955) while she was confined to a psychiatric hospital in Saint-Alban, France.

Marguerite was institutionalized after developing symptoms of schizophrenia at the age of 41. While in the hospital, she produced drawings, watercolors, and embroideries.

She ultimately stopped creating artworks when she became increasingly troubled by hallucinations, but produced this wedding gown as her final work: deeply wanting to one day experience marriage, she began to make a bridal gown for an imaginary wedding day. Unfortunately, she died in 1955 and would never wear the dress.

There are no known photographs of Marguerite Sirvins, but a drawing was made by surrealist artist Gérard Vulliamy in 1945.

#12 An Ancient Bowl Depicting A Swarm Of Mice. 180 Bc - 500 Ad. Culture: Nazca; South Coast, Peru. Collection Of The Art Institute Of Chicago. Via Achayatharangel

However, one thing that we might be (almost always) certain of is that humankind’s love of storytelling and need for connection will survive. No matter what other things the future might bring, people will still want to feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves.

So, they’ll want to be entertained in a way that brings them together with other people. We can count on entertainment to be a core part of the future… even if the specifics of entertainment technology might be hard to predict. What seems ‘normal’ to us now would have sounded like sci-fi a couple of decades ago.

#13 I Love Cat Themed Furniture😻😻😻 From The Archive

#14 Lion Sandals Ghana CA. 20th Century Collection Of The Metropolitan Museum Of Art

#15 A Circa 1845-1846 Daguerreotype Memorial Portrait Of A Pet Squirrel. Collection Of The Nelson-Atkins Museum

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the biggest emerging technologies of 2025 include things like structural battery composites, which combine energy storage and structural strength in a single material, so reducing weight and improving efficiency.

Other top tech this year includes osmotic power systems (they “generate clean, steady energy from differences in water salinity using membranes”), advanced nuclear technologies (for instance, small modular reactors and next-generation cooling systems), and engineered living therapeutics (modified microbes or cells create medical compounds inside your body).

#16 It’s Not Christmas Without “Asbestos Snow”!

Asbestos Snow was a genuine product produced in the early 20th century, most famously used in the 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz”.

When snow made from asbestos falls on Dorothy and her friends in a poppy field, they awaken from a spell cast by the Wicked Witch of the West.

#17 This Folk Art Sculpture Of A Bird Was Made By Moses Ogden, Sometime In The 1890’s. It Consists Of A Natural Root Form Minimally Altered By The Artist

Who was Moses Ogden?

Ogden was born in the 1840's and served in the Civil War. After the war, he built a small cabin for himself in Angelica, New York. At night, after his day job as a blacksmith, he would go out into the forest and bring back pieces of wood that spoke to him as an artist. His cabin ended up being filled with these fantastical carvings. It was known locally as "Moses Ogden's Wonderland". It was one of America’s first folk art environments and Ogden was its backyard visionary.

During his lifetime, Ogden was offered vast sums of money to sell his artwork but he always refused. It was said that he found too much enjoyment "in contemplation of the forms and reminiscence of their discovery, conception and execution."

In September, 1917, Popular Science magazine did a small article on Ogden’s “curio shop”. That Popular Science article shows this bird sculpture as well as other pieces. It would be the last public notice of his work and eventually the objects were lost to time and the fading memories of those who remembered it.

Then, in the early 1980’s, a grouping of roughly forty sculptures were discovered in an attic in Olean, New York, not far from Angelica. The answer to who created them remained a mystery until the antique dealer Richard Rockford discovered an old postcard of a moustached man in a bowler hat sitting in his front yard, surrounded by these fantastical carvings. In the lower left corner of the postcard was written “Mose Ogden’s Wonderland” and the mystery started to unravel, the beginning of an artist’s rediscovery story.

Today, Moses Ogden is still relatively unknown to all but a few die-hard dealers and collectors but that is slowly changing as more discoveries emerge.

#18 Circa 1880’s Photograph Of A Maori Carving

Other major emerging technologies, as per WEF, are things like:

GLP-1 medications for neurodegenerative disease
Autonomous biochemical sensors to detect health and environmental markers
Green nitrogen fixation to reduce the high carbon footprint of ammonia production
Nanozymes, which are synthetic nanomaterials that mimic natural enzymes
Collaborative sensing, which connects sensors across homes, cities, and vehicles into AI-powered networks, to enable real-time monitoring and decision-making across these systems
Generative AI watermarking, to help verify content’s authenticity and origins

#19 “The Heart Of Space” Meteorite

‘This meteorite, which is 4.5 billion years old, was part of a giant chunk of iron that broke off from a larger mass in an asteroid belt some 320 million years ago — more than 70 million years before the first dinosaurs appeared,’ explains Christie’s Science and Natural History specialist James Hyslop.

At 10.30am on the 12 February, 1947, eyewitnesses saw the meteorite slam through the Earth’s atmosphere. As it sailed over the Sikhote-Alin mountain range in Russia it created an impact flash that was seen for almost 200 miles around.

‘Among the fragments collected from the site was this incredible heart-shaped specimen,’ says Hyslop. ‘Typical meteorites from this shower are twisted like shrapnel or smooth and rounded. Examples in this shape just aren’t seen.’

The configuration of this meteorite, known as ‘The Heart of Space’, is the result of a fortuitous cleavage occurring along the crystalline planes of its iron body at the point where it broke from the original mass. The unusually deep furrow between its lobes also suggests the pointed angle of its fiery blast towards Earth.

‘A mind-boggling series of occurrences and accidents were necessary to make a meteorite of this rare shape,’ notes Hyslop. ‘And what makes it even more endearing is the fact that this piece would have come from the very core of its initial protoplanetary body — it broke off from the heart of its originator.’

#20 Circa 1920’s Rubber Bathing Shoes

#21 I Love How Over The Top This Circa 1920’s Folk Art Bird Tree Is! The Anonymous Artist Must Have Had Fun Creating This, Probably Thinking “Just One More Bird”

Meanwhile, Forbes predicts that in a decade’s time, AI and automation will be practically omnipresent. “Today, we rarely think about how AI is there in the background when we make Google searches, pick movies to watch on Netflix or make online banking transactions. Tomorrow, we won’t think about it as it drives our cars, keeps us healthy and helps us work more productively,” Forbes states.

#22 Circa 1940’s Telephone Cord Clutch Purse

#23 This Amazing Champagne Bottle Fancy Dress Ensemble Was Worn By Ada Power To Parties In Ireland In The Early 1900s 🍾 Happy New Year’s Eve Everyone! Stay Safe!

#24 Veil By Elsa Schiaparelli, 1938

Meanwhile, automation won’t be far behind. “Physical, automated robots are also coming into their own thanks to the application of AI to problems such as mobility and stability. Will we have fully-fledged ‘androids’ like those we grew up with in sci-fi? We might be getting close to creating robots that resemble us very closely.” However, it’s more likely that instead of androids, you’ll see more specific machinery, tailored for manufacturing, warehouse, building, and maintenance work.

#25 I’m Feeling Like A Cat Johnston “Moth Creature”… By Cat Johnston

#26 A Console Table By Ghanaian Artist Benezate, Circa 1990

#27 I Would Have Liked To Have Seen The Pickle Sisters Perform…

‘Anonymous Works’ currently has 57k followers on Facebook, as well as 170k followers on Instagram. The curator of the project, Joey, describes the project as “focusing on objects that transcend their forms.”

They’re rare, mysterious, and “combine a strong visual aesthetic with a unique, sometimes eccentric vision.”

We’ve reached out to the curator to learn more about ‘Anonymous Works,’ and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from him.

#28 A Pair Of 1890’s Boots. Via @ladysapientia

#29 The Entrance To Luna Park, Melbourne In The 1930’s Seemed Like Entering The Gates Of Hell But I Guess The Face Was Based On Old King Cole

#30 A Homemade Halloween Mask From 1965. Credit: Kirk Moreland

We’d like to get your perspective, too, dear Pandas. Once you’ve looked through the photos and upvoted your favorite ones, share your thoughts about them in the comments at the bottom of this list.

Which of these vintage objects genuinely impressed you the most? Which ones did you find the most confusing?

#31 Having A Good Time At The Fun House!

#32 Everyone Needs A Vintage Leather Demon Purse

#33 A Snake Table By Artist Judy Mckie From 1986

#34 Pre-Columbian Textile Mask, North Coast Peru, Chancay, CA. 1100 To 1400 Ce

#35 African-American Figure Holding Up The Vault Of The Heavens. Found On The Ground In The Backyard Of A House In Atlanta Where A Preacher Had Lived

#36 Salvador Dalí ~ Mae West Lips Sofa ~ 1938

#37 Eye Dress From The Film “Dolly Sisters” Designed By Orry Kelly

#38 “Rejuvenate Yourself! Wear A Face Bra”

#39 A Circa 1910 Homemade Crocodile And Bird Bank

#40 Table With Human Legs

#41 “Mechanical Head: The Spirit Of Our Time” Raoul Hausmann 1919 Collection Of Centre Pompidou, Musée National D’art Moderne, Paris

#42 Here’s A Homemade Folk Art Clock Made By An Anonymous Artist In The Early 1930’s

#43 Good Morning, From The Gates Of Hell! An Angel Unlocking The Door Of Hell. Hell Is Represented As A Great Mouth Within Which Are Human Beings And Devils

#44 The "Keep Out" Box Circa 1900 Folk Art Dresser Box With The Figure Of A Man With A Long Rifle And A Stern Message For Any Intruders!

#45 This Rare Inuit Carving, Dating To The Early 19th Century, Depicts A Standing Man Rendered With Striking Presence

Inuit carvers traditionally worked in ivory, bone, and stone, creating objects that were not only functional but also deeply expressive of their cultural and spiritual life. Art held a vital role in Inuit society, serving as a bridge between the material and spiritual worlds, a record of daily life, and a means of expressing identity and continuity across generations

#46 Figure In Lace

#47 Shoe In The Form Of A Whale, Anonymous, C. 1675 - C. 1700. Via @rijksmuseum

#48 Walt Disney’s Personal Copy Of The Book “Animated Cartoons” From 1920. Collection Of The Walt Disney Family Museum

#49 This Embroidered Garment Was Made By Alice Eugenia Ligon In Fulton, Mississippi In 1949

She made it as a Christmas present for her children while she was a patient at the Fulton State Hospital, which was the first mental institution west of the Missouri River.

The garment, likely her hospital gown, is full of patriotic, religious and popular references including Noah’s Ark, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the poignant message to her children, “May God be with you until we meet again.”

Ligon was hospitalized for an unspecified condition in 1949 and 1953 and died at the facility several years later.

#50 A Koskimo House-Post, November 13, C1914, Edward S. Curtis

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