The Wonderkamer

Tracy reveals her passion for automotive history as we learn about the Citroën expeditions. In this first part, French automaker André Citroën commissions two African expeditions done entirely by car. For sources, please visit www.thewonderkamer.ca

In the final part of the VTubers series, Dave steps away from the exploitation of talent by their employers, and instead examines pressures from the fans and media. When VTuber companies or talents try to stay apolitical, they may find themselves stepping into politics anyways. Here we explore the lewdtuber agency VAllure, the controversies of Pipkin Pippa, and the highway robbery of ninety-dollar coffee.For sources and additional links, please visit www.thewonderkamer.ca

Part 2 of our series of VTubers explores the rise and fall of the American "talent first" agency Vshojo. And how one of the most promising businesses in the scene resorted to robbing a charity to stay afloat.For sources and links, please visit www.thewonderkamer.ca

Dave begins his descent into madness as he explores the sprawling world of vtubers,  a multi-billion dollar industry featuring streamers who perform behind animated avatars. In part one, he investigates "black corpos," the unethical corporations notorious for exploiting talent and sparking endless scandals.Sources and additional materials are available on the website at www.thewonderkamer.caUpdated with errata. 

Join us for the final episode of Jen's look into the life of Kurt Cobain.

Jen explores the life of rock star Kurt Cobain by taking a psychogeographical journey into the heart of Washington State. Part 1 begins in Seattle and takes us to Aberdeen, WA.Part 2 will be released next week, on March 19, 2026.Apologies for the state of Tracy's mic. It was in the process of dying.Sources and further reading can be found at www.thewonderkamer.ca

Tracy dives into the history of sex work in the settlement of the Canadian prairies. Here she talks about how sex workers were foundational to the economic and cultural function of early settlements, with special emphasis on Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Calgary.Sources and Further ReadingBourgeois, N. (2018). Race, space, and prostitution: The making of settler colonial Canada. POWER. https://www.powerottawa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Bourgeois-2018.pdfGray, J. H. (1971). Red lights on the prairies. Macmillan of Canada.Lee, G. (2015, June 17). Prostituted words: Time for a new style guide. Rabble.ca. https://rabble.ca/columnists/prostituted-words-time-new-style-guide/Nichols, J. (2022). The other little house: The brothel as a colonial institution on the Canadian prairies, 1880–93. Journal of Social History, 56(1), 58–84. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsh/shac014Stella, l’amie de Maimie. (n.d.). Language matters: Talking about sex work [Information sheet]. Global Network of Sex Work Projects. https://www.nswp.org/sites/default/files/StellaInfoSheetLanguageMatters.pdf

Although Walter Raleigh is famous for founding the first permanent  settlement in North America, history has largely forgotten his  half-brother who was a genius, a fool, a bloodthirsty psychopath, a  terrible explorer, and somehow founded the British empire.Sources and Further ReadingChidsey, D. B. (1932). Sir Humphrey Gilbert: Elizabeth's racketeer. Harper & Brothers.Gosling, W. G. (1911).The life of Sir Humphrey Gilbert: England's first empire builder. [Electronic Version]. https://archive.org/details/lifeofsirhumphre00goslrich/page/n1/mode/2upGilbert, H. (1576). A discourse of a discouerie for a new passage to Cataia [Electronic version]. Henry Middleton for Richarde Ihones. https://archive.org/details/discourseofdisco00gilbElizabeth I. (2025, August 27th). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_ISchulman, M. (2022). A timeline of the age of exploration. Historycentral.com. https://www.historycentral.com/explorers/Index.htmlCanadian Museum of History. (n.d.). Jacques Cartier 1534-1542. Virtual Museum of New France. Retrieved from https://www.historymuseum.ca/virtual-museum-of-new-france/the-explorers/jacques-cartier-1534-1542/

Jen tries her best to gross out Dave and Tracy with bizarre tales of the preservation of human body parts for “educational” (?) purposes. Please note that you might not want to be eating while you listen to this one.CW: SuicidePlease check www.thewonderkamer.ca for sources and further reading.https://www.thewonderkamer.ca/episodes/2anatomicalspecimens

In 1931, several RCMP officers responded to a complaint in the Northwest  Territories. A man probably called Albert Johnson had been hanging  another man’s traps. What followed is the greatest manhunt in Canadian  history.Sources and Further ReadingAnderson, F. (2025, March 19). The Death of Albert Johnson in the Arctic. https://www.jkcc.com/albert/Butts, E. (2019, April 28). Albert Johnson, “The Mad Trapper of Rat River”. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/albert-johnsonHealy, J. J. (2007). Case overview of the murder of RCMP Constable Newt Millen and the capture of the Mad Trapper: A 90th year anniversary: 1932 to 2022. RCMP Graves. https://www.rcmpgraves.com/vetcorner/madtrapper.htmlNorth, D. (2005). The Mad Trapper of Rat River: A true story of Canada’s biggest manhunt. Lyons Press.

The Wonderkamer is a new Canadian podcast about curiosity. Our three hosts are dilettantes, those who have interest without expertise. In each episode, a host will satisfy their curiosity by sharing stories on a topic they've researched. Nothing is off limits! Our first three episodes premiere on February 12th, with new episodes following every other Thursday.