Here at Flavorwire, we are Very Serious About Books — but that doesn’t mean we’re above a cheerful giggle now and then, and we were provided with such by these animated GIFs of illustration from the very old and very serious tomes of the Smithsonian. We spotted the pictures at HuffPost, but they’re the work of the library itself, and they’re at their best when they’re at their silliest (the Uncommon Flying Squirrel, for instance). Hopefully they’ll make your Monday afternoon just a tiny bit more bearable. You’re welcome.

From “The Greenland Whale from Whales” by Robert Hamilton (1843)

From “Practique de la guerre” (circa 17th century)

From “The Teacher of Sparring (1886)”

From “Japanese Woodblock Prints” (1979)

From “The Works of Jules Verne” (1911)

From “Report of the Commissioner of Patents” (1856)

From “Report of the Commissioner of Patents” (1856)

From “The Wheel and Cycling Trade Review” (1890)

From “Natural History for the Use of Schools And Families” (1864)

From “The Wonders of the Planetary System Displayed” (1845)