Stunning Photographs of Bronze Traffic Signal Towers in New York City From the 1920s
In the early 20th century, New York’s Fifth Avenue faced severe congestion, with a mix of horses, carriages, pedestrians, street cars, bicycles, and automobiles vying for space. Continue reading »
Tatra T77: One of the First Serial-Produced Automobiles
Tatra, Czechoslovakian car brand, was known for its high-end luxury cars. In the 1920s, they invented the backbone chassis, and in the early 1930s, they created the Tatra Type 77, the first aerodynamic road car. Hans Ledwinka, his son Erich, and Erich Überlacker created the T77, with Zeppelin designer Paul Jaray designing its groundbreaking exterior. Continue reading »
Stunning Photos of the 1924 Renault NN Berline
The NN, which debuted at the 1924 Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris, replaced the Types KJ and MT as the standard French automobile of the 1920s and 1930s. This specific model, which is widely used as taxis in towns and cities across the country, is thought to have started out as a Paris taxi. Continue reading »
Incredible Graphic Posters Designed by Leo Marfurt in the 1920s and ’30s
Swiss-Belgian commercial artist Leo Marfurt was born in Aarau in 1894 and moved to Belgium in 1921, where he married in 1922. Continue reading »
The Original Blonde Bombshell: Stunning Photos of Jean Harlow Taken by Edwin Bower Hesser in 1929
Edwin Bower Hesser (1893-1962) was a renowned Hollywood photographer during the silent film era and early talkies. He was celebrated for his ability to create stunningly sensual images, often infused with bright, golden undertones. One of his most famous subjects was the legendary Hollywood actress Jean Harlow, whom he captured in a series of striking photographs. Continue reading »
Vintage Cover Photos of The Popular Magazine in the 1920s
The Popular Magazine, a literary publication that ran for an impressive 612 issues from 1903 to 1931, was a staple in early American literature. With a diverse range of genres, the magazine featured everything from short fiction and novellas to serialized works and even complete short novels. Although the magazine covered various subjects, it had a tendency to lean towards men’s adventure stories, particularly in its later years as the demand for hardboiled fiction increased. Continue reading »
Stunning Examples of the Rhinoplasty Surgery from the 1920s and 1930s
Most people assume that the history of rhinoplasties (nose jobs) began in the middle of the last century among Hollywood starlets who wanted to improve their facial features to get more work. While this was undoubtedly true of rhinoplasties starting around the 1930s, the truth is that the procedure has a much longer history, dating back thousands of years.
In the 18th century, rhinoplasties were often performed on patients in the late stages of syphilis, during which the nose loses its structure. It was no coincidence that in 1794, Sushruta’s “Indian rhinoplasty” technique was finally translated into English in an article in the British publication Gentlemen’s Magazine. Continue reading »
Rare and Fascinating Historical Photos of Pasta Production From the 1920s to 1950s
A worker hangs pasta to dry in a factory in Italy. 1932.
Bettmann/Getty Images/Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis
Pasta is an integral part of Italy’s food history. Wherever Italians immigrated they have brought their pasta along, so much so that today it can be considered a staple of international cuisine. Continue reading »
The Fascinating World of Japanese Matchboxes – Vintage, Simple, Elegant
A matchbox is not only useful in everyday life, but also a wonderful piece of art. Don’t you believe it? Then you should plunge into the fascinating world of Japanese matchboxes decorated with small but real works of art. Continue reading »
Captivating Vintage Photos of People in Encampment, Wyoming From Between the 1920s and 1930s
When her youngest child reached 4 years of age and the Nichols family committed to remaining in Encampment after the last of the mining and railroad work left town, Lora Webb Nichols (1883-1962) purchased a storefront and established the Rocky Mountain Studio in the center of Encampment, Wyoming. Continue reading »
The Goblins Will Get You If You Don’t Watch Out – 1920s Nightmare Fuel
The monsters under your bed and in the wardrobe are coming to get you in this series of images from the 1920s. ‘The Goblins Will Get You If You Don’t Watch Out’ is a photo story in which a little girl being abducted from her bed by hellish creatures. It becomes even more vivid when you view them their original stereoscopic format. Continue reading »
“We Were Once Alive”: 100-Year-Old Portraits from Rural Sweden by John Alinder
Sävasta, Altuna parish, 1910–20
From the 1910s to the 1930s, John Alinder portrayed the local people of rural Sweden, the landscape around them and their way of life. Alone, in pairs or in groups, the people stand facing the photographer’s camera. Continue reading »
Extraordinary Aerial Photographs of London From the 1920s Taken by Alfred G Buckham
Creating spectacular images in the face of technical and physical adversity, Captain Alfred G Buckham (1879-1956) was the foremost aerial photographer of his day. Between 1908 to the early 1930s, Buckham created aerial portraits that are awe-inspiring, poetic and works of technical brilliance. Continue reading »
R-100 Airship: Inside a British “Flying Hotel”, 1929-1930
The R-100 moored in Cardington, England. 1929.
The R100 airship was built as part of a British government programme to develop airships to provide passenger and mail transport between Britain and the countries of the British Empire, including India, Australia and Canada. Originally, it was proposed that two airships be constructed: one, R101, to be designed and constructed under the direction of the Air Ministry, and the other, R100, to be built by a private company under a fixed price contract. Continue reading »
Bathers Changing Clothes Using the ‘Skreenette’ at the Public Beach, 1929
The Skreenette, a new bathing tent, for the beach in 1929. It consists of a bell-shaped tent arranged with shoulder straps whereby the bather can dress and undress entirely screened, at the public beach and bath pool. Continue reading »
Amazing Photographs of Sir Malcolm Campbell With His Stunning Blue Bird Cars in the 1920s and 1930s
Sir Malcolm Campbell (March 11, 1885 – December 31, 1948) was a British racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Blue Bird, including a 1921 Grand Prix Sunbeam. Continue reading »
Wolseley-Vickers “Wheel-Cum-Track” Car, 1926
If you’ve ever gotten a car stuck in the mud, snow, or any other kind of slippery surface, then you have an idea of how helpful having tank-style tracks can be in specific scenarios. Obviously, though, there are disadvantages to driving a tank around city streets, but that’s a problem that Wolseley-Vickers attempted to solve with its “Wheel-Cum-Track” car all the way back in 1926. Continue reading »
Paris in Vivid Color Images by Jules Gervais-Courtellemont, 1923
Paris as seen from the church of Saint Gervais.
Jules Gervais-Courtellemont/National Geographic Creative/Corbis
These colored photos by Jules Gervais-Courtellemont will take you back through time to see how Paris looked in 1923. The vivid images are produced using the autochrome technique in which the plates are covered in microscopic red, green and blue colored potato starch grains (about four million per square inch). Continue reading »
Vintage Cover Photos of Czech Weekly News Pestrý Týden in 1927
Pestrý týden was a Czech illustrated weekly magazine published November 2, 1926 to April 28, 1945, during the First and Second Czechoslovak Republics and during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Continue reading »
Before Seatbelts and Airbags: Terrible Photos of Car Accidents in the Early 20th Century
A car and train collision on the level crossing at Weasenham Lane, Wisbech, March 4, 1910
By 1950, almost every race-car driver used safety seat belts.
American car manufacturers Nash (in 1949) and Ford (in 1955) offered seat belts as options, while Swedish Saab first introduced seat belts as standard in 1958. After the Saab GT 750 was introduced at the New York Motor Show in 1958 with safety belts fitted as standard, the practice became commonplace. Continue reading »
Fabulous Cover Photos of La Vie Parisienne in 1927
La Vie Parisienne (the Parisian life) was a French weekly magazine founded in Paris in 1863 and was published without interruption until 1970. It was popular at the start of the 20th century. Continue reading »
See Inside a 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Most Expensive Rolls-Royce Ever Made
The car was commissioned by business baron Clarence Gasque for his wife Maude, a devotee of 18th-century French design, and it remains one of the most inspired examples of bespoke coachbuilding to this day. Continue reading »
Stunning Artistic, Portrait and Surreal Photography by Man Ray in the 1920s and ’30s
Glass Tears, 1932
Born 1890 as Emmanuel Radnitzky in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, American visual artist Man Ray spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal. Continue reading »
Incredible Photos Of Two Roman Ships Which Were Recovered After 2,000 Years In 1929 And Lost Again During WWII
The Nemi ships were two ships, one larger than the other, built under the reign of the Roman emperor Caligula in the 1st century AD at Lake Nemi. Although the purpose of the ships is only speculated upon, the larger ship was essentially an elaborate floating palace, which contained quantities of marble, mosaic floors, heating and plumbing and amenities such as baths. Continue reading »
Beautiful Tiny 1929 Zaschka Three Wheeler, The World’s First Folding Car
Built in 1928 in Berlin, the Zaschka was a folding 3-wheeled car. Its inventor was Engelbert Zaschka who amongst other things was one of Germany’s first helicopter pioneers. Continue reading »
