“Compliments of Chicago”: Gang Business Cards from the 1970s and 1980s
In the 1970s and 1980s, gangs in Chicago advertised their presence and membership on business cards. This was criminality with a dash of style and wit. Meet the Almighty Playboys, the Royal Capris, The Almighty Hells Devils and the Almighty Playboys. Or rather, you’ve been met by them, their signature calling card tucked into their victim’s pocket. Continue reading »
21-Year-Old Michelle Pfeiffer Photographed by Jim Britt, 1979
In 1979, lots of people were standing in front of garish purple-pink backgrounds, but few ever did it as well as Michelle Pfeiffer did. Continue reading »
Bizarre Portraits of Cora Korsett With Tiny Waist in the 1970s
Cora Korsett was a German BDSM dominatrix and body modification fetish model. Not much is known about her, apart from she was well over 6 ft tall and she appeared in fetish magazines in the 1960s and ’70s. Continue reading »
Futuristic and Retro, Hyundai Transforms First-Generation 1975 Pony with Electric Powertrain
Designers at Hyundai present a celebration of both the company’s heritage and future-thinking ethos with an electric transformation of its 1975 Pony. Continue reading »
The Original and Outrageous 1979 Cocaine Calendar
London’s IDEA Books have a rare 1979 cocaine calendar for sale.
The calendar was published in San Francisco (of course) by Red Dog Productions (no idea) in 1978 (duh) and is a relic from a time when cocaine use, while illegal, wasn’t considered all that bad. Seriously. Continue reading »
Weirdly Wonderful Vintage Balaclava Knitting Patterns From the 1960s and 1970s
Knitting and crocheting seem like fun hobbies, and some people are truly talented at creating funky handmade scarves, hats, sweaters, and so on. Yet like all things crafty, there’s always potential to let your sense of humor shine and create something that is a little less practical than it is hysterical. Case in point; remember these fabulously raunchy cross stitches? Continue reading »
Pictures of The Runaways Go Surfing in April 1976
Michael Ochs/Getty Images
The Runaways were an all-female American rock band that recorded and performed from 1977-1979. The band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are “Cherry Bomb”, “Hollywood”, “Queens of Noise” and a cover version of the Velvet Underground’s “Rock & Roll”. Never a major success in the United States, the Runaways became a sensation overseas, especially in Japan, thanks to the single “Cherry Bomb”. Continue reading »
Cool Photos of Boston Girls of the 1970s
The idea that 1970s fashion was an expression of one’s personality replaced the everyone-follow-the-famous trend of the ’50s and ’60s. Clothes were made to mix and match with each other as well as across gender guidelines. Continue reading »
“I Want to Believe”: Fantastic Rare UFO Photographs by Billy Eduard Albert Meier
Taken in 1975 by “Billy” Eduard Albert Meier, alleged extraterrestrial contactee and the founder of Freie Interessengemeinschaft für Grenz- und Geisteswissenschafter und Geisteswissenschafter und Ufologiestudien (Free Community of Interests for the Border and Spiritual Sciences and Ufological Studies), these images purport to depict an interstellar visit by spacecraft from the planet Erra, two with a single UFO moving slowly over the town of Berg Rumlikon, in Switzerland on June 14th, 1975 at 1:16 and 1:20 pm, and four images depicting a single UFO in a forested hilly area of Schmidrüti, Switzerland on March 18th, 1975, from 4:45 to 5:40 pm. Continue reading »
The Subversive, Queer and Iconic Covers to Films & Filming Magazine 1970-81
Films and Filming was published in the UK between October 1953 to March 1990. It was a special interest magazine for film-lovers who thought “Picturegoer unsatisfying and Sight and Sound unintelligible.” Continue reading »
Bouffants, Bandits and Bikinis: Pre-Revolution Iranian Movie Posters
The Hamid Naficy Iranian Movie Posters Collection at Northwestern University features films produced between 1966 and 2014. Here we look at artwork advertising films pre-Revolutionary Iran. Continue reading »
London in 1979 Through Fascinating Photos of George Kindbom
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom. The city stands on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea. London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. Continue reading »
Beautiful Photographs of Cheap Motels in 1970s America
“Working on the Baseball Photographer Trading Cards, traveling throughout the country, my girlfriend at the time, Alison Woolpert, and I would stay at some, shall we say, “economy” motels,” writes photographer Mike Mandel. Continue reading »
Cool Photos of Teenage Girls in the 1970s
Teenage girls’ fashion in the 1970s continued the “do-your-own-thing” look of the late 1960s for the early years of the decade. Continue reading »
1970 Lancia Stratos Zero: A Crazy Concept from The Wedge Era
Pininfarina and Bertone were two of Italy’s best recognized and most successful postwar coachbuilders. Both Milanese carrozzerie competed for commissions and they debuted outrageous concept cars to impress the public and to entice automakers into choosing one of them over the other. In 1970, at the Turin Auto Show, Bertone unveiled the Lancia Stratos HF, which soon became popularly known by its internal nickname: Zero. Continue reading »
La-La Land: The Playful Side of Los Angeles in The 1970s and ’80s
Parade staging area, Los Angeles, 1980
American photographer Gary Krueger believes he lived through a ‘golden age’ in 1970s and 80s Los Angeles. A new exhibition pulls together his playful street photography. Continue reading »
Candid Photographs of Superheroes Posing With Their Young Fans at Malls in the 1970s and 1980s
Maybe it’s the bulging tights that elevate these from campy to creepy. Maybe it’s their eyes. Maybe it’s the unshakeable feeling that these children never forgot the day these pictures will taken. The photographs were shared by folks across the Plaid Stallions website sharing their childhood mall appearances from the 1970s and 1980s. Continue reading »
40 Fabulous Photos of Kim Basinger in the 1970s
Born 1953 in Athens, Georgia, Kim Basinger was offered a modeling contract with the Ford Modeling Agency, but turned it down in favor of singing and acting, and enrolled at the University of Georgia. She soon reconsidered and went to New York to become a Ford model. Continue reading »
Inspired by Space 1999, a Miniature Volkswagen Space Transporter
Alvis Pi, a Space 1999 fan, created this model, the Volkswagen Space Transporter, mixing an Eagle with a Volkswagen van, the end result is fantastic. Continue reading »
Intimate Photos Capture Young People of the UK at Home Parties in the Early 1970s
There’s a reason the 1970s continue to be one of the most stylish decades of all time. From flares and bell sleeves to shearling coats and miniskirts, the era birthed an eclectic mix of style influences that evolved quickly over the 10-year span. Continue reading »
Beautiful Flight Attendant Uniforms Around the World From the 1970s
Pan-Am
David Reed/Getty Images
We’ve come a long way since the early days of flying, from the rough-ride commercial airliners in the early 1900s to the glamorous, smoke-fogged flights of the 1960s. Continue reading »
“View from the Top”: A Historical Look at The Beautiful Stewardesses of The 1960s-1980s
Pacific Southwest Airlines employee in mini-skirts and go-go boots.
The flight attendant occupation took permanent shape in the 1930s as “women’s work,” that is, work not only predominately performed by women but also defined as embodying white, middle-class ideals of femininity. Continue reading »
Rare Photographs of a Very Young Diego Maradona From the Late 1970s and Early 1980s
Arguably the world’s greatest ever footballer, Diego Armando Maradona has died aged 60 on November 25, 2020. The Argentinian, who had brain surgery this month, died of a heart attack, his lawyer said. The country declared three days of national mourning. Continue reading »
Vintage Photos of Famous People With Their Minis From the 1960s and 1970s
Cathy McGowan
When it comes to driving a classic car there are plenty of wonderful choices. For people who favor practicality and style, minis are an ideal vehicle. Minis have proven to be popular with celebrities as well. There’s a range of famous people who’ve owned a Mini, including Paul McCartney and Steve McQueen. Here’s a selection of celebrities that have owned — and loved — their Minis. Continue reading »
Stunning Vintage Photos of the Panther 6, a Crazy 6-Wheeled UK Sports Car From 1977
The Panther 6 was a British six-wheel convertible produced by Panther in 1977. The car is powered by a mid-mounted 8.2 L (500 cu in) Cadillac V8 engine with twin turbochargers paired to a three-speed automatic transmission. Only two cars were made (one in black, one in white), both of which are known to still exist. Continue reading »
