Amazing Photos of New York in the 1930s by Samuel Gottscho
Midtown Manhattan, New York City, December 15, 1931
Samuel Herman Gottscho (1875–1971) was an American architectural, landscape, and nature photographer. He was born in Brooklyn in New York City. He acquired his first camera in 1896 and took his first photograph at Coney Island. From 1896 to 1920 he photographed part-time, specializing in houses and gardens, as he particularly enjoyed nature, rural life, and landscapes. Continue reading »
Amazing Old Photos that Capture the Everyday Life in New York City in The 1940s
Library of Congress/New York City Library/Wikimedia Commons/PBS
These incredible black and white photographs document everyday life in New York City in the 1940s and offer a glimpse into a long-gone era. From street peddlers selling fish or fresh ears of corn, to cars stalled under mounds of snow, scenes are both familiar and nostalgic. Continue reading »
Unique House for the Atomic Age from 1953
Fireplace in front yard is built into side of hill. Lava appearance of hill comes from stippled Gunite.
In 1953, a swimming pool that became an automatic decontamination bath during an A-bomb attack was one of the features of a home that Hal B. Hayes, Hollywood contractor, was completing for himself. In the hillside next to the swimming pool he’s building an underground sanctuary that you reach by diving into the pool. Continue reading »
Kiss Me, My Fool!: Theda Bara, the Original Vamp, Posing With a Skeleton as Publicity for the Silent Film ‘A Fool There Was’, 1915
A Fool There Was is an American silent drama film produced by William Fox, directed by Frank Powell, and starring Theda Bara. Released in 1915, the film was long considered controversial for such risqué intertitle cards as “Kiss me, my fool!” Continue reading »
This Instagram Account Shares Pictures From The ’60s and ’70s, Shows Why It Was An Era Like No Other
Cher walking around Beverly Hills, 1978
The 1970s are often associated with Vietnam and Watergate, but there was also plenty of glamor between the wild fashion, TV stars like Farrah Fawcett, and the disco era. Continue reading »
Rarely Seen Photographs of New York From the 1870s
Suspension Bridge, Niagara Falls, New York, circa 1871
In the 19th century, New York City became America’s largest city as well as a fascinating metropolis. Characters such as Washington Irving, Phineas T. Barnum, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John Jacob Astor made their names in New York City. And despite blights on the city, such as the Five Points slum or the notorious 1863 Draft Riots, the city grew and prospered. Continue reading »
Once in Harlem: Intimate Portraits of Harlem Residents Taken by Japanese Photographer Katsu Naito
In 1983, at only 18 years of age, Katsu Naito arrived in New York from his native Japan to work as a contracted kitchen chef. By 1988 he had settled in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood, an area only just recovering from the brutal economic devastation of the 1970s, and on the cusp of the drastic dislocation brought upon longtime residents of this historically black community in the 1990s. Continue reading »
Playboy Magazine Covers in The 1950s Are Not What You Imagined Them to Be
In the 1950s Playboy was hardly puritanical (by modern standards, of course). If there was any nudity, it was only the most charmingly innocent and conventional. The covers in general exhibited photos that would make one think this was a magazine for giovial housewives or photo-collage lovers. Continue reading »
A Selection of The Canadian Architect Magazine Covers From the 1960s
The Canadian Architect is a monthly publication aimed at people who work in the world of architecture in Canada. The architecture magazine has been continuously published since 1955. Below is a cool set of covers of The Canadian Architect magazine from 1964 to 1967, designed by Laszlo Buday. Continue reading »
These Hilarious 19th-Century Photos Illustrate Different Levels of Drunkenness, 1860s
Stage 1: You’ve had a couple and can hold your own. Conversation is flowing and people are interested in what you have to say.
State Library of New South Wales/Wikimedia Commons
These interesting photos, captured by photographer Charles Percy Pickering between 1863 and 1868, illustrate the ability of alcohol to transform a fine upstanding citizen into a staggering wreck. Across the five pictures, an upright, dignified gentleman slowly deteriorates into a sloppy drunk in a wheelbarrow. Continue reading »
Vintage Found Photos of ’50s Young Girls in Swimsuits
These vintage photos were found by Steven Martin that show young girls in swimsuits from the 1950s. The post-war economic boom meant that people were not only spending more money they also wanted luxurious new styles. This economic boom also resulted in the return of fashion. Continue reading »
Palermo Viejo: Photographer Captured Abandoned Vintage Cars in Italy
“Palermo Viejo” is a photography series by Brazilian Art Director Eduardo Fialho.
While studying advertising in Argentina, something caught Eduardo’s eye. he noticed many abandoned cars in the Palermo Viejo suburb, in Buenos Aires, and decided to document the beautiful decay of these neglected vintage cars. Continue reading »
The Superb Retro-Inspired Illustrations by Alexey Kot
Poland-based illustrator Alexey Kot creates beautiful vintage-inspired artworks reminiscent of J. C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell’s work. Continue reading »
Beautiful Photos of West Zealand County, Denmark in the Late 1930s
Vestsjælland Lumbsaas, circa 1938
West Zealand County (Danish: Vestsjællands Amt) is a former county in the west-central part of the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in eastern Denmark. The county was formed on 1 April 1970, comprising a few former counties. The county was abolished effective January 1, 2007, when it merged into Region Sjælland (i.e. Region Zealand). Continue reading »
Marilyn Monroe Wishing You All a Happy Fourth of July
Marilyn Monroe posed for Fourth of July, wearing a bikini with some oversized fireworks and a sign that reads “Beware of Danger, July 4th”. These photographs were taken by Bert Reisfeld in 1953. Continue reading »
Intimate Vintage Portraits Documented the Lives of Irish Travellers Outside Dublin in the Late 1960s and Early 1970s
When Alen Macweeney returned to his native Ireland in the 1960s, after working as Richard Avedon’s assistant, he first intended to do a photo essay about W.B. Yeats. His research led him to cover another quintessentially Irish subject, one up to then neglected in photojournalism and Irish society in general. Continue reading »
“Street Life In London”: Photographer Colorized Photos From Over 140 Years Ago
According to Tom Marshall: “In the mid-1870s, Scottish photographer John Thomson captured the daily toil and struggle of the ‘street folks’ of London, in a series of photos that laid the foundations for modern photojournalism. Working with a radical journalist called Adolphe Smith, Thomson produced a monthly magazine ‘Street Life in London’ from 1876 to 1877. Continue reading »
Meet the 1970 AMC Gremlin, America’s First Subcompact Car
The AMC Gremlin is a subcompact car that was made by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) for nine model years. During its manufacturing run from April 1970 through 1978, a total of 671,475 Gremlins were built in the United States and Canada.
The Gremlin was described at its introduction as the first domestic-built American subcompact car. Continue reading »
Wonderful Photos of London’s Tube Riders From the 1960s to 1980s
For more than four decades, photographer Bob Mazzer has been taking pictures on the London Underground. Continue reading »
Beautiful Advertising Photos of Opel Automobiles From the 1950s
Opel is a German automobile manufacturer which was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Group, a predecessor of Stellantis, from 2017 until 2021. Continue reading »
Stunning Autochrome Portraits of Women Taken by Alfonse Van Besten From the Early 20th Century
Alfonse Van Besten (1865–1926) was a painter and took full advantage of the possibilities of the new color process. One can see that many of his autochromes were taken with a “painterly eye” e.g. Musing (Mrs.Van Besten) and Symphony in white. It was evident that he had a very good sense of composition. Continue reading »
Stunning Vintage Photos of Woody Station Wagons From the 1960s and 1970s
The iconic American woody (or woodie) wagon dates back to the very beginning of automobile manufacture when car frames were originally made of timber. As metal took over and timber content diminished throughout the 1920s, certain models stubbornly refused to go all-metal. Continue reading »
Stunning Black and White Photos of Manhattan Taken by Berenice Abbott in 1935 and 1936
Seventh Avenue Looking South from 35th Street
An American photographer, Berenice Abbott was a central figure in and important bridge between the photographic circles and cultural hubs of Paris and New York. Continue reading »
Amazing Color Photographs Capture Sun Bathers on the Beach in Cannes, France in 1948
Cannes, resort city of the French Riviera, in Alpes-Maritimes department, Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur region, southeastern France. It lies southwest of Nice. Continue reading »
In the 1970s, American Luxury Cars Were Bursting With Velour and Velvet
The 1970s were an awkward time for America—in fashion, in hair styles, and yes, even in car interiors. In the 1970s, velour and velvet were popular because it fit into the idea of what was luxurious at the time. Continue reading »
