The Edwardian decade marked the last of corset-wearing fashions, a sleeker silhouette and the start of great social change.
The forecast heatwave seems to have arrived in full force today and it’s far too hot to actually dance, so here are some vintage photos of people dancing their socks off to keep us all entertained. Thinking about doing exercise is almost as good as doing it, right? Oh, and I’d like to know your(…)
Pin up girls have been around for a lot longer than you think. Since as early as the 1890s girls have been drawn, painted and photographed and presented to the world as the ideal of beauty and sexuality. Like fashions in beauty and body shape, the pin up has changed enormously over the last century.(…)
Well, this is definitely the oldest movie I’ve watched, and it’s truly fabulous! It’s quite incredible that it was made way back in 1902. Only fifteen minutes long, Le Voyage dans la Lune was the first sci-fi film ever made and tackles the idea of a trip to the moon they way they thought it(…)
So, it’s Boxing Day and I’m sitting here (eating chocolates) waiting for it to snow. Apparently we are due to get snow tonight, but I fully expect to wake up in the morning and see cold grey drizzle rather than a beautiful white blanket covering everything. We didn’t have any snow last winter at all,(…)
To try to reduce the number of criminals being sentenced to death the Victorians introduced Hard Labour as an alternative. It involved backbreaking pointless work which was designed to be soul-destroying and painful. This sentence was handed out to children and women as well as men. It could involve anything from walking for up to(…)
It was with total delight that I discovered Kevin Weir’s macabre gifs. He created them using old photos from the flickr photo archive from The Library of Congress, and I thought they were perfect for getting everyone in the Hallowe’en mood! Some are creepy, some dreamy but all delightful. I particularly love Countess Minto who(…)
Historical stage costumes are by their very nature fabulous. Rarely understated they needed to communicate the nature of a character as soon as they step onto the stage. Some are ridiculous intentionally, some not (I fear poor Andreas Dippel was supposed to look heroic but fell rather short of that), and some are simply wonderful(…)
It was fascinating to come across these family photos which make Tzar Nicholas II of Russia look like just a normal family, despite the Tzar constantly wearing a stiff impressive uniform and military hat regardless of whether he’s on a cruise, or playing tennis! On the subject of outfits, his daughters Anastasia, Tatiana, Olga and(…)
It’s spring, and so of course my thoughts have returned to Paris, the beautiful city of blossom and boulevards, baguettes and bicyclette *sigh*. But Paris has always had a certain charm it was a very different place when Zeppelins were in the sky or there were German soldiers on the streets. Take a look at(…)
You don’t see fur adverts much these days (or at least I haven’t come across many) but basically fur advertising hasn’t changed much since this type of ad (above) from the 1960s. Why she’s holding a lit cigarette lighter that close to her flammable fur coat I have no idea… Anyway, by now you probably(…)
When we think of silent movie stars we inevitably think of Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino as well as perhaps Lillian Gish (not forgetting the quintessential flappers Clara Bow and Louise Brooks). But for every movie icon there were hundreds of actresses who appeared in silent movies whose names haven’t stood the test of time(…)
So, you thought the selfie was something new? Apparently not! Here is the evidence that people have been taking selfies since the late 1800s – even naked selfies! It’s not just the celebrities of today who love showing off their bods! These photos range from the 1890s to the 1970s, some are self-portraits done with(…)
I love the blithe glamour of these vintage corset adverts. They remind me of the uber-glamorous Modess adverts of the 1950s (never before or since have feminine hygiene products been so aspirational). All of these adverts claim comfort (I guess that’s a relative term), and one even has a blissful cherub sleeping snuggled inside it(…)
I love baking, it’s such a satisfying thing to do (and it gives you a great reason to eat and share cake – bliss!). For my husband’s birthday a few days ago I made a Brooklyn Blackout Cake: a dark, rich and very chocolatey cake covered in dark chocolate custard frosting.
Three fantastic posters from the 1918 silent move Salome starring Theda Bara. Sadly this movie has been lost so I can’t share a clip with you, but there is a photo from the movie which I’ve posted below. Doesn’t she look fabulous? How on earth did that happen to so many old movies?
Famous singer and actress Fanny Brice from the time she was a Ziegfeld Follies girl, c. 1915
In Flanders Field In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now(…)
I seem to have a slight obsession with vintage mug-shots this week and I couldn’t resist sharing these beautiful photos with you. They were taken between 1910 and 1930 by New South Wales Police Department. Called ‘special photographs’, I’m not sure whether they replaced traditional mug-shots or were supplimentary, but they were photographs of “men(…)