Most Recent New Posts from the Last 30 Days
1940s Fads: Indoor Sunbathing
The 1940s was a time when no one gave much thought to sunscreen and you could happily chain-smoke cigarettes and drink cocktails while you tanned, …
1940s Summer Underwear
Before the structure and corsetry of the 1950s was the softer silhouette of the 1940s. These photos are from a fashion feature on summer underwear …
Louise Brooks: From Dancer to Showgirl to Scandalous Flapper Icon
Louise Brooks with her sharply bobbed hair is one of the most iconic figures of 1920s cinema and epitomized the rebellious modern woman of the …
1950s Hand Drawn Dresses by Hermes
I don't know very much about these fashions, except that they were captioned 'Hermes Dresses, 1952'. I love the idea of all the detail being …
Iconic Wedding Dresses #10: Princess Anne
When Princess Anne married Mark Phillips in November 1973 at Westminster Abbey, she wore a Tudor-inspired dress with a real 1970s flavour. Who …
Air Hostess Training in the 1940s
Photos taken at the McConnell Air Hostess School which trained air hostesses for TWA in the 1940s. The training included learning the correct way …
Miss Lovely Legs 1949
Curious photos from a Beautiful Legs Contest from 1949. The pictures raise lots of questions in my mind - aside from why you'd want to enter a …
Disneyland in the 1950s
You must have heard people say that the 1950s was a time of simpler pleasures, and these pictures of Disneyland in the 50s show that perfectly. …
Marilyn Monroe before Plastic Surgery
Marilyn Monroe photographed in February 1947 when she was still a young starlet. At this time she was still called Norma Jeane, and hadn't yet …
Iconic Wedding Dresses #9: Elizabeth Taylor (1975)
It's amazing considering Liz Taylor got married 8 times that she managed to make a fashion statement every single time! This is one of my least …
5 Strikingly Modern Victorian Photo Portraits
These beautiful Victorian portraits are a type of early photograph called daguerreotypes. Invented by Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre in the 1830s …
Silent Movie Icons: Norma Talmadge
One of three sisters, Norma Talmadge was one of the most popular actresses of silent movies in the 1920s. She had a difficult childhood; her …
How The World Looked When Airships Filled The Sky
The airship industry effectively died with the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, but for 80 or so years previously the dream of lighter-than-air travel …
Iconic Wedding Dresses #8: Jayne Mansfield (1958)
50s blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield was married 3 times before her tragic death at the age of just 34. For her second wedding to bodybuilder …
A Rather Intriguing (and Ghoulish) Photograph
I stumbled across this photograph this morning and I'm ghoulishly intrigued by it. The only information I have about it is that it's captioned 'Air …
An Original 1940s Make-Up Tutorial (Including Contouring!)
This photos were taken at a professional photo shoot for a young starlet some time during the 1940s. It's really interesting to see the different …
Risqué Nose Art from WW2 Bombers (NSWF)
Nose art on airplanes first became popular during WW1 when German airmen (or rather their ground-crews) started painting a mouth and teeth onto nose …
Iconic Wedding Dresses #7: Gene Tierney (1946)
When Gene Tierney married costume designer Oleg Cassini in 1941 she was planning to wear this amazing lace dress, designed especially for her by …
Back When Everybody Smoked…
More and more smokers are becoming social pariahs. They have to stand on the street in the rain outside restaurants, bars, pubs and even their own …
Scream Queens: Elsa Lanchester
You might not recognize the name Elsa Lanchester, but you'll definitely recognize her in her most famous role: as the Bride of Frankenstein. …
Bizarre 1950s Body Jewelry
So, who knew there was a trend for body jewelry in the 50s? These photos are from 1951 of 'Cling' jewelry, which presumably was somehow stuck to …
Happy Vintage New Year!
What better way to start off the new year by seeing how they celebrated in years gone by! These are some of my favourite vintage new year pin ups …
Iconic Wedding Dresses #6: Mia Farrow (1966)
When 21-year-old Mia Farrow married Frank Sinatra (who was 50 at the time) in 1966 she wore an white skirt suit with a bow at the waist. The boxy …
1950s Wet Proof Paper Bikini..?
Er, I can't claim to tell you much about these photos except that they were labelled 'wet proof paper' 1953. I have to assume that the bikini and …
Building Mount Rushmore, 1940
I've often wondered how enormous monuments such as Mount Rushmore are created. Having said that, even having seen these photos I'm not sure how teams …
Iconic Wedding Dresses #5: Elizabeth Taylor (1964)
When Elizabeth Taylor married Richard Burton for the first time after a tumultuous affair on the set of Cleopatra she chose as her wedding gown a …
WW2 Fashion: Liquid Seamed Stockings
If you think you need a steady hand to apply eyeliner, then try drawing straight seams up the backs of your legs! During WW2 when stockings were in …
Slenderizing Salons of the 1940s
You thought zumba and ashtanga yoga were torture enough in the pursuit of youth and fitness? Be grateful you didn't live in the 1940s when young …
Iconic Wedding Dresses #4: Ava Gardner (1951)
When Ava Gardner married Frank Sinatra after months of media speculation the world went wild. This was Gardner's third marriage and she had long …
The First Ever Miss Universe Contest, 1952
It was the lovely Armi Kuusela from Finland who won the first ever Miss Universe contest in 1952*, with Miss Hawaii, Miss Greece, Miss Hong Kong and …