London entered the 20th century at the height of its influence as the capital of the largest empire in history, but the new century was to bring many challenges. London was the largest city in the world from about 1825 until it was overtaken by New York City in 1925. The years between Queen Victoria’sContinue reading “Edwardian London as Seen Through the Eyes of a Russian Tourist”
Category Archives: life & culture
Beautiful Vintage Kodachrome Photos of Mid-Century Chicago
Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the third-most populous in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. With a population of 2,746,388 in the 2020 census, it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. As the seat of Cook County (theContinue reading “Beautiful Vintage Kodachrome Photos of Mid-Century Chicago”
Beautiful Postcards of Cape Town in the 1960s
Cape Town is one of South Africa’s three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest (after Johannesburg). Colloquially named the Mother City, it is the largest city of the Western Cape province,Continue reading “Beautiful Postcards of Cape Town in the 1960s”
Vikki Dougan in Black Backless Dress on the Streets of Hollywood in 1957, the Series Photo That Changed Fashion Forever
If you were to conjure an image of typical 1950s fashion, there’s no doubt the visual would be brimming with knee-length skirts and shoulder covering tops. It was an era, like most before it, of conservative clothing. The bikini had been invented only a handful of years before, and society was still grappling with theContinue reading “Vikki Dougan in Black Backless Dress on the Streets of Hollywood in 1957, the Series Photo That Changed Fashion Forever”
Black and White Photos of Berlin in Ruins in 1945
Berlin is the most heavily bombed city in history. During World War II, large parts of Berlin were destroyed during 1943–45 Allied air raids and the 1945 Battle of Berlin. The Allies dropped 67,607 tons of bombs on the city, destroying 6,427 acres of the built-up area. Around 125,000 civilians were killed. After the endContinue reading “Black and White Photos of Berlin in Ruins in 1945”
Striking Photos Documenting Life of African-Americans in Chicago’s South Side in 1941
The Great Migrations from 1910 to 1960 brought millions of African-Americans from the rural South to Chicago, where they became an urban population. The mass exodus radically transformed Chicago, both politically and culturally. For many fleeing the segregation, disenfranchisement and increasing racist violence of the Jim Crow South, the industrial hub of Chicago, with thousandsContinue reading “Striking Photos Documenting Life of African-Americans in Chicago’s South Side in 1941”
30 Awful Album Covers Volume 8
Art is a strange creature. Ever mutating, evolving, and forever changing. Often the most obvious is overlooked. Often the over-looked is the most obvious in how we view the world around us. Often that which is overlooked is over shadowed by a more imposing medium. We identify so much with what we listen to andContinue reading “30 Awful Album Covers Volume 8”
Rare Photos of Outdoor Portraits in the Mid-19th Century
The relatively low cost of the daguerreotype in the middle of the 19th century and the reduced sitting time for the subject, though still much longer than now, led to a general rise in the popularity of portrait photography over painted portraiture. The style of these early works reflected the technical challenges associated with longContinue reading “Rare Photos of Outdoor Portraits in the Mid-19th Century”
30 Amazing Snapshots Capture Street Life in New York City From the Mid-1930s to the End of the 1940s
In the late 1930s, photographer Helen Levitt rode the New York City subway system, first as an apprentice to photographer Walker Evans, then snapping photos of aloof passengers wearing fur coats, flat-brim hats, and antique brooches. Yet for the majority of Levitt’s illustrious career (lasting until the 1990s), she ventured out of the underground toContinue reading “30 Amazing Snapshots Capture Street Life in New York City From the Mid-1930s to the End of the 1940s”
50 Amazing Vintage Photos From the 1920s Volume 13
The 1920s (pronounced “nineteen-twenties” often shortened to the “20s” or the “Twenties”) was a decade that began on January 1, 1920, and ended on December 31, 1929. In America, it is frequently referred to as the “Roaring Twenties” or the “Jazz Age”, while in Europe the period is sometimes referred to as the “Golden Twenties”Continue reading “50 Amazing Vintage Photos From the 1920s Volume 13”
Yesterday Today 