Category Archives: life & culture

80 Amazing Black and White Photographs Show the World From the 1940s to the 1960s

Édouard Boubat was born in Montmartre, Paris in 1923. He studied typography and graphic arts at the École Estienne and worked for a printing company before becoming a photographer. In 1943 he was subjected to service du travail obligatoire, forced labour of French people in Nazi Germany, and witnessed the horrors of World War II.Continue reading “80 Amazing Black and White Photographs Show the World From the 1940s to the 1960s”

Early Edwardian Life Through the Lens of Émile Zola

Born 1840 in Paris, French novelist, playwright, journalist Émile Zola was also the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. Zola was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer AlfredContinue reading “Early Edwardian Life Through the Lens of Émile Zola”

37 Vintage Photos of Chicago in 1941

In the depths of the Great Depression, the United States government created the Resettlement Administration to help provide relief for drought-stricken and impoverished farmers. The RA was restructured and renamed the Farm Security Administration in 1937. One of the FSA’s most notable efforts was its small team of documentary photographers, who traveled the country recordingContinue reading “37 Vintage Photos of Chicago in 1941”

40 Wonderful Photos Showing Californian Street Fashion in the Mid-1970s

Fashion in the 1970s was about individuality. Common items included mini skirts, bell-bottoms popularized by hippies, and the androgynous glam rock and disco styles that introduced platform shoes, bright colors, glitter, and satin. Generally the most famous silhouette of the mid and late 1970s for both genders was that of tight on top and looseContinue reading “40 Wonderful Photos Showing Californian Street Fashion in the Mid-1970s”

50 Vintage Photos of People Wearing Bathing Suits From Between the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

By the end of the 19th century people were flocking to the oceanside beaches for popular seaside activities such as swimming, surf bathing, and diving. The clumsy Victorian-style bathing costumes were becoming burdensome. A need for a new style bathing suits that retained modesty but was free enough to allow the young lady to engageContinue reading “50 Vintage Photos of People Wearing Bathing Suits From Between the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries”

25 Vintage Photos Showing Life in America From Between the 1940s and 1960s

Introduced in 1935 as the first modern color film, Kodachrome was used extensively after World War II by amateur photographers equipped with the new high-quality and low cost 35mm cameras. Americans in Kodachrome 1945-1965 is an unprecedented portrayal of the daily life of the people during these formative years of modern American culture. It isContinue reading “25 Vintage Photos Showing Life in America From Between the 1940s and 1960s”

67 Amazing Photos of Afghanistan during the 1960s before the Taliban

When you think of Afghanistan, you probably don’t think of short skirts, nice cars and liberal lifestyles, but just as Iran looked very different in the 1970s, these fascinating pictures show that Afghanistan in the 1960s was a very different country than the one that exists today. The pictures were taken by American university professorContinue reading “67 Amazing Photos of Afghanistan during the 1960s before the Taliban”

46 Amazing Photos Showing Life at Restaurants and Stores in Norfolk, Virginia in 1919

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Beach. Norfolk is located at the core of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, named for the large natural harbor of the same name located at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay.Continue reading “46 Amazing Photos Showing Life at Restaurants and Stores in Norfolk, Virginia in 1919”

31 Amazing Photos That Show Street Life in New York City in the 1940s

Fred Stein (1909-1967) was an early pioneer of the hand-held camera who became a gifted street photographer in Paris and New York after he was forced to flee his native Germany by the Nazi threat in the early 1930s. He explored the new creative possibilities of photography, capturing spontaneous scenes from life on the street.Continue reading “31 Amazing Photos That Show Street Life in New York City in the 1940s”