42 Vintage Photos of Life in Paris during the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries
50 Amazing Behind the Scenes Photos Showing the Making of ‘Return of The Jedi’ (1983)
After rescuing Han Solo from the palace of Jabba the Hutt, the rebels attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to make Vader return from the dark side of the Force.
Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, marketed as simply Return of the Jedi, is a 1983 science fiction film directed by Richard Marquand and written by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. It is the third film in the Star Wars saga, and the third and final film in the original trilogy. It is the sixth chapter internal chronology.
The film is set one year after the Empire’s invasion of Cloud City, when Luke Skywalker and friends travel to Tatooine to rescue their friend Han Solo from the vile Jabba the Hutt. The Empire prepares to crush the Rebellion with a more powerful Death Star, while the Rebel fleet mounts a massive attack on the space station. Luke Skywalker confronts his father, Darth Vader, in a final climactic duel before the evil Emperor.
The film debuted on May 25, 1983, and was released on VHS and LaserDisc in this form multiple times during the 1980s and ’90s. Looking at the behind the scenes photos of Return of The Jedi, producing so many movies simultaneously would have been insane to attempt at the time.
28 Remarkable Photos Showing the World in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries
18 Vintage Photos of The Sun and Star Rooftop Café in Atlantic City in the Winter of 1948
Visiting Atlantic City in January, you most likely wouldn’t have your bikini and sunglasses in tow, but in the winter of 1948, the Senator Hotel had a secret weapon for attracting guests all year round. Perched above the snow-capped buildings of the seaside resort, this skyscraper hotel boasted a portal to the tropics with a modern sky cabana equipped with state of the art sunlamps, sun loungers and most importantly, lots of ice cream on the menu.
Sip on a cocktail decked in a bikini, or order your kids some ice cream while you enjoy the view… of snow-capped buildings outside, that is! Fortunately, the world has since become informed about the dangers of tanning (skin cancer), and the use of sunlamps has since been regulated. The idea is still lovely, though.
(Photos: Nina Leen/LIFE magazine)
35 Incredible Vintage Photos of U.S. Presidents When They Were Young
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.
The power of the presidency has grown substantially since its formation, as has the power of the federal government as a whole. While presidential power has ebbed and flowed over time, the presidency has played an increasingly strong role in American political life since the beginning of the 20th century, with a notable expansion during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In contemporary times, the president is also looked upon as one of the world’s most powerful political figures as the leader of the only remaining global superpower. As the leader of the nation with the largest economy by nominal GDP, the president possesses significant domestic and international hard and soft power.
Article II of the Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government and vests the executive power in the president. The power includes the execution and enforcement of federal law and the responsibility to appoint federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial officers. Based on constitutional provisions empowering the president to appoint and receive ambassadors and conclude treaties with foreign powers, and on subsequent laws enacted by Congress, the modern presidency has primary responsibility for conducting U.S. foreign policy. The role includes responsibility for directing the world’s most expensive military, which has the second largest nuclear arsenal.
The president also plays a leading role in federal legislation and domestic policymaking. As part of the system of checks and balances, Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution gives the president the power to sign or veto federal legislation. Since modern presidents are also typically viewed as the leaders of their political parties, major policymaking is significantly shaped by the outcome of presidential elections, with presidents taking an active role in promoting their policy priorities to members of Congress who are often electorally dependent on the president. In recent decades, presidents have also made increasing use of executive orders, agency regulations, and judicial appointments to shape domestic policy.
The president is elected indirectly through the Electoral College to a four-year term, along with the vice president. Under the Twenty-second Amendment, ratified in 1951, no person who has been elected to two presidential terms may be elected to a third. In addition, nine vice presidents have become president by virtue of a president’s intra-term death or resignation. In all, 45 individuals have served 46 presidencies spanning 58 full four-year terms.
Joe Biden is the 46th and current president of the United States, having assumed office on January 20, 2021. (Wikipedia)
23 Wonderful Photos Showing Lovely Moments Between People And Their Dogs
37 Vintage Photos of Rock Hudson in the 1950s and 1960s
Born 1925 as Roy Harold Scherer, Jr. in Winnetka, Illinois, American actor Rock Hudson was generally known for his turns as a leading man during the 1950s and 1960s. Viewed as a prominent “heartthrob” of the Hollywood Golden Age, he achieved stardom with roles in films such as Magnificent Obsession (1954), All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Giant (1956), and found continued success with a string of romantic comedies co-starring Doris Day in Pillow Talk (1959), Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964).
After appearing in films including Seconds (1966), Tobruk (1967) and Ice Station Zebra (1968) during the late 1960s, Hudson began a second career in television through the 1970s and 1980s, starring in the popular mystery series McMillan & Wife and the primetime ABC soap opera Dynasty.
Numerous film magazines declared Hudson Star of the Year, Favorite Leading Man, and similar titles. He appeared in nearly 70 films and starred in several television productions during a career that spanned more than four decades.
In 1956 he was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Giant.
Hudson died from AIDS-related complications in 1985, becoming the first major celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness.
These handsome pictures capture him in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Disposable Clothing: Hot Trend “Paper Dress” Was a Short-Lived Fashion Novelty Item in the Mid-1960s
During the 1960s styles were constantly changing and there were many brief fashion fads and trends. One such trend was that of the paper dress.
‘Disposable’ clothing reached its peak around 1966-68 but was generally more of a gimmick than a viable alternative. Society was adopting an increasingly ‘throw-away’ attitude; disposable cutlery, and cigarette lighters were already commonplace. Throw-away clothes, furniture etc. were the next logical step.
In 1966, Scott Paper Company invented the paper dress, intended as a marketing and publicity tool. For one dollar, women could buy the dress and also receive coupons for Scott paper products. It originally came in two designs, a black and white Op Art motif and a red bandanna pattern. Scott advertisers described the paper dress as “created to make you the conversation piece at parties. Smashingly different at dances or perfectly packaged at picnics. Wear it anytime…anywhere. Won’t last forever…who cares? Wear it for kicks — then give it the air.” When orders for half a million dresses poured in, the promotion overwhelmed the Scott Company. Six months after it began, company executives abruptly ended the advertising campaign stating they “didn’t want to turn into dress manufacturers.”
When Scott stepped out of the paper garment industry, others quickly filled the void. By 1967, Mars Manufacturing Company of Asheville was the nation’s leading producer of paper dresses, selling 80,000 to 100,000 a week. From its basic A-line shift, the company expanded its line to include bell-bottom jump suits, evening gowns, aprons, men’s vests, children’s dresses and even swimming trunks.
What began as a mail order business turned into a huge fad. Paper dresses were sold conveniently in drug and grocery stores as well as department stores and boutiques. Consumers often could buy matching paper party decorations right along with the disposable clothes. The disposability of the garments and their expedient purchase implied modernity and leisure. Paper dresses were an attractive alternative since you could shorten them with a pair of scissors and mend them with scotch tape, or throw them away when they got soiled.
When paper clothing hit the UK’s shores in 1967, even the Beatles got in on the fad and wore paper jackets in public. However, disposable clothes were not really much cheaper to make than ordinary dress production. The rage for paper lasted a short time and by 1974 it was already passé. Fashionable paper clothes died out rather suddenly, as Mod and Pop styles were replaced by the back-to-nature hippie lifestyle and as concerns about pollution, waste and flamability materialized.
50 Amazing Photos of Paris in the Late 1940s and 1950s
Paris is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,175,601 residents as of 2018, in an area of more than 105 square kilometres (41 square miles). Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of Europe’s major centres of finance, diplomacy, commerce, fashion, gastronomy, science, and arts. The City of Paris is the centre and seat of government of the region and province of Île-de-France, or Paris Region, which has an estimated population of 12,174,880, or about 18 percent of the population of France as of 2017. The Paris Region had a GDP of €709 billion ($808 billion) in 2017. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit Worldwide Cost of Living Survey in 2018, Paris was the second most expensive city in the world, after Singapore and ahead of Zürich, Hong Kong, Oslo, and Geneva. Another source ranked Paris as most expensive, on par with Singapore and Hong Kong, in 2018.
Paris is a major railway, highway, and air-transport hub served by two international airports: Paris–Charles de Gaulle (the second-busiest airport in Europe) and Paris–Orly. Opened in 1900, the city’s subway system, the Paris Métro, serves 5.23 million passengers daily; it is the second-busiest metro system in Europe after the Moscow Metro. Gare du Nord is the 24th-busiest railway station in the world, but the busiest located outside Japan, with 262 million passengers in 2015. Paris is especially known for its museums and architectural landmarks: the Louvre remained the most-visited museum in the world with 2,677,504 visitors in 2020, despite the long museum closings caused by the COVID-19 virus. The Musée d’Orsay, Musée Marmottan Monet and Musée de l’Orangerie are noted for their collections of French Impressionist art. The Pompidou Centre Musée National d’Art Moderne has the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe. The Musée Rodin and Musée Picasso exhibit the works of two noted Parisians. The historical district along the Seine in the city centre is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; popular landmarks there include the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris on the Île de la Cité, now closed for renovation after the 15 April 2019 fire. Other popular tourist sites include the Gothic royal chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, also on the Île de la Cité; the Eiffel Tower, constructed for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889; the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, built for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900; the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées, and the hill of Montmartre with its artistic history and its Basilica of Sacré-Coeur.
Paris received 12.6 million visitors in 2020, measured by hotel stays, a drop of 73 percent from 2019, due to the COVID-19 virus. The number of foreign visitors declined by 80.7 percent. Museums re-opened in 2021, with limitations on the number of visitors at a time and a requirement that visitors wear masks.
The football club Paris Saint-Germain and the rugby union club Stade Français are based in Paris. The 80,000-seat Stade de France, built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, is located just north of Paris in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Denis. Paris hosts the annual French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros. The city hosted the Olympic Games in 1900, 1924 and will host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, as well as the 1960, 1984 and 2016 UEFA European Championships were also held in the city. Every July, the Tour de France bicycle race finishes on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Photos by Willy Ronis (1910 – 2009)
40 Amazing Vintage Portraits of Persians Taken During the 19th Century
Antoin Sevruguin is one of the first photographers to document life during the reign of the Qajar dynasty in Persia (1785–1925). Born into a diplomat family in the Russian embassy in Tehran in 1830, Sevruguin traveled around the country as an artist and photographer portraying the everyday lives of the Iranian people from 1870 to 1930.
Gaining celebrity status for his photography, he was employed by Nasser al-Din Shah personally to photograph court parties, events, monuments, landscape, and cityscapes around the country. He even went on to open his own photography studio in Tehran, which further popularized the concept of portraiture and family photography for everyday people in the capital city.
Perhaps his most intriguing works are those that depict Qajar-era women in semi-erotic “European” poses, quite an extraordinary occurrence considering the conservative nature of Persian culture at the time (many of the women photographed by Sevruguin were the Shah’s consorts from his own harem).
The photos are further stunning in the sense that they illustrate the kind of inequality and cultural confusion that existed in a slowly modernizing Persian society in the late 19th century. Below are some of the selected works from Sevruguin’s portfolio:
