Eartha Kitt Playing in a Tree, New York, 1952

Gordon Parks, who was the first black photographer on staff at both Vogue and LIFE magazines, is best known for the photo essays he shot for the latter, where, wielding the camera that he referred to as his “choice of weapon,” he created searing portraits of black life in the years before and during theContinue reading “Eartha Kitt Playing in a Tree, New York, 1952”

How to Dress Like a Flapper: A 1920s Guide to Good Posture With Julia Faye

In 1928, renowned actress Julia Faye published a “Guide to Good Posture For Flappers” and it is blowing our minds. The dictionary defines a flapper as – “A young woman, especially one in the 1920s, who showed disdain for conventional dress and behavior.” That is, conventional in the 1920s. The style came around after theContinue reading “How to Dress Like a Flapper: A 1920s Guide to Good Posture With Julia Faye”

A Highly Suggestive French Postcard Entitled ‘How to Eat a Banana!’ From the 1920s

“Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”A French postcard from the 1920s shows how to eat a banana from age 18-40. Not sure why not peeling said banana… A half a century ago, bananas were more delicious. They were creamier with a more delectable tropical fruit taste. When they ripened, they stayedContinue reading “A Highly Suggestive French Postcard Entitled ‘How to Eat a Banana!’ From the 1920s”

One of Marilyn’s Very First Movies: 12 Rare Photos of Marilyn Monroe in ‘Dangerous Years’ (1947)

Dangerous Years is a 1947 American drama film produced by Sol M. Wurtzel, directed by Arthur Pierson. Marilyn Monroe makes her first on screen appearance as Evie, the waitress in the restaurant scene. Actually, her voice previously appeared in the film The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, which was released months earlier, as an uncredited voice asContinue reading “One of Marilyn’s Very First Movies: 12 Rare Photos of Marilyn Monroe in ‘Dangerous Years’ (1947)”

Fantastic Photos of Annette Funicello at Disneyland in the 1950s

Born in Utica, New York, American actress and singer Annette Joanne Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve, and rose to prominence as one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the original Mickey Mouse Club. As a teenager, Funicello transitioned to a successful career as a singer withContinue reading “Fantastic Photos of Annette Funicello at Disneyland in the 1950s”

Vintage Photos Show How Women Straighten Their Hair With a Clothes Iron From the 1960s

Hair straighteners have become popular in the early 1960s and have been in use ever since. Some women used clothes irons to straighten their hair. This dangerous practice was abandoned after the 1960s although it can still be found in some countries. The sexual revolution was not the only backlash against the idealistic demands placedContinue reading “Vintage Photos Show How Women Straighten Their Hair With a Clothes Iron From the 1960s”

Teenage Girl Arrested for Protesting Segregation, Mississippi, 1961

Joan Trumpauer Mulholland might seem like an unlikely civil rights hero: a white teenage girl with a conservative upbringing in Arlington, Virginia, during the Jim Crow era of segregation. But by the time she was 19 years old, she had participated in over three dozen sit-ins and protests in the South against the treatment ofContinue reading “Teenage Girl Arrested for Protesting Segregation, Mississippi, 1961”

Here Are 17 Amazing Rules Pregnant Women Had to Follow in the 1950s

Back in the 1950s, there were many pregnancy rules that are no longer rules today. Many studies have been conducted over the decades to find what was harmful to pregnant women and what was not was behind the changes. That being said, the rules that pregnant women had to follow in the 1950s are starklyContinue reading “Here Are 17 Amazing Rules Pregnant Women Had to Follow in the 1950s”

Vintage Photos and the Story of “Olga the Headless Girl” in the Late 1930s and 1940s

The Headless Lady illusion was a popular magic trick performed at sideshows in the 1940s. As the story goes, the poor woman lost her head in a horrible accident, but doctors were able to keep her alive through the miracle of new scientific technology. Fargo, “Olga the Headless Girl” was an illusionary sideshow and wasContinue reading “Vintage Photos and the Story of “Olga the Headless Girl” in the Late 1930s and 1940s”