In November 1940, LIFE photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt went to New York City and captured model Pat Ogden testing out the trendiest fitness fad of the decade – the Slenderizing Salon. Using metal rollers to massage women’s “problem areas,” the Slenderizing Salon claimed to help women lose weight without exercise by stimulating muscle contractions. (Photos byContinue reading “This 1940s ‘Slenderizing’ Equipment Promised to Reduce Hips, Buttocks and Thighs”
Tag Archives: New York
20 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know About the Woodstock Music Festival of 1969
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to simply as Woodstock, was a music festival held August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York, 40 miles (65 km) southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as “an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music” and alternatively referred to as theContinue reading “20 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know About the Woodstock Music Festival of 1969”
Amazing Vintage Photographs Capture Harlem Street Life in the Late 1930s
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harlem area encompasses several other neighborhoods and extends west to theContinue reading “Amazing Vintage Photographs Capture Harlem Street Life in the Late 1930s”
18 Harrowing Photographs of Heroin Addicts in New York in the 1960s
In February 1965, LIFE magazine published an extraordinary photo essay on two New York City heroin addicts, John and Karen. Photographed by Bill Eppridge, the pictures — and the accompanying article, reported and written by LIFE associate editor James Mills — were part of a two-part series on narcotics in the United States. A sensitive,Continue reading “18 Harrowing Photographs of Heroin Addicts in New York in the 1960s”
The Collyer Brothers: Inside the New York City Hoarders’ Brownstone After They Were Found Dead in 1947
Homer and Langley Collyer were an extraordinary pair of brothers. They were born into one of New York City’s oldest families (Homer in 1881 and Langley in 1885) and lived in a mansion on Fifth Avenue near 128th Street, at a time when the Harlem address was fashionable. The pair obsessively collected books, furniture, musicalContinue reading “The Collyer Brothers: Inside the New York City Hoarders’ Brownstone After They Were Found Dead in 1947”
34 Vintage Photos of Chinese Humiliation Day Parade in NYC, May 1938
Twelve thousand Chinese people from all parts of the New York area closed their laundries and other businesses to take part in the largest demonstration ever staged in the United States. It observed China’s “National Humiliation Day,” the annual holiday on which China’s people pause to recall Japan’s humiliating twenty-one demands of May 9, 1915.Continue reading “34 Vintage Photos of Chinese Humiliation Day Parade in NYC, May 1938”
Early Portrait Photos Bring Americans From the 1840s to Life After Being Colorized
These amazing photographs were all taken in the 1840s using the daguerreotype which had just been invented. Images show various people from 1840s New York and bring to life how people looked and dressed in that era. They believed to have been taken by legendary early American photographer Matthew Brady, show a selection of 11Continue reading “Early Portrait Photos Bring Americans From the 1840s to Life After Being Colorized”
Inside the Speakeasies of New York in 1933
Prohibition in the United States lasted from 1920, when the 18th amendment prohibiting the sale of alcohol went into effect, until 1933, with its repeal via the 21st amendment. During the Prohibition, and forbade any sale, production importation, and transportation of alcoholic beverages, the speakeasy became the place to socialize at. These speakeasies were barsContinue reading “Inside the Speakeasies of New York in 1933”
The Iconic Photo of James Dean, Alone in the Rain, in the Middle of Times Square, 1955
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as troubled teenager Jim Stark. The other two rolesContinue reading “The Iconic Photo of James Dean, Alone in the Rain, in the Middle of Times Square, 1955”
Little Syria: Portraits of Syrian Immigrants in Lower Manhattan in the Early 20 Century
The Chinese have Chinatown. The Italians have Little Italy. And before the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel pummeled its way into Manhattan, people from the Middle East also shared a slice of the city’s history. Little Syria, as it was known, was the cultural hub of America’s first middle eastern immigrant community and it was located just southContinue reading “Little Syria: Portraits of Syrian Immigrants in Lower Manhattan in the Early 20 Century”
