The Last Photo Shoot of Kurt Cobain, 1993

In November 1993, about five months before Cobain died, Jesse Frohman, who has photographed countless celebrities and artists, was commissioned by Sunday Observer magazine of London to shoot Nirvana. They were going to be in New York performing at the Roseland Ballroom. The shoot was scheduled to take five hours. Frohman and his assistants quicklyContinue reading “The Last Photo Shoot of Kurt Cobain, 1993”

Louisa Clayton, the Woman Who Disguised Herself as a Man to Fight in the Civil War

Several hundred women disguised themselves as men and took the bold step of leaving the comforts of home to serve their country during the Civil War. Frances Clalin Clayton disguised herself as a man and took the name Jack Williams in order to fight in the army. For several months, she served in Missouri artilleryContinue reading “Louisa Clayton, the Woman Who Disguised Herself as a Man to Fight in the Civil War”

Mullet: The Terrible Hairstyle of the 1970s, 1980s and Early 1990s

The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides and long in the back. Mullets were used by rock stars Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Andy Mackay of Roxy Music, and Paul McCartney as far back as the early 1970s. The zenith of the mullet’s popularity in 1980s continental Europe has beenContinue reading “Mullet: The Terrible Hairstyle of the 1970s, 1980s and Early 1990s”

Portraits of Zahra Khanom Tadj es-Saltaneh, the Beauty Symbol of Persia For Whom 13 Men Committed Suicide When She Refused to Marry Them

The definition of beauty has evolved drastically over the time. Every country has its version of what a woman should look like to be considered beautiful. In 19th century Persia, the Western beauty standards were not dominant. So of course, they had their own beauty standards and their own concept of beauty. The more masculineContinue reading “Portraits of Zahra Khanom Tadj es-Saltaneh, the Beauty Symbol of Persia For Whom 13 Men Committed Suicide When She Refused to Marry Them”

A Collection of Funny Photobooth Portraits of World War II Soldiers

These funny photobooths are from war-time photo album of John Beat, 14 BSD, RASC. North Africa, where he was in stores and supplies as part of the Royal Army Service Corp. Ever the joker, John posed for some souvenir photos with his best friends on leave in Cairo in March 1942.

Early Agfacolor Photography: Fabulous Found Slides Capture Portrait of an Unknown German Lady in the 1930s

Agfacolor was the name of a series of color film products made by Agfa of Germany. The first Agfacolor, introduced in 1932, was a film-based version of their Agfa-Farbenplatte (Agfa color plate), a “screen plate” product similar to the French Autochrome. In late 1936 Agfa introduced Agfacolor Neu (New Agfacolor), a pioneering color film ofContinue reading “Early Agfacolor Photography: Fabulous Found Slides Capture Portrait of an Unknown German Lady in the 1930s”

With Copper, Foil and Paint, a Little-Known American Sculptor Saved Scores of World War I Soldiers From a Faceless Future

Born in Philadelphia in 1878, Anna Coleman Ladd was a classically trained sculptress who in 1917 founded the American Red Cross Studio for Portrait Masks in Paris. Anna was inspired to offer her talent as an artist to help soldiers in France after reading an article about Francis Derwent Wood and his “Tin Noses Shop”Continue reading “With Copper, Foil and Paint, a Little-Known American Sculptor Saved Scores of World War I Soldiers From a Faceless Future”

Meet Ralph C. Lincoln From Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 11th Generation Lincoln, 3rd Cousin of Abraham Lincoln

Ralph C. Lincoln, the assistant manager at Vitamin World in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, looks strikingly similar to a very famous American – the 16th U.S. President – Abraham Lincoln. Many people have told him “you look just like Abe.” He smiles and replies, “Which one? There are several Abrahams in the family.” Meet Ralph C. LincolnContinue reading “Meet Ralph C. Lincoln From Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 11th Generation Lincoln, 3rd Cousin of Abraham Lincoln”

Dolls and Masks: The Wildly Strange Family Album Photos of Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Photographer Ralph Eugene Meatyard, who was born in Normal, Illinois, in 1925 and died of cancer in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1972, worked his entire adult life as an optician, making lenses for glasses. Though he took and developed thousands of pictures, only a sampling of his work has been published. By vocation an optician, byContinue reading “Dolls and Masks: The Wildly Strange Family Album Photos of Ralph Eugene Meatyard”