Annie Edson Taylor (1838-1921) was an American adventurer who, on her 63rd birthday, October 24, 1901, became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Desiring to secure her later years financially, and avoid the poorhouse, she decided she would be the first person to ride over Niagara Falls inContinue reading “Annie Edson Taylor: The First Person to Survive Trip Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel in 1901”
Tag Archives: portraits
The Models for ‘American Gothic’, 1940s
On show with the late Grant Wood’s American Gothic, one of the most famed U.S. paintings of its generation, went the models who posed for it, Nan Wood Graham, the painter’s sister, wife of an oil-station operator, and Dr. B. H. McKeeby, a dentist. Occasion was the first showing of the picture in Cedar Rapids,Continue reading “The Models for ‘American Gothic’, 1940s”
Amazing Photos of the Seven Sutherland Sisters And Their 37 Feet of Hair From the 19th Century
Sarah, Victoria, Isabella, Grace, Naomi, Dora and Mary: the seven Sutherland sisters were born in quick succession between 1846 and 1865. They were raised in a small log cabin in Niagara County, New York State. Education was a luxury, shoes were worn only on Sundays, the girls’ dresses were sewn from burlap and their motherContinue reading “Amazing Photos of the Seven Sutherland Sisters And Their 37 Feet of Hair From the 19th Century”
Ananda Mahidol: The Mysterious Death of a King
Ananda Mahidol, Thailand’s king Rama VIII, died on the 3rd of June, 1946. He was only twenty at the time. A child when he was elected successor to the throne in 1935, he continued to be educated in Switzerland, not visiting Thailand as king until 1938 when he was thirteen. The Japanese invaded Thailand theContinue reading “Ananda Mahidol: The Mysterious Death of a King”
Fearful 16-Year-Old German Soldier Crying Tears of Defeat, After Being Captured by the US 9th Army in Germany, 1945
A sixteen-year old German anti aircraft soldier of the Hitler Youth, Hans-Georg Henke, taken prisoner in the state of Hessen, Germany. He was a member of the Luftwaffe anti-air squad who burst into tears as his world crumbled around him. His father died in 1938 but when his mother died in 1944 leaving the familyContinue reading “Fearful 16-Year-Old German Soldier Crying Tears of Defeat, After Being Captured by the US 9th Army in Germany, 1945”
Method of Women’s Self Defense: Vintage Photos From 1906 Illustrate Modes for Warding Off a Street Bully or Foul
In 1906, the famed New York City photographer Percy C. Byron was commissioned to take a series of studio photographs depicting “Dr. Latson’s Method of Self Defense”. The pictures show an athletic young woman demonstrating an unarmed combat stance, several techniques of self defence with an umbrella and a stamping side kick to the attacker’sContinue reading “Method of Women’s Self Defense: Vintage Photos From 1906 Illustrate Modes for Warding Off a Street Bully or Foul”
31 Amazing Photos Showing Beautiful Women From the 1950s
Behind the Scenes at the Cabaret: Intimate and Candid Vintage Photographs of Burlesque Dancers From the 1930s
Margaret Bourke-White’s extensive and diverse career captured many historic moments. In the male-dominated world of early twentieth century photojournalism, Bourke-White undeniably stands as a pioneer. She was the first female war correspondent, the first woman permitted to work in combat zones, the first woman to fly on a bombing mission during the Second World WarContinue reading “Behind the Scenes at the Cabaret: Intimate and Candid Vintage Photographs of Burlesque Dancers From the 1930s”
Amazing Photos of White Wolf, aka Chief John Smith, the Oldest Native American to Have Ever Lived
At the ripe age of 137, White Wolf a.k.a. Chief John Smith is considered the oldest Native American to have ever lived, 1785-1922. When asked the secret to good health, Chief Smith responded “I never fly United Airlines.” The Minneapolis Morning Tribune obituary says Ga-Be-Nah-Gewn-Wonce (variously known as Kay-bah-nung-we-way, Sloughing Flesh, Wrinkled Meat or plainContinue reading “Amazing Photos of White Wolf, aka Chief John Smith, the Oldest Native American to Have Ever Lived”
Heart-Wrenching Colorized Photos Depicting Child Labor in Early 20th Century America
Photographer Lewis Wickes Hine once said: “There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work.” Lewis Wickes Hine was an American sociologist and photographer whose work was instrumental in changingContinue reading “Heart-Wrenching Colorized Photos Depicting Child Labor in Early 20th Century America”
