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Vintage: Christmas in New York City (1910s)

Vintage: Christmas in New York City (1910s)

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The date of Christmas and some American traditions have pagan roots. In the Roman Empire, December 25th was the day of “natalis solis invict” (the Roman birth of the unconquered sun), and the birthday of Mithras, the Iranian “Sun of Righteousness.” Saturnalia, a Roman festival that honored the sun, lasted from December 17th to December 23rd. The winter solstice, the…
Flying Train “Wuppertal Schwebebahn” in Germany, 1902

Flying Train “Wuppertal Schwebebahn” in Germany, 1902

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Construction on the actual Schwebebahn began in 1898, overseen by the government’s master builder, Wilhelm Feldmann. On 24 October 1900, Emperor Wilhelm II participated in a monorail trial run. In 1901 the railway came into operation. It opened in sections: the line from Kluse to Zoo/Stadion opened on 1 March, the line to the western terminus at Vohwinkel opened on…
Vintage: Historic B&W photos of Brussels in 1908

Vintage: Historic B&W photos of Brussels in 1908

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During the 19th century, the population of Brussels grew considerably; from about 80,000 to more than 625,000 people for the city and its surroundings. The Senne had become a serious health hazard, and from 1867 to 1871, under the tenure of the city’s then-mayor, Jules Anspach, its entire course through the urban area was completely covered over. This allowed urban…
Vintage: Portraits by Ruth Harriet Louise (1920s)

Vintage: Portraits by Ruth Harriet Louise (1920s)

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Ruth Harriet Louise (1903 – 1940) was an American professional photographer, the first woman photographer active in Hollywood; she ran Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s portrait studio from 1925 to 1930. Louise began working as a portrait photographer in 1922, working out of a music store down the block from the New Brunswick temple at which her father was a rabbi. Most of her…
Vintage: Three Eyed Cats by Weegee

Vintage: Three Eyed Cats by Weegee

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Arthur Fellig, known by his pseudonym Weegee was a photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white photography. The three eyed cat meaning relates to the symbolism of the mythical creature that appears in many ancient spiritual texts. This creature appears as a cat with a third eye between its eyebrows, symbolizing the third eye chakra that we…
Vintage: New York by Andreas Feininger (1940s)

Vintage: New York by Andreas Feininger (1940s)

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In advance of World War II, in 1939, Andreas Feininger immigrated to the U.S. where he established himself as a freelance photographer. In 1943 he joined the staff of Life magazine, an association that lasted until 1962. Feininger became famous for his photographs of New York.
Vintage: Young Winston Churchill (1884-1904)

Vintage: Young Winston Churchill (1884-1904)

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Churchill was born at the family’s ancestral home, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, on 30 November 1874, at which time the United Kingdom was the dominant world power. Direct descendants of the Dukes of Marlborough, his family were among the highest levels of the British aristocracy, and thus he was born into the country’s governing elite. His paternal grandfather, John Spencer-Churchill,…
Vintage: The Forth Bridge Construction (1890s)

Vintage: The Forth Bridge Construction (1890s)

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Construction of the bridge began in 1882 and it was opened on 4 March 1890 by the Duke of Rothesay, the future Edward VII. The bridge spans the Forth between the villages of South Queensferry and North Queensferry and has a total length of 8,094 feet (2,467 m). When it opened it had the longest single cantilever bridge span in…
Vinatge: Portraits by Will Burgdorf (1920s)

Vinatge: Portraits by Will Burgdorf (1920s)

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Will Burgdorf (1905 – 1944) was a German photographer. Went to Dresden at the beginning of the 1920s, where he completed his training in the studio of Bruno Wiehr, back to his hometown in the late 1920s still a teenager. Burgdorf had specialized in portrait photography. Before his camera, which he also used for photographic self-study and portraits of his…
Vinatge: Portraits of Gloria Grahame (1940s-1950s)

Vinatge: Portraits of Gloria Grahame (1940s-1950s)

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Gloria Grahame (1923 – 1981), known professionally as Gloria Grahame, was an American stage, film, and television actress and singer. She began her acting career in theatre and in 1944 made her first film for MGM. Despite a featured role in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), MGM did not believe she had the potential for major success, and sold her…
Vintage: El Helicoide Construction (1950s)

Vintage: El Helicoide Construction (1950s)

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El Helicoide is built on a hill in Roca Tarpeya between the parishes of San Pedro and San Agustín, in the extension of the avenues Armed Forces, President Medina Angarita, and Nueva Granada. It has the shape of a three-sided pyramid with curved points formed by elevated paved roads intended for vehicle traffic and parking around an enclosed central area.…
Vintage: Portraits of Dolores Costello – Silent Movie Star

Vintage: Portraits of Dolores Costello – Silent Movie Star

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Dolores Costello (1903 – 1979) was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. She had a younger sister, Helene, and the two made their first film appearances in the years 1909–1915 as child actresses for the Vitagraph Film Company. The two sisters appeared on Broadway together as chorines and their success resulted…
Vintage: Portraits of James Cagney

Vintage: Portraits of James Cagney

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James Cagney (1899 – 1986) was an American actor and dancer, both on stage and in film. Known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing, he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances. He is remembered by some for playing multifaceted tough guys in films such as The Public Enemy (1931),…
Vintage: Fiat Rooftop Test Track in Turin (1920s)

Vintage: Fiat Rooftop Test Track in Turin (1920s)

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The Lingotto building in Turin, Italy, once housed a Fiat factory. Construction started in 1916 and the building opened in 1923. The design (by young architect Matté Trucco) was unusual in that it had five floors, with raw materials going in at the ground floor, and cars built on a line that went up through the building. Finished cars emerged…
Vintage: New York’s original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (1903)

Vintage: New York’s original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (1903)

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The original Waldorf-Astoria was among America’s first big hotels. When it was built during the Victorian era, and for years thereafter, it was considered the finest hotel in the world — and it soon became the most famous, for its reputation was carried wherever civilization had spread, and even where only explorers had gone. The roster of its clientele has…
Vintage: America by Jack Delano (1940s)

Vintage: America by Jack Delano (1940s)

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After graduating from the PAFA, Delano proposed a photographic project to the Federal Art Project: a study of mining conditions in the Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania anthracite coal area. Delano sent sample pictures to Roy Stryker and applied for a job at the Farm Security Administration Photography program FSA. Through the help of Edwin Rosskam and Marion Post Wolcott, Stryker offered…
Vintage: Shropshire Shop Fronts by Joseph Lewis della-Porta (1888)

Vintage: Shropshire Shop Fronts by Joseph Lewis della-Porta (1888)

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Joseph (Lewis) Della Porta was from a family of shopkeepers. His father, also called Joseph, was an immigrant from Northern Italy. He settled in Shrewsbury in about 1848 and established a small shop on Princess Street. The business prospered and expanded into adjoining shops including Lloyds Mansion, the Tudor building which stood on the corner of the Square. The store…
Vintage: Portraits of Pola Negri – Silent Movie Star

Vintage: Portraits of Pola Negri – Silent Movie Star

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Pola Negri (1897 – 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress who achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienne and femme fatale roles. Raised in the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Negri’s childhood was marked by several personal hardships: After her father was sent to Siberia, she was raised by…
Vintage: Hollywood actress Ella Raines (1940s)

Vintage: Hollywood actress Ella Raines (1940s)

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Ella Raines (1920 – 1988) was an American film and television actress. Ella Raines studied drama at the University of Washington and was appearing in a play there when she was seen by director Howard Hawks. She became the first actress signed to the new production company he had formed with the actor Charles Boyer, B-H Productions, and made her…
Vintage: Alaska (1896 – 1899)

Vintage: Alaska (1896 – 1899)

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Various scenes in Alaska in such areas as Devil’s Lake, Skagway, Miles Canon, Chilcoot Pass, Lake Bennet, and Sitka by an unidentified amateur, taken between 1896 and 1899, and held by the DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University.