When once asked about her favorite singers, Marilyn Monroe answered, “Well, my very favorite person, and I love her as a person as well as a singer, I think she’s the greatest, and that’s Ella Fitzgerald.” By the 1950s, Fitzgerald’s enthralling singing voice had won her fans across the country. But the venues that hired her were often smaller clubs; some places weren’t interested in having an overweight Black woman perform for them, no matter her talent. Fitzgerald reportedly once told her press agent, “I know I make a lot of money at the jazz clubs I play, but I sure wish I could play at o ..read more

Born 1914 in Cincinnati, American actor Lee Bowman made his film debut in I Met Him in Paris (1937) for Paramount. He worked at that studio for a while, then RKO, before moving to MGM. The lack of leading men in World War II was a boost to Bowman’s career and he co-starred with Rita Hayworth in Cover Girl and Jean Arthur in The Impatient Years. He was signed by Columbia Pictures. The Impatient Years was a hit and Bowman was described in late 1944 as “now a very hot commodity in Hollywood.” However, he never quite progressed beyond supporting female stars and his status as a leading man faded ..read more

“When Philippe had an idea, Dalí was always willing to oblige and be the protagonist.” – Irene Halsman, the photographer’s daughter. One of the longest and most celebrated creative partnerships in art history was the one between portrait photographer Philippe Halsman and Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. Having first met in 1941, Halsman and Dalí embarked on a creative partnership that lasted for 37 years and resulted in thousands of pictures. Humor fueled the longevity of Halsman’s friendship and collaborative spark with Dalí. Neither shied away from what others may have thought outrageous ..read more

Portrait photographs in the 1850s and 1860s required subjects to sit motionless for exposures often lasting twenty to sixty seconds. To aid in this formidable task, head clamps and sit-still apparatus, as depicted in this tintype, were common to early photographic studios. “The public dreaded going to the gallery almost as much as to the dentist.” One observer wrote, “Glare, bareness, screens, iron instruments of torture, and a smell as of a drug and chemical … a photographer’s operating room is always something between a barn, a green-room, and a laboratory ..read more

It’s only natural to be a little curious about the man behind the name. After all, he is a legend. So let’s get to it. Fred Astaire was born on May 10, 1899 to Fritz and Ann Austerlitz. The Austerlitz Family lived in Omaha, Nebraska and he had a sister, Adele, who was 18 months his senior. She showed herself to be a natural dancer, while Fred displayed a similar natural ability for music as well as dancing.  When their mother saw their talent she started dreaming of moving to New York City so that they could perform as a brother-sister pair in vaudeville. An opportunity presented itself ..read more

“If Johnny Rotten is the voice of punk, then [Sid] Vicious is the attitude,” proclaimed manager of the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren. Simon John Ritchie, otherwise known as Sid Vicious, was the bassist in the explosive British punk band Sex Pistols. The band’s rise to fame in the late ‘70s defined them as the band that personified the image, energy, and ethos of the British underground music scene—and history has held Vicious at the center of it all. In his unabashed shocking attitude and hedonistic lifestyle, Vicious did not seem as real as the rest of his contemporaries; instead, he was pun ..read more

Ceil Chapman (1912–1979) was an American fashion designer who worked in New York City from the 1940s to the 1960s. She created glamorous cocktail and party dresses, and worked with celebrity clients including television and movie actresses. Fashion designs by Ceil Chapman in the 1940s and ’50s After two years of college, Chapman obtained a position in the workroom of a large Fifth Avenue store in New York. Within three years, she was made head of the studio, staying for eight years. Around 1940, she was involved in a short-lived business called Her Ladyship Gowns, formed with Gloria ..read more

Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya, an enthusiastic photographer was the first king of India to organize an annual photographic exhibition at his palace in Tripura. His wife Maharani Khuman Chanu Manmohini Devi was also an amateur photographer. Maharaj took this picture with the help of a black lever attached to a triggering device used a long wire shutter control and is believed to be the first ‘selfie’ in India. Photo of Maharaja Birchandra, King of Tripura with his queen Maharani Manamohini taken by the king himself, 1880. History tells us that in the 19th century, there was Maharaja B ..read more

Camping and kayaking in the 1960s were characterized by a sense of adventure and self-reliance. Campers often used canvas tents, basic sleeping bags, and portable stoves for cooking. Kayaks were typically wooden or fiberglass, and paddlers explored rivers and lakes with maps and compasses as their guides. It was a time of genuine outdoor exploration, where people sought remote destinations and embraced the simplicity of outdoor life. These wonderful photos were found by Past of a Stranger that show people camping and kayaking in the 1960s. See more ..read more

Rarely seen photographs taken during the filming of Dr No in Jamaica. They were most likely taken by the production stills photographer Bunny Yeager but that is not fully confirmed. Terence Young directed. Bunny was definitely on set during the shooting of the scenes on the beach. She describes how she came to take the photos in her book Camera in Jamaica: “The photos of Ursula wearing a bikini and shirt, posing besides some roots were made a few feet away from the scene of the film. The cinematographer and crew took a break because cloud was overhead so I was able to sneak in a few shots ..read more