Ever heard of a floating Beetle? Well, the original VW Beetle could indeed float on water for a few minutes. A commercial in 1972 explained how this is possible. To stop people from trying this at home, they added the slogan: “The VW will definitely float, but it will not float indefinitely.” Quoted from Lew Wood, the actor in the commercial: “They hired a stuntman to drive the VW into the water. However, [director] Norm Greiner suddenly woke up to the fact that I had to deliver that last line ‘Now, what other car gives you this kind of quality at this kind of price?’ from the car! I said ..read more

These portraits of the group of women who lived and worked at a brothel in Reading, Pennsylvania, circa 1892. Taken two decades before the famous E. J. Bellocq photographs of the 1913 sex workers in Storyville, New Orleans, these photographs are the earliest known body of work on this subject in the United States. People in the know about Berks County history have long been aware that Sarah, “Sal” or “Sallie,” Shearer ran a bordello around the turn of the last century at Eighth and Walnut streets in Reading, Pennsylvania. Sal Shearer, who found a means of survival, indeed empowerment, while ..read more

Born 1919 in Yakima, Washington, American radio and voice actress Janet Waldo appeared in several films in uncredited bit parts and small roles, although she was the leading lady in three Westerns, two of them starring Tim Holt. In animation, Waldo voiced Judy Jetson in various Hanna-Barbera media, Nancy in Shazzan, Penelope Pitstop, Princess from Battle of the Planets, and Josie in Josie and the Pussycats. On radio, she was the title character in Meet Corliss Archer. Waldo died in 2016 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 97. Take a look at these beautiful photos to see portraits of ..read more

In 1953, the NSU factory at Dusseldorf Germany has introduced the “Double-Lambretta.” The idea is that a young couple use a single Lambretta which is rather like a small motor cycle. When the couple marry, and children come a long, the couple then bought another Lambretta. Both machines are joined together making a machine rather like a small car that will carry two grown ups and two children. The double Lambretta has a speed of 78 km per hour, and uses 3.4 liters per 100km. The motor scooter started to gain a foothold in post-war Germany. NSU responded fastest and presented the NSU Lambret ..read more

Clark Gable was one of the most iconic leading men of Hollywood’s Golden Age, still known today for his roles in classics like The Misfits and Gone with the Wind. A Golden Age icon in her own right, Carole Lombard was known for her energetic performances and charisma, not to mention her stunning looks. At the time of their romance it was common for Hollywood favorites to fall in and out of love, jumping from one affair to the next, but Clarke and Lombard’s romance followed a different trajectory. There was no affair, no on-screen passion that bled into their off-screen lives; in fact, their l ..read more

Studio portrait photography in the 1980s was characterized by a blend of traditional techniques and emerging trends. Photographers often used medium format film cameras for high-quality images, and studio setups typically included a variety of backdrops and lighting setups to create different moods and atmospheres. Graduates in Lincoln County high schools, North Carolina in the 1980s Studio portraits in the 1980s often featured vibrant colors, bold patterns, and dramatic lighting. Common themes included formal poses, glamorous attire, and sometimes even props like flowers or musical ..read more

The caption on original photograph, from the scrapbooks of San Francisco Police Chief Jesse Cook, reads: “This is not a girl, but a boy, who was reared by his mother as a girl and has always dressed as a girl and went to school as a girl and has never associated with anyone else but girls and was employed as a chambermaid on 6th St. when arrested, he is a native of Mexico and speaks several languages, his English with the Spanish accent, he is now waiting to be deported to Mexico by the U.S. Gov. Dec. 27th, 1917.” The 1917 photo of Geraldine Portica following her arrest. Geraldine ..read more

Clérice Frères was the name of a company that represented several French illustrators from the same family – Charles Clérice (1865-1909), Justin Clérice (1863-1908), Victor Clérice (1880-?) and François Clérice (1882-?) – who, the end of the 19th century, specialized among other things in the production of posters and popular and sometimes ribald musical scores. Posters designed by Clérice Frères in the early 20th century The company was founded by Carlos Clérice, born in 1865 in Buenos Aires, eldest son of Charles Clérice (1823-1876). Regarding the posters and scores signed “Cléri ..read more

Northridge earthquake of 1994, earthquake that struck the densely populated San Fernando Valley in southern California, U.S., on January 17, 1994. The third major earthquake to occur in the state in 23 years (after the 1971 San Fernando Valley and 1989 San Francisco–Oakland earthquakes), the Northridge earthquake was the state’s most destructive one since the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the costliest one in U.S. history. The earthquake occurred just after 4:30 AM local time along a previously undiscovered blind thrust fault in the San Fernando Valley. Its epicentre was in Reseda, a ..read more

Paz Errázuriz (born 1944) is a Chilean photographer. She documented marginalized communities such as sex workers, psychiatric patients, and circus performers during the military dictatorship of Chile. Errázuriz has said about her work: “They are topics that society doesn’t look at, and my intention is to encourage people to dare to look.” She was a teacher at a primary school when Augusto Pinochet overtook Chile’s Presidential Palace in 1973, inspiring her to begin her photography career. She is the co-founder of the Association of Independent Photographers (AFI). Originally titled the “Asoci ..read more