Showing posts with label Into The Past. Show all posts

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: Marilyn Monroe at 20

June 01, 2016

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A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Marilyn Monroe at 20, Marilyn Monroe, Old Hollywood Blog

Since today is what would have been Marilyn Monroe's 90th birthday I thought my picture is worth 1,000 words series should be dedicated to her. She was just so incredibly photogenic, wasn't she? And although my posts are usually spotlight one photo I couldn't resist sharing more.

These were taken by MM's then lover Andre de Dienes, a photographer, on Malibu Beach in 1946. At that time she was known as Norma Jean Dougherty (birth name was Mortenson but also known as Baker), she was newly blonde and newly divorced and had a yearning for the spotlight Hollywood could offer.

In comes Andre de Dienes who then takes a procession of photos of Marilyn. He asked her to respond physically to certain words that he would say such as sadness, joy, happiness, and death. The result was this series of photographs taken when she was just twenty years old and a Hollywood unknown.

I find her captivating in them. She seems unchanged by age and was beautiful til the very end of her life. But it wasn't just her physical self that was beautiful but rather that spirit within her that illuminated and shined brightest when in front of a cameras gaze.

Happy 90th Birthday to Norma Jean. Thank you for shining so brightly for us. If you enjoy photography here are some links to my past a picture is worth 1,000 words posts.

A Vintage Nerd Supplementary Reading:

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: Raising The Flag on Iwo Jima

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: 1950's Alabama

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: Lunch Atop of Skyscraper

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: The Migrant Mother

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: 4 Children for Sale

The Works of Vivian Maier

June 03, 2015

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, Vivian Maier Photography, Vintage Photos, Period Documentary, Black & White Photography

After I shared with you all about the documentary Finding Vivian Maier, I decided in case you never saw samples of her work that I would share with you a few of her photos.

Here are some resources in case you want to learn more about Vivian or her work:

Vivian Maier: A Photographer Found (book)

Vivian Maier: Street Photographer (book)

Finding Vivian Maier (dvd)

Eye to Eye: Photographs by Vivian Maier (book)

Vivian Maier: Self Portraits (book)

Vivian Maier (website)

Finding Vivian Maier (website)

Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows (book)

Vivian Maier (blog dedicated to her work)

Vivian Maier (facebook page)

Vivian Maier Street Photographer (article)

Remembering Pearl Harbor 73 Years Later

December 07, 2014

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Pearl Harbor

Ninety minutes after it began, the attack was over, as 2,386 Americans died, a further 1,139 were wounded. Eighteen ships were sunk or run aground, including five battleships.

It is a day that will live in infamy. A day that Americans were attacked from an outside force on their own soil for the very first time. There are so many important things that happen throughout human history but it is the days that we least expected, the days with the biggest bangs, that are the most remembered and the least forgotten.

I know its hard for many people to connect themselves to certain events that have happened in history because it was so long ago or it happened in another country. But when you take those factors away and just bring it down to a human level you might surprise yourself.

War is not fun, clean, nice, fair, beautiful, etc but yet we have had wars since the beginning of everything. It is a part of human nature to protect what we think is ours or our loved ones. When the Japanese so arrogantly thought they couldn't destroy this country and attack us on our own soil, America dove into WWII with a ferocious drive that we fought injustice all across the world. I suppose perhaps we need a reason to get involved and the Japanese gave us a reason.

But I have to say. On December 7, 1941, America rose to the occasion after we lost so many innocent and precious lives so violently. We not only rose but we fought and we helped win the war that helped bring freedom back to many parts of the world. When you think of what that generation did for us and for the world, one cannot help but beam with pride.

So, today and everyday I think of the people who sacrifice their lives for the greater good, for hope, for justice, for peace, and for freedom. Let us count our blessings.

Photographer Gordon Parks: 1950's Alabama

November 20, 2014

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Retro Lifestyle Blog, Vintage Photos, 1950's Alabama Photos, A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Gordon Parks was one of those prolific American photographers whose work really made an impact on society. Through his eyes and his view from the lens of his camera he was able to capture a glimpse into the lives of people in particular the African American community. He contributed photographic essays to Life Magazine for two decades. In one of his photographic essays he

This specific series of photos below was called The Restraints: Open and Hidden. Parks followed the lives of three families living in and around downtown Mobile, Alabama in 1956, and showed how they went about their daily routine in a town separated by race with children at their side. They were published in Life Magazine in September 1956.

Only 20 of the photos were published in 1956 but 50 color transparencies were found in 2012. 40 of these are on display at the High Museum of Art Atlanta.

Gordon Parks wasn't just a photographer but he also dabbling in writing, directing, and co-founded the magazine, Essence. He passed away at the age of 93 in 2006 and left behind a legacy of meaningful work.

Air Hollywood: The Pan Am Experience

November 19, 2014

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Vintage Pan Am, The Pan Am Experience, Vintage Airlines, Vintage Lifestyle Blog

Imagine being transported to 1970 and landing aboard flight 747 via Pan Am, old school style? Well, the folks through Air Hollywood you can have a chance to "fly" Pan Am as it was in its glory days.

From January to March 2015 for a pretty good price you can get aboard Pan Am flight 747 and experience it as it was in the 1970's. My husband was lucky to experience Pan Am in the 1970's as both of his parents worked for the airlines. And becuase they worked for Pan Am they were able to travel quite frequently for free or for a low price.

Now you too can have that special retro experience with Pan Am which runs from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. My impression is that you don't literally go into flight but rather enjoy your time aboard. Stewardesses will greet you in authentic 70's uniforms where after your four course meal you will be offered to watch an "inflight" period specific film.

In first class, flight attendants serve passengers a four-course meal from trolleys on vintage Pan Am china. The meal includes a shrimp and lump crab meat cocktail starter, chateaubriand carved seat-side, chicken and a vegetarian pasta. And for dessert, passengers get to choose from a fruit and cheese trolley which rolls through with liquors and coffee to top it off.

Can imagine having an actual real meal on a plane? Goodness, those were indeed the good 'ole days!

The price for the main deck is $267 and for first class it is $327. This experience is only available in California so if you are nearby I say snag this opportunity while you can.

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Vintage Pan Am, The Pan Am Experience, Vintage Airlines, Vintage Lifestyle Blog, 1970's Pan Am

When I first found out about this I knew this was right up my alley. I really hope they continue to provide such an experience in the future because I would definitely do this.

Have you heard of this experiences? Are you planning on booking you tickets?

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words: Raising the Flag on Iwo JIma

November 03, 2014

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, A Picture Worth a Thousand Words, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima

This historic photo was taken in February 23,1945 by Joe Rosenthal. It depicts five United States Marines and a United States Navy corpsman raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi, during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. It is the only photo to ever win a Pulitzer Prize for Photography.

Three Marines depicted in the photograph, Harlon Block, Franklin Sousley, and Michael Strank, were killed in action over the next few days. The three surviving flag-raisers were Marines Rene Gagnon and Ira Hayes, and sailor John Bradley, who became celebrities after their identifications in the photograph.

If you are interested in learning more about the men who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima you can check out the New York Times best selling book called Flag of Our Fathers HERE. You can learn more by seeing the 2006 film version of the book directed by Steven Spielberg. You can also read more about these brave soldiers in a article HERE.

The Real Flyboys of WWI

October 19, 2014

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, The Real Flyboys of WWI, WWI History, WWI Flyboys, Vintage Blog, War History Blog

Yesterday I spotlighted the WWI themed film called Flyboys based on the true story of the Lafayette Escadrille. I wanted to share with you some incredible photos of the real life Flyboys that the film was based on. There are not a lot of photos around but I found these and I love them. They really give you a sense of the men who sacrificed their time and lives to fighting for freedom as fighter pilots during WWI.

A Vintage Nerd, The Real Flyboys of WWI, WWI History, WWI Flyboys, Vintage Blog, War History Blog, Lafayette Escadrille

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words: Lunch Atop A Skyscraper

October 02, 2014

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Retro Lifestyle Blog, A Picture Worth a Thousand Words, Historic Photos, Lunch Atop a Skyscraper Photo

Talk about fear of heights. Do you recall the photo of the men working on a skyscraper and sitting on a casually midair while they had their lunch? Omg. Every time I look at it I serious get dizzy. There is NO amount of money you could give me to get on a piece of metal midair with no harness and have a meal. I would literally fall and die. I know I sound so dramatic but this lady wasn't born a bird so therefore I do not like heights. But I do love this photo.

It just personifies the struggling working class man in America during The Great Depression.

Here is the photo taken in 1932 by Charles Clyde Ebbets:

There is not a lot known about the men in the photo although there have been many claims. The movie Men at Lunch (available on Netflix) traces some of the men to possible Irish origin, but the director plans to do further interviews to follow up among others claims from Swedish relatives.

From the left, number three is Joseph Eckner, number four is Michael Breheny, number five is Albin Svensson and number six with the cigarette is John Patrick Madden. The first man from the right is Slovakian worker Gusto Popovic who sent this picture home to his wife who indicates that there is actually a floor directly underneath the frame. The third from the right is Joe Curtis.

Hopefully one day we can know more about these men and whether or not there is truth in the story about having a floor underneath them while they ate. It would make more sense to me as I cannot imagine anyone being that calm and relaxed while dangling from that extreme height. Oh boy. That is a doozy!

A side note: Do you notice that the last man to the right is holding a bottle of whiskey?

Did you see the documentary on Netflix? Would you like to see it reviewed here on A Vintage Nerd? What are your thoughts when you look at this photo?

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words: The Migrant Mother

September 18, 2014

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, A Picture Worth a Thousand Words, The Migrant Mother Photo, Vintage Photos

What makes a photo iconic? I think a photo that speaks to the masses, one that moves people or makes them rethink their own morals and values. Dorothea Lange's infamous The Migrant Mother photo taken in 1936 during the height of The Great Depression is one of those such photos.

It's haunting. Her children hiding their faces. The look of worry and dread on the mother's face. Who is this woman?

Let's take a look at the photo The Migrant Mother here:

I found out that the mother's name was Florence Owens Thompson. She was married at the age of 17 and by the time her husband (Cleo Owens) died of tuberculous she already had six children and another was on the way. She gave birth to three more children with a man named Jim Hill. By the time this photo was taken in 1936 she may have had all ten of her children already.

She would work every odd job a woman could. She cooked, picked cotton, cleaned, worked in hospitals and in bars. After reading a bit more about this mother, I could tell that she was one tough cookie and that she would never let her children go hungry. She worked and dedicated her life to making sure they were always taken care of. But they were poor. Very poor. And that is when the photo was taken. When they set up a temporary camp and Lange took six photos of Florence. The last one is the one you see above.

Florence felt angry about the fame Lange received from the photo and that she wasn't able to get paid for being a part of it but what she didn't know was that Lange didn't get paid for taking them. There was no money made by either party. Forty years after the photo was taken the identity of the mother was made public and Florence was said to have been both embarrassed and horrified by the notoriety.

Keep in mind that there is a great deal of shame that is put on us if we are poor or struggle financially. Imagine someone, a mother, trying to make ends meat during one of the toughest times in American history and the world remembers her for being that poor woman on the road.

If you would like to read more about Florence and her life after this photo you can read some more HERE.

What do you think when you look at this mother and her children? Do you think powerful images like this can change how people think of others or themselves?

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words: 4 Children For Sale

September 12, 2014

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, A Picture Worth a Thousand Words, 4 Children For Sale Photo, Vintage Photos, Vintage Blog

Have you ever seen an old photo and wondered what happened to the people in it? Did they live a full life? Were they happy?

In this new series I will spotlight famous and well known photos and art and share with you my findings on where the people are now or who the people in the photo or painting may be.

There is one photo I have seen over and over again in the past few years and I thought it was time to find out about the people in them. Of course I had no clue whether or not I would find out anything about them but I needed to try.

Luckily we now live in an age of information and google is like my bff. It's my go-to search engine and it didn't fail me this time.

First, let me share the photo:

My first reaction to this photo is that it was staged or that it had to be make believe. Then I had to wake myself up and remind myself that children get bought and sold everyday. A true horror in our world. To sell a precious child that should be nurtured and loved.

I normally don't speak of such horrible things on my blog but I had to know who those children were and I am sharing with you now that I found out. And this photo is real. The children were sold.

The photo was taken in 1948. The parents were Ray and Lucille Chalifoux. There children were Lana (6), Ray (5), Milton (4), and Sue Ellen (2). Lucille was also pregnant at the time of the photo. It is claimed that they couldn't afford to keep their children. I say claimed. Relatives to these children said that the mother did not sell them. Some say she needed bingo money. Either way when the story of their lives came full circle and the surviving siblings found each other they also found no love and no remorse from their birth mother, Lucille. She did indeed sell them. And not all the children had loving parents. Their lives sound like they came out of a horror story and I won't repeat some of those findings here on my post because as a mother, really as a person. I find them sickening to repeat.

But if you would like to learn more about the children in 4 Children For Sale, please click HERE and read on.

I think the worst part of my discovery was finding out that this photo was authentic. What we don't know and will never know is if those parents had no other choice. I can tell you that the mother remarried later on and had four more children. She kept those children. My mind started spinning when I read that.

Are there photos that speak a thousand words to you? What photos would you like to see in this series? How did you feel after you saw this photo? Have you seen it before?

Coney Island Ladies Through The Ages

August 29, 2014

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Into The Past

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Coney Island, Coney Island New York, Coney Island Through the Ages

Coney Island was a hot spot for New Yorkers from the late 1800's until the 1960's. Here are some vintage photos of ladies having the time of their lives at Coney Island during its height of fame.

Bunny Yeager: The First Pinup Model

May 30, 2014

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Into The Past

2014 has been a doozy of a year. We have lost so many classic film actors, actresses, comediennes, and this month we lost an icon of the Pinup Girl movement.

Bunny Yeager was THE Pinup photographer of the 1950's and 1960's. She worked closely with Bettie Page and was her main photographer in 1954. But before Bunny was a Pinup photographer she was a successful model.

Born Linnea Eleanor Yeager in 1929 and as a young women became one of the most photographed models in Miami, Florida. Tired of being harassed by male photographers she decided to take her hand at photography herself.

Her first subject, herself of course. I am fascinated by her self-portraits because well, frankly...Bunny was a babe!

A book that I am itching to get my hands on by Bunny herself is called, How To Photograph Myself which is of course almost impossible to find and quite costly. Imagine how much fantastic information and tips she had in posing your figure to make it look its best. Swoon! I really want that book!

I did find some beautiful photos of Bunny and her self-portraits. See for yourself on why I consider Bunny Yeager to be the first real Pinup. She may not have been famous for it but by golly she made it look effortless, was an absolute beauty, and used her knowledge of posing and what looked beautiful on a woman on her subjects. Pure artistic genius.