★ I know Easter is over, but I just cannot resist sharing this wonderfully vibrant portrait of a young woman wearing an Easter hat, photographed by Nickolas Muray for Whitman Chocolates (1945). Presumably intended to form part of Whitman’s… Continue reading
★ Wonderful illustrated advert for Van Nelle’s Afternoon Tea (1927). Stylistically, this advert is so typical of the period. From the warm shades of apricot, blue and brown that make up the colour palette, to the highly idealized woman with the fashionable Marcel wave hairstyle, simple… Continue reading
★ Beautiful actress Vivien Leigh and co-star Mary Kerridge in a publicity still from the 1948 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel, ‘Anna Karenina’. I finally found the time to sit down and actually watch this film (it has long been on my ‘must see’ list), and I have to say, it was every… Continue reading
★ Today marks the 138th anniversary of French fashion designer Paul Poiret’s birth. So to honour the occasion, I thought I’d take a brief look at his legacy and one of his most famous creations. A leading couturier of the early 20th Century, he… Continue reading
★ Pictured here in the 1950s, American actress Jayne Mansfield was born on this day in 1933. A major sex symbol in the 1950s and early 1960s, she was as famous for her personal life as for her professional career, and at the height of her fame she was the world’s most photographed… Continue reading
★ I love the rich saffron yellow and warm tone of this beautiful ‘Portrait of Elsa’ by Victorian painter, Frank Bernard Dicksee (before 1928). Born in London in 1853 to noted artist, Thomas Dicksee, Frank was taught how to paint from a young age, and achieved success early in his career… Continue reading
★ I know that Easter Monday isn’t an official holiday in a lot of places, but it is here in the UK, so Happy Easter! I hope you’ve all had a lovely weekend with your friends and family! Because I didn’t really want to wait a full 365 days until… Continue reading
★ Happy Easter! I hope that wherever you are, you’re having a beautiful, peaceful and joyous Easter weekend with your friends and loved ones. To celebrate the occasion, here’s a lovely antique greetings card featuring the Easter… Continue reading
★ Great watercolour illustration by prolific American artist, Irving Nurick, as featured in the January 1948 edition of Ladies Home Journal. I know that photographs tend to dominate magazines these days, but I think there’s so… Continue reading
★ Wonderfully vibrant Autochrome of a family on a day out, by George Eastman House (c.1915). I can’t get enough of early colour photographs like this, because they really show that the past wasn’t all drab shades of brown, black and… Continue reading
