The Waldseemüller’s map that introduced the word America to the world, 1509
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller published the first known map to feature parts of the New […]
Culture and People
The Will and William West case: The identical inmates that showed the need for fingerprinting, 1903
This post was originally published on this siteOn May 1, 1903, an African-American man named Will West entered the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth. Like […]
Vintage photos documenting the discovery of Maya ruins, 1880-1900
This post was originally published on this siteThe Maya people have been called many names over the years, such as “the mysterious Maya” and “the […]
Wonderful color postcards of the Netherlands, 1890s
This post was originally published on this siteThis photo collection shows color images of the lifestyle, windmills, canals, cities, and countryside of the late 1890s […]
The story of Isaac and Rosa, the emancipated slave children from New Orleans, 1863
This post was originally published on this siteThe boy and girl looked toward the camera. They were just old enough to understand the task assigned […]
The futuristic world as envisioned by Echte Wagner advertising cards, 1930
This post was originally published on this siteThese future fantasy collectible cards were published by the German company Echte Wagner in the first half of […]
Photochrom postcards capture Ireland in vibrant colors, 1890s
This post was originally published on this siteThese vivid color photographs of Ireland were produced as tourist mementos and postcards using a technique called Photochrom. […]
The two Kashmir Giants posing with the American photographer James Ricalton, 1903
This post was originally published on this siteThe Durbar of 1903 was held in Delhi to celebrate the succession of the British monarch King Edward […]
The original British Skinhead subculture in photographic portraits, 1970-1990
This post was originally published on this siteThe skinhead subculture was born in England in the late 1960s as an offshoot of the mod culture. […]
When people tried to domesticate zebras, 1890-1940
This post was originally published on this siteThere has always been great interest in domesticating and training zebras as riding and harnessing animals. In the […]
The Bertillon system that cataloged criminals by their physical measurements, 1894
This post was originally published on this siteIn the late nineteenth century, the photography of criminals became as standardized as anthropological photography, largely because of […]
A surreal photo shoot of Salvador Dalì in his seaside villa, 1955
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1955, photographer Charles Hewitt visited Salvador Dalí and his wife (and muse) Gala at their home to […]
Coney Island in old color images, 1948
This post was originally published on this siteFor e brief time, early in the twentieth century, Coney Island was the most dazzling spectacle in the […]
The story behind Rita Hayworth’s iconic pin-up photo, 1941
This post was originally published on this siteA few months before Pearl Harbor was attacked, LIFE magazine ran a black-and-white photograph of an up-and-coming movie […]
A Saturday afternoon in London (Ohio) through the photos of Ben Shahn, 1938
This post was originally published on this siteIn 1938, photographer Ben Shahn of FSA traveled to the small town of London, Ohio, and captured the […]
The world’s first gym machines designed by Dr. Gustav Zander, 1892
This post was originally published on this siteThe use of mechanical means for the application of exercise in therapeutics was first systematized and employed in […]
Messerschmitt KR200, the stylish bubble car of 1950s
This post was originally published on this siteThe Messerschmitt KR200 microcar was, and remains, the most evocative example of the bubble car genre; a tiny, […]
A haunting photo collection of famous people’s death masks, 1300-1950
This post was originally published on this siteDeath masks are fascinating but slightly haunting relics from an age before photos. Until cameras rendered them redundant, […]
The story behind Princess Diana and John Travolta’s iconic dance, 1985
This post was originally published on this sitePrincess Diana visited the United States in early November 1985 with her husband Prince Charles. The royal couple […]
Unseen photos from the set of The Godfather, 1971
This post was originally published on this siteBy almost any account, the Godfather films are monuments on the landscape of American cinema. There are, of […]
Selena’s rare Coca-Cola photo shoot, 1994
This post was originally published on this siteSelena was a singer-songwriter who came to be known as the “Queen of Tejano music,” a popular form […]
Old color photographs of Scotland, 1890s
This post was originally published on this siteThese beautiful, romantic old postcards show Scotland from a time long gone. Originally published by the Detroit Publishing […]
Colorized portraits of Ellis Island immigrants, 1906-1911
This post was originally published on this siteEllis Island served as the United State’s largest immigration station, processing up to 12 million people between 1892 […]
The original wing walkers who defied death, 1920-1980
This post was originally published on this siteArising as a daredevil stunt in the aerial shows of the 1920s, wing walking was the act of […]
An unknown and young Madonna in Michael McDonnell’s photoshoots, 1978-1979
This post was originally published on this siteBorn in 1958 in Bay City, Michigan with the official name of Madonna Louise Ciccone, Madonna was the […]