I’ve always had this fantasy of dressing up with someone as one of my favorite paintings. I love how flickr shows me I’m not the only one who’s had that idea.
While I know the party I’m going to tomorrow couldn’t possibly be as glamorous, it’s nice to dream.
My sister is a huge fan of Truman Capote and it’s through her that I read Breakfast at Tiffany’s and came to understand why he’d always envisioned Marilyn Monroe in the role and not Audrey.
His infamous ball has been on my mind as Halloween approaches and while I won’t be wearing a mask, I do have a costume. I’ll be sure to get pics tomorrow.
My mom was in town a couple of weeks ago to help me move and we fortunately had the opportunity to do something fun besides pack while she was here. The Cider Fest was taking place on Vashon Island, which I realized as we were waiting for the ferry, I’d somehow never been to.
The farmer’s market itself was an impressive deal with tons of gorgeous produce that made me long for typical fall foods.
Of course the cider was to die for, as were the various breeds of apples that were on display.
The best part, however, was the chicken beauty contest.
We all voted but were busy having lunch when they announced the winner. I’ll definitely have to keep my eye out for this event next year.
It took so long to accumulate these few most recent favorites–mostly representing my flickr contacts! I’m blaming how busy summer can be. Hopefully fall will allow me more time to browse the eye candy there.
The second to last in my favorite series of noted Time Life photos chronicling the first half of the century.
As much as I love 195os style–the tiny waists emphasized by billowing skirts–there isn’t as much of this volume given over to fashion as I might have hoped. A profile on the noted model, Suzy Parker, is a rare exception. As notable as she was at the time, I don’t think I’d ever heard of her prior to obtaining these books.
Much of the rest of the volume is given over to the politics that dominated the period, from the McCarthy hearings to the paranoia of the cold war that led to bomb shelters like the one in this photo–home DIY of another time.
Other images that caught my eye: Debbie Reynolds in casual summer garb and Eisenhower supporters in amazing dresses made from fabric printed with his name.
I’ve admired Fioretta’s photography for some time and finally grabbed a print a few weeks back.
I’m only mentioning it now because it took that long to find a frame. I tried the local thrift stores and consignment shops but finally settled for old reliable, Target. Love the white on white.
It looks like her shop may be closed for the summer but hopefully she’ll have more in stock soon.
I’ve admitted my fascination with abandoned places before and have a deep admiration for photographers who risk rotted floors, squatters and who knows what else to capture amazing images. I can’t imagine what went in to getting these shots of an abandoned shipyard in Japan.
Artificial Owl is all about documenting abandoned man-made creations, from things like this shipyard to the tragedy of Chernobyl to random hospitals that no longer serve a purpose. These places would be difficult to photograph badly but I remain impressed by just how wonderfully they’re captured.
I could seriously lose hours browsing their archives.
Browsing vintage photos is a favorite past time for me, getting lost in flickr groups devoted to old images. I found myself drawn to women in garb that would not necessarily have been the norm for their time period.
The two pensive girls in this found photograph have on the palazzo pants which weren’t uncommon from the 30s on. There’s another shot of them standing in a more conventional pose but I prefer this one by far.
This photo is simply wonderful, confident and daring and offhand all at once. & how neat that this is her mother.
I also honestly can’t make up my mind if the mystery of found photos vs. the known ties of others is better.
I love photo bombing. Though I didn’t necessarily know the term for the act of doing something silly in the background of someone else’s photo, I recognize the habit among my friends–and especially my boyfriend, who can’t even refrain from being silly in photos where he’s the subject.
So I especially loved this vintage example of photo bombing. I wonder if I can find more…
My mom doesn’t read this blog but so many women I know have become mother’s recently that I can’t help thinking about them today.
In the midst of all of the craziness around the new house, and packing, and worrying, and buying paint–browsing these old photos were strangely calming.
Perhaps it’s just reassuring that there are always some constants in life.
Hope you had a lovely weekend and a great Mother’s Day.
How wonderful and devastating are these photos by Rob Dobi?
There are a few abandoned factories near my office (slated to become mixed use condos, naturally) that I’m tempted to break into if only to try & capture these kind of shots.
Abandoned psych wards, derelict prisons, empty, unused schools are all captured here.
Though it may sound hard to believe, the Time Life series chronicling each decade starts to lose my interest after the 1930s edition. I realized it had been ages–perhaps even since I first bought the set off ebay–since I flipped through the 1940s volume.
Of course the roller derby pictures caught my attention.
The pictures regarding war-time rationing also gave me pause–if only because rompers seem to be making their way back into fashion.
Fabulous hats on ladies who lunch.
A Japanese family shortly before being sent to an internment camp.
