The Records of An Unbroken Friendship but the Mortal Severance, 1907-24

Whatever these people's stories are, I don't think I'd ever get tired of hearing them.




From the finding aid: "album contains approximately 410 photographs apparently created as a memorial to Taizo Kato, a Japanese-American who died in 1924 at the age of 36...Kato was an amateur photographer and painter." Another narrative-ish digital collection from Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley (see also Death Valley Automobile Trip, 1926). via Online Archive of California.

Miss Beat, 1959

"'Angel,' A Brooklyn College student."

via American Museum of Beat Art. I love that this girl would fit in perfectly in any hipster neighborhood today. Some things never go out of style, namely bangs and tight pants. Shoes might be a good idea, though.

Malia

I've had intentions of collecting this under-appreciated Honolulu label, which was at its best in the 1970s. Besides the obviously great textiles, the dresses in particular often have dramatic, unusual design features that set them apart from most resortwear of the same period.


All via eBay and etsy. Malia skirts and dresses are widely available, sometimes for as little as $20. So hold out for one you really like.

Madame Yevonde

How come I'd never heard of her before? She pioneered the use of color in portraiture. Dabbled in suffragetism as a teenager.


Discovered via Ancient Industries. And do take a look at the excellent Yevonde Portrait Archive.

Self-serving post #1

Some recent wardrobe reassessments yielded some top-notch vintage finds, which I now have consigned with Lucitebox.com.

1950s circle skirt with sporting print. 28" waist

1970s white pique preppy dress with embroidered dragons

Thee best 1970s Lanvin shirtdress, travel theme print

More coming soon! Holly always has an outstanding selection of vintage clothing and housewares for a variety of tastes and budgets, and you'll enjoy shopping with her.

Pauline Trigere

New York fashioner Pauline Trigere (1909-2002) made top-quality, impeccably cut ready-to-wear for grown-up ladies. That she designed Patricia Neal's Breakfast at Tiffany's wardrobe should give you the general idea.

A friend of a friend worked for a PR firm in Manhattan in the 1980s. One day, Pauline Trigere came in and said to the boss, "You've got to help me. They think I'm dead!" Trigere is definitely one of those designers who always seemed to produce clothes that were for her to wear. When I started writing this post, it was a bit of snark about why designing for yourself in the 1950s might not translate into a successful business model in the 1980s. Then I started reviewing photos and thought, "WTF ever, she looked great. Always."



So instead I say bravo to anyone with the confidence and self-awareness to sell her own look hard for 60 years.

The Fashion School at Kent State University has an enlightening, if mangled, online exhibit of Trigere's illustrations.

old time islands

I somehow ended up at Old Time Islands when I was researching Nantucket Reds last week. Despite all the "under construction" caveats, it has a nice selection of photographs of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, including tourists and townies ca. 1880s-1930s.

Felice Beato

Another mysterious travel photographer (Corfiot, ca. 1830-ca. 1907). I posted some of his samurai photographs last month. Turns out he was the first to extensively photograph East Asia in the 1860s.

"The Ainos are a people inhabiting the Northern island of Yesso...Their origin is lost in a wild and fabulous tradition."

"Our chief artist"

"Courier or postman"

"Out for a walk"

via Wikimedia Commons, and online exhibit The World in a Frame: Photographs from the Great Age of Exploration, 1865-1915, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology.

Photos of non-traditional fire dogs, May 09 edition

Barbara Mortenson, fire and airplane lookout on Pine Mountain, New Hampshire, with Great Dane "Brenda"

"She keeps her dog on a leash because of porcupines."

"She says that without her dog she could not hold down her job."

via Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

New York magazine via Google Books

Google Book Search has full-page scans of New York magazine, circa 1968-1997. They've certainly had a consistent editorial vision over the years.




This is also where I'm currently indulging my secret passion for 1990s hair and makeup.

I wish I could tell you more about the Zangaki Brothers

If you found my blog via Google and aren't searching for Lanvin jewelry or Key West Hand Prints (Part 1, Part 2), you're probably trying to research the photographers known as Zangaki. I'm sorry that all I can do is echo the chorus of internet voices chanting, "No one knows anything about them."

Here's a tantalizing glimpse of their mobile darkr00m contraption, via eBay seller photobazaar.



I've added Zangaki to my collection of hypothetical dissertation topics - There's some groundbreaking original research to be done here.

Nantucket Red

Urban Dictionary calls it "The WASPiest color ever." It's what happens when your red chinos fade to a salmony-brick after a season of sunning and sailing. As with most absurdly specific commodities, there are infinite variations on the basic idea, and most of them are Not Quite Right.

Murray's Toggery Shop is supposed to be the spiritual home of Nantucket Reds:

I dunno, something about buying your Nantucket Reds pre-faded -- especially to this extreme - doesn't feel right to me. But since I'm not a WASP, I don't think I can be sure. On the other hand, I think we can probably all agree that Nantucket red t-shirts, overalls and ball caps are wrong. I'm thinking that a less touristy/arriviste option is to buy these from Brooks Brothers and wear them in yourself:

Also, check out their array of "seasonal" seersucker and go-to-hell pants.

Field Museum on Flickr

The Field Museum now has selections from its photo archive on Flickr, including these images of fancy stuff from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

"View North, Between Manufactures and Electricity Buildings."

"Mammoth and Devil Fish [or Giant Octopus]"

"The World's Greatest Dynamo"

"The Mammoth Crystal Cave"

"Palace of Fine Arts, south facade with people on the stairs and lagoon"

Leon M. Despres, 1908-2009

"Throughout his career, he has been in the forefront of just about every decent, worthwhile effort made to improve life in this city." -- Mike Royko, 1972

Photo via Chicago Sun-Times.

St. Louis, Part 4

I went to an event last week at the Missouri History Museum. My exhibit viewing time was limited, so I had to choose between quilts and Katherine Dunham. Guess who won?




All via Katherine Dunham's Living Legacy, an online exhibition from the Missouri Historical Society.