Stunning Fashion Designs by Joset Walker in the 1940s and Early ’50s

Joset Walker (1902–1999) was a French-born American fashion designer best known for her elegant and practical ready-to-wear clothing. Born Josette Georgette Legouy in France, she moved to the United States at age 14 and later studied at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (now Parsons School of Design), graduating in 1928. Among her classmates was the renowned designer Claire McCardell.

In the 1930s and ’40s, Walker became known for her colorful sportswear and her use of international influences, including Mexican and Guatemalan textile patterns. Her designs were sold at major department stores such as Bloomingdale’s and Saks, and she eventually founded her own successful label, Joset Walker Designs.

Her work was featured in prominent fashion magazines like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Life, and she was recognized for her ability to blend high style with wearability. Walker retired from fashion in the 1970s and spent her later years restoring an 18th-century home in Flemington, New Jersey. Take a look below at some of Joset Walker’s most captivating fashion designs from the 1940s and early ’50s.

Models in beautiful Everfast fabric dresses by Joset Walker, photo by Jerry Plucer, Harper's Bazaar, May 1945

Bijou Barrington in draped Enka rayon jersey knit dress in heather by Joset Walker, hat by John Frederics, Harper's Bazaar, August 1945

Model in Jamaican print Dan River cotton fabric dress by Joset Walker, Vogue, January 1, 1947

Evelyn Tripp in Cohama wool dress shot through with silver Lurex by Joset Walker, worn with with small velveteen cap and chinchilla muff, photo By Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Harper's Bazaar, November 1948

Model in agate-colored piqué sleeveless dress squared off with a giant bertha, by Joset Walker, photo by Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Harper's Bazaar, June 1948

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The Battered and Bruised Face of Elvis Presley Should Shock Some of His Fans!

The battered and bruised face of Elvis Presley should shock some of his fans who expect to see him all prettied up in his movie roles. Elvis shows what he looks like after he gets slammed around in a remake of an old boxing picture, Kid Galahad (1962). Just to keep the record straight and avoid any unnecessary tears, the bumps and bruises are the product of the makeup department and not the result of a beating.

In the film, Presley’s makeup was used to make him look like a believable boxer, particularly after fights. Makeup artists created the appearance of cuts, bruises, and swelling to convey the physicality of his character. Specifically, makeup was used to create a gash across his cheek and swollen lips to depict the results of his boxing matches in the film.

“He looks like an electric mixer had been working on his face,” columnist Dorothy Manners reported. “One eye is puffed and closed, there’s an ugly gash across his cheek, and his lips are swollen out of shape. From the looks of him, Kid Presley must lose every fight in the script.”

Makeup could make Presley’s face look the part, but to make the rest of his physique fit would take a lot of work. Producer David Weisbart brought in former junior welterweight champion Mushy Callahan as a technical adviser to get Presley in shape for his role and teach him how to box. For 25 years Callahan had taught actors, including Wayne Morris in the original Kid Galahad film in 1937, how to handle themselves in the ring. The 56-year-old Callahan put Elvis on a rigorous training schedule to get him ready for his fight scenes. After the film was released, Elvis claimed he lost 12 pounds under Callahan’s regimen. Every morning he ran miles along the roads near Idyllwild in Southern California, where much of Kid Galahad was filmed. Every afternoon he worked the light and heavy bags and boxed with his trainer.

While Elvis was sheltered from the press, Mushy made himself available to anyone who cared to listen. Outgoing by nature, he always had something to say about his special pupil. “I try to break a script down and train him according to what the story calls for,” he explained to UPI writer Joseph Finnigan. “We work out routines that Elvis has to do in the ring and he catches on pretty good. He’s not afraid to get hit. Of course, he doesn’t want to get his teeth knocked out.”

As the training progressed, Mushy revealed that coaching Elvis was difficult for an unusual reason. “I’m having an awful time with Elvis because he looks too GOOD. He’s supposed to be a clumsy fighter in the film, but he looks and moves like a champ. So my job is to destroy his natural coordination and teach him to look bad. It’s a little like being a jockey and having to rein in ‘Man of War.’ It’s kind of hard to do.”

Two professional fighters who squared off with Elvis in Kid Galahad were also impressed. Welterweight Orlando de la Fuente indicated, “He is very, very strong. He was very interested. He watched me very carefully so he could learn the body movements.” Orlando’s brother, Ramon, a light heavyweight agreed. “Elvis hit me pretty hard. There was one scene there where we kept on fighting after the bell rang. He caught me a good right hand on the jaw. It wasn’t in the script but they left it in, it was such a good scene.”

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Camille Clifford: Perfect Body and Iconic Gibson Girl

Camille Clifford (June 29, 1885 – June 28, 1971) was a Belgian-born actress and model, best known as the quintessential “Gibson Girl,” a feminine ideal popularized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the illustrations of artist Charles Dana Gibson.

With her hourglass figure, high-piled hair, and elegant demeanor, Clifford became the living embodiment of Gibson's illustrations, symbolizing sophistication and Edwardian beauty.

Though she pursued a short career on stage, Camille Clifford’s fame primarily stemmed from her iconic look, which captured the imagination of the public and cemented her legacy as a fashion and cultural icon of her time. After marrying Captain the Hon. Henry Lyndhurst Bruce, heir to the title of Lord Aberdare, she gradually retired from the spotlight.

Take a look at these fabulous photos to see the beauty of a young Camille Clifford from the early 1900s.

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Louis Wain and His Psychedelic Cat Paintings

Louis Wain (August 5, 1860 – July 4, 1939) was a British artist best known for his whimsical and often psychedelic paintings and illustrations of cats. His work played a major role in changing the public perception of cats in Victorian and Edwardian England—from being seen primarily as utilitarian mousers to beloved household pets.

Wain began his career as an illustrator, contributing to publications like The Illustrated London News. In 1886, he created his first famous cat drawing for a Christmas issue of The Illustrated London News, titled “A Kittens’ Christmas Party,” which featured anthropomorphized cats in festive human-like scenarios. This illustration launched his reputation as a cat artist.

Wain’s early cat drawings were naturalistic but quickly evolved into anthropomorphic depictions—cats wearing clothes, playing instruments, attending parties, and acting like humans. These images were charming and humorous, and they appealed to a wide audience.

As his career progressed, his style became increasingly colorful, complex, and abstract. Some of his later works featured kaleidoscopic patterns, vibrant colors, and heavily stylized cats that bordered on the psychedelic. These later pieces have fascinated art historians and psychologists due to their potential reflection of Wain’s deteriorating mental health.

Wain was diagnosed with schizophrenia later in life, and he spent his final years in mental institutions. His later cat paintings—often cited as visual reflections of his mental state—have been studied in psychology and art circles for how they appear to represent the progression of his illness.

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The Very First Publicity Photos of Tammy Wynette for Epic Records, ca. 1967

The very first Epic publicity shots of Tammy Wynette were taken by James J. Kriegsmann in New York, circa 1967. The photos show a radiant, tanned Tammy gazed heavenward, her eyes lined by heavy mascara. She looks stunning, almost regal, a Nashville Nefertiti.

40 Vintage Photos That Defined 1930s Women’s Fashion

1930s women’s fashion moved from the boyish flapper look to a more feminine, sophisticated, and elegant silhouette, heavily influenced by Hollywood glamor.

Key features included elongated, slender lines and the innovative bias cut for fluid draping. Shoulders became wider, often with subtle padding, and hemlines lengthened to mid-calf or floor-length for evening. Details like ruffles and bows added charm.

While practical daywear like cotton dresses was common, wide-legged trousers also emerged for leisure. Accessories like hats, gloves, and soft, waved hairstyles were essential. The decade blended practicality with aspirational Hollywood style.

Take a look at these vintage photos to see how women expressed beauty and style in the 1930s.

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Rare Daguerreotypes of Victorian Women Breastfeeding Their Babies

Daguerreotypes of Victorian women breastfeeding are extremely rare, both due to the photographic norms of the 19th century and the societal attitudes of the time.

Victorian society emphasized modesty, particularly for women. Breastfeeding, though natural, was generally considered a private act, not something to be publicly displayed or photographed. Women were often portrayed in a formal, idealized way — sitting stiffly, dressed in their finest clothing. A breastfeeding pose would have been seen as too intimate or domestic for a formal daguerreotype.

While motherhood was a common theme in photography, breastfeeding itself was not typically shown in daguerreotypes, as such moments were considered too private for public display. These rare photos displayed here show the opposite.

While there may not be extensive surviving examples of daguerreotypes showing breastfeeding specifically, motherhood and the nurturing of children were central themes in Victorian art and photography. Photos of mothers with their children were common, as they reflected the period’s ideals about the sanctity and purity of the maternal role.

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