Former Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev for Louis Vuitton (2007)

In 2007, Louis Vuitton launched its celebrated “Core Values” advertising campaign, created by agency Ogilvy & Mather and shot by renowned portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz. One of the most arresting images in fashion and political advertising history featured Mikhail Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union.

Gorbachev is pictured wearing a pinstripe suit and overcoat inside the back of a vintage, Khrushchev-era Soviet limousine. As the car drives along a remnant of the Berlin Wall, he looks somberly out the window. Beside him on the leather seat rests a monogrammed Louis Vuitton Keepall bag. The photo starkly captures the irony of a former communist statesman participating in a high-end capitalist advertisement next to the very wall whose fall he helped orchestrate.

A fascinating detail often noted by historians is the Russian magazine peeking out of the unzipped Louis Vuitton bag. If zoomed in, the Cyrillic text reveals a headline about the unsolved murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin. While Louis Vuitton claimed the magazine was merely a realistic prop brought by Gorbachev, it added a heavy layer of contemporary political tension to the image.

The luxury group LVMH specifically utilized Gorbachev to expand market credibility among men and elite consumer classes in burgeoning luxury regions like Russia and China. Gorbachev agreed to the commercial shoot under the condition that Louis Vuitton make a sizeable financial donation to Green Cross International, an environmental sustainability organization he founded.

This “Core Values” travel campaign ran in major fashion publications alongside portraits of other iconic figures, including Catherine Deneuve, Steffi Graf, and Andre Agassi.

Sabine Weiss: Elegant Fashion Photography of the 1950s

Although best known as a leading figure of French humanist photography, Sabine Weiss (1924–2021) also created refined and elegant fashion images during the 1950s.

After assisting German fashion photographer Willy Maywald in Paris in the late 1940s, Weiss developed a distinctive approach that combined clean composition, soft natural light, and a subtle sense of movement. Working for magazines such as Vogue and other publications, she photographed models and haute couture with the same sensitivity she brought to her street photography.

Her fashion work captures the understated glamour and quiet sophistication of postwar French style, revealing a more intimate and human side of the era’s elegance. These graceful photos showcase Sabine Weiss’s rare ability to blend fashion, atmosphere, and humanity into images of timeless elegance.

Elinor in cherry-red maillot from Chez Franck et Fils, Bettina Graziani in blue maillot from Chez Anne-Marie Bazille, photo by Sabine Weiss, Vogue, Paris, July/August 1953

Capucine wearing a black taffeta dress, low off the shoulders, the skirt is straight in front fitted with large pleats on the sides and in the back by G. d'Ariaux, photo by Sabine Weiss, Vogue, Paris, November 1954

Capucine wearing a black velvet suit with a removable white fox collar by Max Mozès, hat by Florence, photo by Sabine Weiss, Vogue, Paris, November 1954

Marie-Hélène Arnaud wearing a knit sweater by Bettina, skirt and vest by Rosine Robin both at Chez Jean Damien, photo by Sabine Weiss, Vogue, Paris, November 1954

Model in a softly draped sweater off the shoulders by Korrigan Lesur with an ottoman skirt belted with black velvet bow with two streamers by Fath-Université, jewelry by Casty, at Chez Milon, photo by Sabine Weiss, Vogue, Paris, November 1954

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44 Amazing Photographs of Wendy Hiller as Eliza Doolittle on the Set of “Pygmalion” (1938)

When 26-year-old Wendy Hiller took on the role of Eliza Doolittle in the 1938 film adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, she was personally handpicked by Shaw himself. Shaw had seen her brilliant stage performance as Eliza at the Malvern Festival in 1936 and insisted that no one else play the Cockney flower girl on screen.

Filmed at Pinewood Studios under the direction of Anthony Asquith and co-star Leslie Howard (who played Professor Henry Higgins), the production was a milestone in British cinema. Shaw kept a close eye on the adaptation, even contributing new dialogue and scenes specifically tailored for the film medium, including the famous ballroom scene and Eliza’s phonetics lesson sequence (“The rain in Spain...”).

The film made cinematic history when Hiller uttered Eliza’s iconic line, “Not bloody likely!,” breaking taboos around profanity in mainstream English-language film at the time. This production set the standard for future adaptations of Shaw’s play, most notably serving as the direct structural and narrative blueprint for the 1956 theatrical musical My Fair Lady, which in turn led to the 1964 film of the same name.

In stark contrast to her character’s early look, set photographs show Hiller transformed into an aristocratic figure, wearing an exquisite white gown and tiara for the grand ballroom sequences. Her fierce, grounded portrayal earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, making her the first British actress to receive a Lead Actress Oscar nomination for a British film.

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John William Waterhouse: Master of Pre-Raphaelite Romance

John William Waterhouse (1849–1917) was an English painter celebrated for his richly atmospheric depictions of classical mythology and literary subjects.

Closely associated with the later Pre-Raphaelite tradition, Waterhouse is best known for iconic works such as The Lady of Shalott, Hylas and the Nymphs, and multiple versions of Ophelia. His paintings often feature beautiful, enigmatic women set in dreamlike landscapes, combining meticulous detail with a soft, romantic atmosphere.

With his mastery of color, composition, and storytelling, Waterhouse remains one of the most beloved artists of the Victorian era. These timeless artworks showcase John William Waterhouse’s poetic vision and enduring mastery of myth, beauty, and romantic narrative.

A Tale from Decameron

Ariadne

A Flower Stall

A Mermaid

Boreas

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Candid Photographs of a Young Steve Martin Taken by Henry Diltz at His Home in 1969

In 1969, legendary photographer Henry Diltz took a series of candid, iconic portraits of a young Steve Martin at his home in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. Long before he became known for his signature white hair and “Wild and Crazy Guy” comedy persona, the future superstar was working as a television writer and stand-up comic while living right up the hill from Diltz.

The photo session captures an intimate look at Martin’s early artistic passions, quirky humor, and life in the vibrant Laurel Canyon artistic community. Several famous shots from this shoot highlight Martin playing his acoustic guitar and banjo. He would later seamlessly weave his master-level banjo skills into his legendary comedy acts. One notable image showcases him focused at his desk, working away on a vintage typewriter, around the time he was writing Emmy-winning material for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Even in casual portraits, Martin’s distinct comedic sensibilities peeked through. Diltz captured deadpan, absurd setups, including a famous shot of Martin jokingly pretending to “iron” a kitten, as well as posing with binoculars.

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Patricia Morison: Classic Hollywood Beauty and Broadway Legend

Patricia Morison (1915–2018) was an American actress and singer celebrated for her striking beauty and powerful mezzo-soprano voice.

Known for her long, dark hair and elegant presence, Morison appeared in numerous Hollywood films of the 1940s, often cast as sophisticated or mysterious leading ladies. Her greatest triumph came on Broadway, where she originated the role of Lilli Vanessi in Cole Porter’s classic musical Kiss Me, Kate (1948), introducing iconic songs such as “So in Love” and “I Hate Men.”

With a career spanning stage, screen, and later television, Morison remains remembered as both a glamorous film star and a legendary figure of the American musical theatre. These vintage photos capture the timeless elegance and dramatic allure of Patricia Morison, a true classic of Hollywood and Broadway’s Golden Age.

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Architects Dressed as Their Own Famous New York City Skyscraper Creations at the 1931 Beaux-Arts Ball

Held on January 23, 1931, at the Hotel Astor in New York City, the masquerade gala was organized by the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects. The ball’s theme was Fête Moderne: A Fantasie in Flame and Silver. During the height of the Great Depression, and just as Manhattan’s skyline was undergoing a explosive Art Deco transformation, seven of New York’s most prominent architects arrived at the costume gala dressed literally as the iconic skyscrapers they designed.

Standing side by side in elaborate cardboard-and-fabric costumes, the lineup includes: Leonard Schultze as the Waldorf-Astoria; William Van Alen as the Chrysler Building, his costume featured detailed patent leather and a cape made to mimic the building's sunburst spire; Ely Jacques Khan as the Squibb Building; Ralph Walker as the Wall Street Building; Arthur J. Arwine as a low pressure heating boiler, A. Stewart as the Fuller Building; and Joseph Freelander as the Museum of the City of New York.

The ball took place during the Great Depression. Tickets cost $15, a small fortune at the time. Despite the economic hardship outside, the party served as a spectacular, eccentric celebration of human ambition and the rapid vertical rise of the modern American metropolis. It remains a definitive cultural symbol of the Jazz Age and early American modernism.