Sculptor Howard Ball Towing His Life-Size Mammoth to the La Brea Tar Pits Using Only His Volkswagen, 1967

The sight of the mammoth standing at the edge of the La Brea tar pits on Wilshire Blvd is a must-drive-by for tourists. But imagine what it was like for the locals driving along Wilshire in January 1967 who came upon the sight of sculptor Howard Ball towing his life-size mammoth to the pits using only his Volkswagen.

In 1967, The Times reported:

“A life-sized model of an imperial mammoth was placed beside the largest of the tar pits in Hancock Park Wednesday, the first of 50 prehistoric animals’ replicas to be installed in the park in a plan to recreate a ‘Pleistocene atmosphere.’

Sculptor Howard Ball, commissioned to do the 13-foot-high, 25-foot-long, fiberglass creature, pulled it to the site from his Torrance studios on a trailer with his 1958 Volkswagen.

The 2,000-pound mammoth was then transferred with a minimum of difficulty by city crane to the four small iron platforms upon which it will rest.

A crowd of about 100 persons, including two county supervisors, the head of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, and members of the museum board watched the installation and heard brief speeches.

Imperial mammoths roamed the Los Angeles area in the Pleistocene epoch of 14,000 to 40,000 years ago. Some became mired in the tar pits.

Ball, the 60-year-old sculptor, said he plans to set to work on a female companion for his $4,300 mammoth immediately. He also plans a baby.

Howard Ball’s three-mammoth installation was finished in 1968.”

Björk Photographed by Kevin Cummins, 1993

In 1993, Björk was in the middle of a transformation. She had just released her debut solo album Debut, the record that would introduce her to the world not as the pixie-punk singer of The Sugarcubes, but as a wholly original artist with an electronic, emotional, and wildly imaginative voice.

Kevin Cummins, already famous for his stark, intimate portraits of Manchester’s music scene, was one of the photographers who understood how to bring out an artist’s essence without overwhelming it. When Björk stepped in front of his lens, the chemistry was instantaneous.

The shoot took place in London in early 1993, during a promotional run that had Björk floating between interviews, rehearsal spaces, and studio sessions. Cummins preferred simple, almost bare environments—places where a subject’s personality had room to breathe.

He put Björk near soft natural light, letting her expressive face and luminous eyes take center stage. She wore minimal styling: knitted textures, soft fabrics, pieces that looked like they’d been chosen from her own eclectic wardrobe.

Björk came in buzzing – excited, curious, and playful. She had a habit of drifting around the room, examining props and surfaces, humming melodies under her breath, the same way she approached sound in the studio. Cummins didn’t pose her aggressively; he watched and adjusted, capturing moments where she seemed lost in her own inner landscape.

One of the most striking images from the session shows Björk looking directly into the camera, wide-eyed, her expression half-serious, half-mischievous. Cummins later said the key to photographing her was to let her lead. She didn’t need direction, she needed freedom.

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Sociological Survey Photos of Rouen’s Substandard Housing in 1951

The sociological survey of substandard housing in Rouen, titled “Slums” in the MRU photo library records, comprises a total of 106 6x6cm negatives. It followed research conducted in the same eastern district of the city by Father Michel Quoist for his doctoral thesis in sociology.

Photographer Henri Salesse undoubtedly benefited from the experience of this unconventional sociologist, who was close to the Économie et Humanisme association, in meeting residents and photographing them in their homes.

3 Amitié Street, Rouen, 1951

A car parked in front of Saint-Maclou Church on Barthélemy Square, Rouen, 1951

A child at 3 Marin-le-Pigny Street, Rouen, 1951

A woman washing clothes in the courtyard at 3 Marin-le-Pigny Street, Rouen, 1951

Brutus Street, Rouen, 1951

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Beautiful Portraits of Elizabeth Taylor on the Set of ‘Beau Brummell’ (1954)

Elizabeth Taylor, already a major star, brought a captivating presence to the set of Beau Brummell in 1954, playing Lady Patricia Belham, the beautiful and high-spirited noblewoman who falls for the titular dandy. Photographs and studio portraits taken during production often highlight Taylor’s striking beauty framed by the elaborate costumes of the Regency period.

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Taylor embodied a vibrant, modern sensibility even in historical dress, with her signature dark hair and intense violet eyes providing a dramatic contrast to the era’s delicate fabrics and voluminous skirts.

Her portraiture from this film showcases her at the height of her early career glamour, radiating youthful confidence and the elegance required to convincingly portray a woman who navigates the rigid, fashion-conscious high society of early 19th-century England.

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22 Fascinating Photos of Shirley MacLaine as Lucy Dell in “My Geisha” (1962)

In the 1962 film My Geisha, Shirley MacLaine stars as Lucy Dell, a famous American comedienne who, in an attempt to prove her acting range and secure a dramatic role in her husband’s film, masquerades as a Japanese geisha named Yoko Mori.

The plot revolves around Lucy’s husband, Paul Robaix (played by Yves Montand), a film director who travels to Japan to film an authentic adaptation of Madame Butterfly. He intends to cast an unknown Japanese actress for the lead role, specifically to prove his directorial talent without relying on his famous wife.

Unbeknownst to him, Lucy follows him to Japan and, with the help of the film’s producer Sam Lewis (Edward G. Robinson) and a real geisha who teaches her the customs, completely transforms her appearance to pass as a Japanese woman. She auditions under the name Yoko Mori and wins the part.

MacLaine’s role required a significant physical transformation, including elaborate makeup and costuming to alter her Caucasian features to an “Oriental shape.”

Her performance is described in contemporary reviews as subdued and in keeping with the formal nature of the geisha role, showing her versatility beyond the “Lucille-Ball-type” comedienne character she plays at the beginning of the film. The film is a comedy of errors where her character has to maintain the elaborate deception throughout the filming process, even as her husband becomes romantically intrigued by the mysterious “Yoko Mori.”

The film was largely seen as a light, charming, though highly improbable, comedy. While praised for its beautiful on-location shots of Japan and MacLaine’s convincing performance, it has also been viewed as a product of its time, with modern discussions pointing out the use of “yellowface” and cultural insensitivity inherent in the premise, similar to modern discussions of Tropic Thunder.

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Photographs of the Ramones Hanging Out in London in July 1976

The Ramones visited London in July 1976 for their first shows outside the United States, performing a pair of legendary gigs that are often cited as a pivotal moment in the birth of the UK punk rock scene.

The band played two shows in London, supporting the headlining act the Flamin’ Groovies. Their UK debut at the Roundhouse on July 4 and a second show at Dingwalls on July 5. These shows were highly successful, drawing large crowds of up to 3,000 people at the Roundhouse, far more than the typical audience of 150 they were getting in New York City at the time.

The Ramones’ fast, raw, three-chord sound had a massive impact on the nascent British punk scene. Members of many future pioneering British punk bands were in the audience such as The Clash, the Sex Pistols, The Damned, and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. Accounts from the time describe the British bands and fans being inspired to form their own groups after seeing the Ramones, realizing that they could create powerful music with a simple, high-energy approach.

Photos from the visit by the band’s manager and photographer Danny Fields capture the band members, including Joey and Dee Dee, hanging out at the venues and in the streets in London:

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Young Diana Dors at the Miss Venus Beauty Pageant at Weston-super-Mare, England, 1947

In 1947 Diana Dors came third in a beauty contest while on holiday in Weston-Super-Mare. The winner was Beryl Ten-Brooke, who she later said of Diana: “to be honest, I remember her being a bit precious.”

Beryl Ten-Brooke, left, winning the Miss Venus beauty pageant at Weston-super-Mare, beating a young Diana Dors, right.

In 1947, Dors was a 15-year-old student at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), where she was the youngest student in her class. During this year, she began her film career, appearing in several films, often in brief or uncredited roles.

She also won the London Films Cup at LAMDA, an award for the “girl most likely to succeed in films.” It was also around this time that she signed a contract with the Rank Organisation and became known for her willingness to pose for glamour shots, earning her the nickname "The Body". She had previously been going by her birth name, Diana Mary Fluck, and changed it to Dors at the suggestion of her mother.