28 Amazing Photographs of Melanie Griffith on the Set of “Something Wild” (1986)

Melanie Griffith had a positive, collaborative experience on the set of Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild (1986), where she played the free-spirited Audrey “Lulu” Hankel opposite Jeff Daniels. Demme pictured her in the role from his first reading of the script, impressed by her bold performance in Brian De Palma’s Body Double (1984). She was the first actor offered the part.

Filming took place mainly from March to May 1986, largely in Tallahassee, Florida (and nearby areas such as Quincy and Havana for key scenes like the liquor store, motels, and reunion), with additional work in New York and New Jersey. The production operated on a relatively modest budget and emphasized spontaneity, Demme often avoided heavy rehearsals or storyboarding, letting actors explore scenes on location.

Griffith contributed creatively. She helped shape Lulu’s striking early look (the black Louise Brooks-style bob wig and layers of bold, eclectic jewelry sourced from a New York store called Craft Caravan). Demme later praised her as a hard worker full of ideas who took ownership of the character. She also had informal input on casting the role of her character’s volatile ex-husband: after a bad experience with another actor, she recommended Ray Liotta (a fellow student from her acting class), which helped him land the part that launched his film career.

She has spoken warmly about the production. In a 1986 interview, she called Demme “very special” for being supportive, he even visited her in the hospital while she was pregnant, and for “set[ting] his actors free,” helping her feel she could take bold chances. In a later interview she recalled the shoot as “great” and “fun,” noting that it was filmed mostly in sequence and that working with Demme and Daniels was excellent. The role itself was a creative high point for her and helped revive her career after earlier ups and downs.

Griffith’s magnetism on set translated into immense critical acclaim. The role earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress and directly paved the way for her iconic, Oscar-nominated starring role in 1988’s Working Girl.

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Stunning Portraits of 18-Year-Old Whitney Houston From Her First Ever Photoshoot Before Fame, 1982

In February 1982, photographer Jack Mitchell conducted what is widely regarded as Whitney Houston’s first professional photoshoot. She was 18 and a senior in high school at the time. The session took place in Mitchell’s Manhattan studio and was arranged by someone connected to her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston. It was originally intended for the entertainment magazine After Dark but the photos were never published then. Mitchell later described it as “a routine thing.” He shot 13 rolls of film on a medium-format camera over roughly two hours.

Whitney arrived straight from high school in the clothes she had worn that day. While waiting (her mother’s manager was running late), she asked if she could do her homework; Mitchell agreed, noting he had never had that happen before or since.

She had no makeup artist, hair stylist, or entourage. Mitchell, more accustomed to “highly glazed” celebrities like Donna Summer, was surprised by the simplicity. He described her as “an innocent, sweet, pleasant schoolgirl with very good manners.” The shoot was sometimes an “uphill situation” because she was not camera-ready or particularly savvy, though she responded well to direction. He did not see obvious stardom written on her face at the time: “The pictures I made of her were not her subsequent polished image. Mine were just simple images.” He believed these were among her first professional photographs, taken while she was still singing in a church choir and occasionally performing with her mother.

The black and white portraits show a fresh-faced, natural-looking young woman in casual or simple attire (including turtlenecks and everyday school clothes), often in straightforward or profile poses against plain studio backgrounds. They contrast sharply with the glamorous, highly styled images of her later career. The negatives remained in Mitchell’s files for about 30 years until he released them following her death in February 2012.

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Meet Alessandro Moreschi, the Last Surviving Castrato in the Sistine Chapel Choir

Alessandro Moreschi (1858–1922) was an Italian singer known as “l’Angelo di Roma” (the Angel of Rome). He was the last castrato to serve in the Sistine Chapel Choir and the only one whose voice was recorded.

Alessandro Moreschi, ca. 1900

He was born Alessandro Nilo Angelo Moreschi on November 1, 1858 in the small town of Monte Compatri, near Frascati in the Papal States (now Lazio, Italy). He came from a modest Roman Catholic family; his parents were Luigi Lorenzo Moreschi and Rosa Maria Potelli. He was one of several children (accounts vary between the sixth, seventh, or eighth).

As a boy he sang in the local chapel of the Madonna del Castagno. His clear voice attracted attention. Around age 7–9, he was castrated. The official story often given was that the operation treated an inguinal hernia, a common medical excuse of the era, since castration was still sometimes viewed as a remedy for certain conditions. In reality, it was almost certainly done to preserve his high singing voice for a career in church music, following a centuries-old Italian tradition. Talent scouts for the papal choirs sought out promising boys; one key figure was Nazareno Rosati, a former Sistine Chapel singer.

By about 1870–1871, Rosati brought him to Rome. There he studied at the Scuola di San Salvatore in Lauro under Gaetano Capocci, the distinguished maestro di cappella of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

In 1873, at only 15, Moreschi was appointed First Soprano at St. John Lateran. He also performed in the salons of Roman high society. His breakthrough came in 1883 when he sang the florid coloratura role of the Seraph in Beethoven’s oratorio Christus am Ölberge (in Italian translation). The performance earned him the nickname “l’Angelo di Roma.” Shortly afterward he joined the Sistine Chapel Choir as First Soprano, a position he held for roughly thirty years.

Young Alessandro Moreschi, ca. 1880

He rose within the choir hierarchy, serving at times as secretary, director of the concertisti, and even temporary maestro. He also sang with other papal chapels (including the Cappella Giulia). Outside the Vatican he was a sought-after soloist. A high point came on August 9, 1900, when, at the request of the Italian royal family, he performed as soloist at the Pantheon under Pietro Mascagni for the funeral rites of the assassinated King Umberto I; he received a gold watch in thanks.

Physically, castrati typically remained beardless, with elongated limbs, a somewhat expanded ribcage, and a youthful appearance into middle age, traits Moreschi shared. Contemporary listeners described his voice as pure, ethereal, and “supernatural.”

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30 Fascinating Vintage Portraits of Japanese People From the Early 1900s

These fascinating portraits, via jcclinefelter, offer a rare and intimate glimpse into the faces of Japan during the early 1900s. Captured at a time of rapid social and cultural change, the photographs show men, women, and children from different walks of life: from traditional samurai-era attire to modern Western-influenced clothing.

With their careful compositions and quiet dignity, these images preserve the appearance, fashion, and expressions of ordinary and extraordinary Japanese people over a century ago, providing a valuable visual record of a pivotal era in the country’s history.

A group of Japanese performers, circa 1900

Family portrait by Fuziwara Studio, Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, circa 1900

Group portrait by K. Miyasaki Studio in the city of Akita, circa 1900

Portrait by J. Akino Studio, Yokosuka, Japan, circa 1900

Portrait of a Japanese couple by Esaki Studio, Asakusa, Tokyo, circa 1900

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Marcello Dudovich: Master of Italian Poster Art

Marcello Dudovich (1878–1962) was one of the most important Italian poster artists and illustrators of the early 20th century.

Born in Trieste, Dudovich rose to prominence designing elegant and colorful advertising posters for major brands such as Borsalino, Mele, and Pirelli. His refined style, influenced by Art Nouveau and later Art Deco, combined sophisticated figures, bold compositions, and a distinctive sense of modern elegance.

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Dudovich produced hundreds of iconic posters that helped define the visual language of Italian commercial art. These vibrant vintage posters showcase Marcello Dudovich’s elegant style and lasting influence on the golden age of Italian advertising art.

Bitter Campari, 1900

Smalti, circa 1904

"Rapid", Nuovi inchiostri da scrivere sopraffini, circa 1905

Filli Sanguinetti, Milano, 1905

A. E. Mele &Ci, Napoli, 1906

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Before Becoming “Hollywood’s Mermaid,” Esther Williams Was an Elite Swimmer in the 1930s

In the 1930s, Esther Williams was an elite, record-breaking competitive swimmer long before she became Hollywood’s famous “Million Dollar Mermaid.” Training out of the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC), she dominated regional and national competitions as a teenager, culminating in multiple titles and a spot on the United States Olympic team.

Williams was enthusiastic about swimming in her youth. Her older sister Maurine took her to Manhattan Beach and to the local pool. Esther took a job counting towels at the pool to pay the five-cent entry fee, and while there, she had swimming lessons from the male lifeguards. From them she learned the “male only” swimming strokes, including the butterfly, with which she would later break records.

Her medley team set the record for the 300-yard relay at the Los Angeles Athletic Club in 1939 and was also the national AAU champion in the 100-meter freestyle, with a record-breaking time of 1 minute 9.0 seconds. By age 16 Williams had won three U.S. national championships in breaststroke and freestyle swimming.

By late 1939, 17-year-old Williams had officially qualified for three berths on the U.S. Olympic Swim Team. She was scheduled to compete at the 1940 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. However, the outbreak of World War II in Europe forced the permanent cancellation of the games, instantly shattering her dreams of an Olympic medal.

With amateur sports sidelined by war, Williams took a job as a department store stock girl before turning professional in 1940. Her local swimming fame caught the eye of showman Billy Rose. She was hired to star alongside Olympic champion Johnny Weissmuller in Billy Rose’s Aquacade, a massive musical swimming spectacle at the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. It was her performance in this pool that drew Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) talent scouts, launching her iconic movie career.

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30 Amazing Photographs of Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega on the Set of the 1973 Film “Papillon”

In the 1973 prison drama Papillon, Dustin Hoffman delivered a memorable performance as Louis Dega, a frail, intellectual counterfeiter. Playing opposite Steve McQueen’s Henri Charrière, Hoffman portrayed Dega with trademark thick, round spectacles and a vulnerable demeanor, acting as the financial backing and close friend to McQueen’s character during their brutal imprisonment in French Guiana.

To portray Dega, Hoffman wore thick, distorting round spectacles, which impaired his vision during filming and emphasized the character’s physical vulnerability in contrast to the harsh jungle penal colony. Dega relies on the rugged, escape-obsessed Henri “Papillon” Charrière for physical protection, while Dega provides Papillon with financial backing and resources to fund their escape attempts. Known for his immersive preparation, Hoffman deliberately adopted a hesitant, nervous demeanor and soft-spoken delivery to contrast McQueen’s stoic intensity.

Papillon was filmed at various locations in Spain and Jamaica, with the cave scenes filmed beneath what is now the Xtabi hotel on the cliffs of Negril. The town scenes near the beginning of the film were shot in Hondarribia, Spain. The St-Laurent-du-Maroni penal colony scenes were filmed in Falmouth, Jamaica, and the swamp scenes were shot near Ferris Cross. Interior scenes were shot in Montego Bay, while other scenes were filmed in Kingston, Ocho Rios and Savanna-la-Mar.

Most of the French prisoners on the island were portrayed by German-Jamaican extras. The Prison of St-Laurent-du-Maroni, where Henri Charrière was held, and where most of the action takes place, was faithfully recreated using the original blueprints.

Papillon was a major commercial success in 1973, grossing over $53 million on a $12 million budget, and earned praise for the dynamic screen pairing between McQueen and Hoffman.

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