Frances Dee: Elegant Beauty of Classic Hollywood

Frances Dee (1909–2004) was an American actress known for her delicate beauty and refined screen presence during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Dee rose to prominence in the early 1930s with roles in films such as Playboy of Paris opposite Maurice Chevalier, Little Women (1933), and Becky Sharp (1935). Later she delivered a memorable performance in the atmospheric horror classic I Walked with a Zombie (1943).

Married for nearly six decades to actor Joel McCrea, Dee balanced a successful film career with a private life away from the spotlight. She remains remembered as one of the most graceful and understated leading ladies of classic Hollywood. These vintage photos capture the delicate beauty and timeless elegance of Frances Dee, a graceful star of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

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Debbie Harry on Top of the World Trade Center, ca. 1974

This photograph of Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry was taken around 1974–1975 by her bandmate, co-founder, and long-time partner, Chris Stein. Harry is pictured leaning against the railing of the Observation Deck atop one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, looking south toward Upper New York Bay, Governors Island, and Staten Island.

Taken during the very early days of Blondie before they achieved global stardom, the photo reflects the gritty, artistic downtown New York scene of the mid-1970s.

Chris Stein was not only Blondie's guitarist and main songwriter alongside Harry, but also an avid photographer who documented the band's rise, everyday moments, and the surrounding NYC punk/new wave scene.

When Stein republished this image in his photo retrospective Point of View: Me, New York City & The Punk Scene, he noted its deep emotional and historical weight. Beyond being a candid snapshot of a future rock icon in her formative years, it stands as a poignant artifact of pre-9/11 New York City, capturing a lost moment in time before both the band’s fame and the towers themselves changed history.

Roecliff & Chapman Model: Elegant British Postwar Ready-to-Wear

Roecliff & Chapman Model was a British ready-to-wear fashion house active in the late 1940s and ’50s, specializing in high-end womenswear.

Based at a prestigious address on Grosvenor Street in Mayfair, London, the company produced elegant, well-crafted garments that reflected the refined style of postwar British fashion. Their designs offered sophisticated ready-to-wear alternatives at a time when quality and understated elegance were highly valued.

Though the label appears to have ceased operations by the late 1950s, surviving pieces remain appreciated as examples of mid-century British fashion craftsmanship. These elegant designs showcase the refined style and quality craftsmanship of Roecliff & Chapman Model, a sophisticated British ready-to-wear label of the postwar era.

Actress Hazel Court in watered silk dress in purple, white and gray, with a shirt top and gathered skirt by Roecliff & Chapman, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, July 1949

Anne Gunning in elegant silk jersey dress with soft folds on one side by Roecliff & Chapman, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, December 1950

Susan Hook in black velvet dress with mermaid-tight skirt flaring into a fish-tail from the knee by Roecliff & Chapman, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper's Bazaar UK, November 1950

Actress Kay Kendall in cyclamen silk jersey draped evening dress leaving one shoulder bare by Roecliff & Chapman, photo by Richard Dormer, Madeira, Harper's Bazaar UK, January 1951

Fiona Campbell-Walter in beautiful halter gown in navy taffeta with white embroidery by Roecliff & Chapman at Bon Marché, Harper's Bazaar UK, June 1951

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Photographer Posts Never-Before-Seen Photographs of 9/11 Bystanders

A photographer (storiestellr) on Threads has gained significant attention for sharing a series of unpublished, chronological photographs of 9/11 bystanders. The photo series documents everyday people on the streets of New York City during the morning of September 11, 2001, capturing the immediate, raw confusion, disbelief, and shock as the events unfolded.

Instead of focusing directly on the burning buildings, the images emphasize the faces of bystanders, witnesses, and ordinary New Yorkers trying to process the tragedy in real time. Many of these archival photos reflect a surreal mix of normalcy and mounting realization, showing how individuals reacted instinctively to preserve history before the full scale of the terrorist attack was completely understood.

Along with each image, the photographer posts written captions reflecting on what was happening at that specific location and moment, detailing the human experience behind the lens.

“Twenty-five years ago, on September 11, 2001, I turned my camera away from World Trade Center and toward the bewildered crowd,” he wrote. “Starting today, I’m posting a few chronological photographs a day, with a line or two from my journal and an essay I wrote – until September 11, 2026.”

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David Bowie’s Sphinx Series Photographed by Brian Ward in 1971

The Sphinx Series (often referred to as the “Hunky Dory Sphinx” sessions) remains one of the most striking visual documentations of David Bowie’s transition from a folk-rock singer to a global superstar. Photographed by Brian Ward in 1971 at his studio on Heddon Street in London, these images captured Bowie in a state of high-fashion androgyny that would soon define the Hunky Dory era.

In 1971, Bowie was deep into the recording of Hunky Dory. He was experimenting heavily with his image, moving away from the “curly-haired mod” look of the late 1960s toward a more ethereal, gender-fluid aesthetic. Bowie appeared with long, flowing strawberry-blonde hair, wearing a floral “man-dress” designed by Michael Fish (which he also wore on the cover of the UK release of The Man Who Sold the World).

The name “Sphinx Series” comes from Bowie’s rigid, symmetrical posing, sitting on the floor with his legs tucked, hands resting on his knees, and a piercing, enigmatic gaze directed at the camera.

The session produced several iconic shots, though not all were used immediately. While Ward’s photos from these sessions were the primary source material, the final Hunky Dory cover was a hand-colored version of a specific portrait inspired by Greta Garbo, rather than the full Sphinx-style body shots. Brian Ward is also the photographer behind the famous Ziggy Stardust cover taken just a few months later on the very same street (Heddon Street) where his studio was located.

These photos are often cited by historians as the moment Bowie perfected the art of the staged persona. The Sphinx photos don’t look like a musician posing for a PR shot; they look like a classical sculpture or a silent film star, bridging the gap between rock music and high-concept performance art.

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Jean Dawnay: Dior’s Elegant English Muse

Jean Dawnay (1925–2016) was a leading British fashion model of the early 1950s, best known for her work with the House of Dior.

After beginning her career in London, Dawnay moved to Paris and became one of Christian Dior’s house models, where she was known as “Caroline.” Tall, refined, and poised, she helped present the designer’s collections and became one of the original supermodels of the postwar era.

Dawnay also modeled for other major houses and photographers, and later wrote about her experiences in the book Model Girl. Her elegant presence helped define the sophisticated image of 1950s haute couture. These elegant photos capture the refined beauty and timeless style of Jean Dawnay, one of the original supermodels of the Dior era.

Jean Dawnay in pale yellow chiffon and satin evening gown by Robert Piguet, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1950

Jean Dawnay in natural shantung coat lined in orange over delicately embroidered dress adorned with blue chiffon belt, by Christian Dior, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1950

Jean Dawnay in afternoon dress of pure white linen embroidered with scales set against a background of tulle in three tiers, by Christian Dior, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1950

Jean Dawnay in beautiful fluid evening dress of soft white crêpe, by Jeanne Lafaurie, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1950

Jean Dawnay in Dior's small wasp-waisted suit in grey wool crépe softened by the petaled hat and hint of white at the throat, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1950

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A Group of Passengers Pose for a Picture at Dulles Airport on September 11, 2001, Prior to Boarding American Airlines Flight 77

This is one of the last photographs of a National Geographic educational group taken at Washington Dulles International Airport on the morning of September 11, 2001, shortly before they boarded American Airlines Flight 77.

The group was heading to California for a National Geographic-sponsored ecology/science trip focused on the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary near Santa Barbara (sometimes described as studying the ocean or attending a related conference). It was a special opportunity for selected Washington, D.C., public-school students.

The people in the photo are generally identified left to right as: Teacher James D. Debeuneure (Ketcham Elementary), student Rodney Dickens (11), student Bernard C. Brown II (11), teacher Hilda E. Taylor (Leckie Elementary), student Asia S. Cottom (11), National Geographic Society employee J. Joseph “Joe” Ferguson, and National Geographic Society employee Ann C. Judge.

A National Geographic employee took the group photo during the boarding process at the gate. It captured the last known images of these victims (and, in the background of some versions, a figure some have noted as resembling one of the hijackers, though this is not definitively confirmed).

Flight 77 (a Boeing 757 from Dulles to Los Angeles) was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists and deliberately crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. Everyone on board (58 passengers including the five hijackers and 6 crew) and 125 people in the building died. The three 11-year-old students (for many of whom it was their first plane ride), their teacher chaperones, and the two National Geographic staff members were among the victims.

National Geographic and others continue to remember them annually. The students had been chosen for their academic promise and character; the adults were dedicated educators and staff supporting the educational mission. The photo remains a poignant record of ordinary people on an exciting trip that ended in tragedy.