Glamorous Portraits of Fashion Model Margaret Phillips in the 1950s

Margaret Phillips was a fashion model active during the 1950s, known for her elegant presence in photographic portraits and magazine fashion spreads. She worked with respected designers and photographers of the era such as John French, Henry Clarke, Frances McLaughlin helping to shape the visual language of 1950s style.

Like many working models of the period, Phillips represents the countless women who quietly contributed to the evolution of modern fashion through their presence, grace, and professionalism. Take a look at these glamorous photos to see portraits of Margaret Phillips in the 1950s.

Margaret Phillips in royal blue taffeta evening dress by Linzi from Harvey Nichols, photo by Robert Randall, Vogue UK, November 1951

Margaret Phillips in a short dinner dress of black chiffon by Jean Desses, beneath it an underskirt hemmed with pink silk roses that appear whenever the wearer moves about, photo by Frances McLaughlin-Gill, Vogue, October 1952

Margaret Phillips in black silk jersey coat, fully lined, by Christian Dior, photo by Frances McLaughlin, Vogue, September 1, 1952

Margaret Phillips in Dior's fine wool dress, that molds to the body with just a touch of white at the neck and a double line of buttons that relieve the stark simplicity, photo by Frances McLaughlin, 1952

Margaret Phillips in Dior's grey crépe dress from the Profile Collection, with tiny corrugated pleats wrapping and shaping the bodice, photo by Frances McLaughlin, Vogue, 1952

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The Well With a Human-Powered Treadmill Inside the Milbury Pub at Beauworth

The Milbury Pub is a historic English country pub located in Beauworth, near Winchester, that features an ancient well with a human-powered treadmill and pulley system inside.

Lowering the bucket and hauling it back up demanded a full two miles of walking inside the treadmill wheel. The well inside the Milbury pub at Beauworth drops an astonishing 300 feet (about 100 meters).

Believed to have been hand-cut more than 800 years ago, it still features a 250-year-old human-powered treadmill and bucket pulley system. Operating it once required the equivalent of a two-mile walk inside the wheel. The well sits right inside the pub, close to the bar, as one of its most remarkable historic features.

The pub was purchased by Clive and Tanith Cummings in April 2023 and has since undergone a full refurbishment, now offering local ales, open fires, and views of the surrounding countryside.

Meccano Magazine: The Voice of Engineering Enthusiasts

Meccano Magazine was a highly influential British monthly publication that ran from 1916 until 1982, serving as an extension of the iconic Meccano construction system brand.

More than just a promotional tool, the magazine became a comprehensive journal for young engineering enthusiasts and model builders. While it prominently featured Meccano models, including instructions and design ideas, it also covered a vast range of non-Meccano topics such as trains, cars, ships, aircraft, and general scientific and engineering news. It was known for its detailed technical drawings and articles that fostered an interest in practical mechanics and technology among generations of boys (and many girls) across the UK and the Commonwealth.

The magazine played a significant role in popularizing Meccano, Dinky Toys, and Hornby trains, making it a beloved piece of 20th-century British popular culture dedicated to inventive play and technical education. Here is a collection of Meccano Magazine covers from the 1930s.

Meccano Magazine cover, February 1930

Meccano Magazine cover, November 1930

Meccano Magazine cover, April 1931

Meccano Magazine cover, September 1931

Meccano Magazine cover, December 1932

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Amazing Photographs of People Posing With Giant Sponges in the Early 20th Century

In the early 20th century, “giant sponges” were primarily a focus of the lucrative commercial sponge industry, particularly in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Species considered giant by fishermen of that era were prized specimens for the bath sponge market, though modern science has since identified even larger sponges in deep, remote waters.

The natural sponge trade flourished in the early 1900s before collapsing due to disease and competition from synthetics. Greek divers migrated to the U.S., establishing major sponge harvesting operations in Florida, especially in Tarpon Springs.

Divers initially used surface-supplied air hoses to reach sponges at greater depths, which was more efficient than harvesting from shallow water. This allowed them to access larger specimens growing in deeper waters.

The Neptune’s Cup sponge (Cliona patera or a similar species) was a large, unique sponge known in the Indo-Pacific region. Overfishing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to its near-extinction, and it was considered lost for almost a century.

By the 1930s, the industry was already in decline due to overharvesting. This was made worse by a sponge blight and the introduction of synthetic sponges in the 1950s, which ended the golden age of natural sponge harvesting.

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Photos of Billy Idol of Generation X in New York City, 1978

In May 1978, Billy Idol was in New York City on a promotional tour for the debut Generation X album, though he came without the entire band. He was brought stateside by Chrysalis Records to promote the debut album Generation X, which had been released in March 1978 in the UK.

Idol made appearances at notable New York punk venues, including a stop at Max’s Kansas City on May 18, 1978. During this visit, these photos of Idol around New York City were taken by photographer Roberta Bayley. He was photographed with other figures in the punk and rock scene, such as Howie Pyro and possibly Debbie Harry, highlighting the cross-pollination of the London and NYC punk scenes at the time.

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Ringo Starr’s 1969 Mercedes 280SE After It Crashed in Fog in Surrey on May 19, 1980

May 19, 1980 saw Ringo Starr involved in a horrific car crash which nearly took the drummer and his wife Barbara Bach’s life. In eerie circumstances, the accident took place just half a mile away from the site of Marc Bolan’s fatal car crash just three years prior.

Bolan, who was also a close friend of Ringo Starr, made the coincidence even more bizarre. The former Beatle, so closely affiliated with the Bolan family, is even the godfather to his son, Rolan. Thankfully, however, Starr would not suffer the same fate but it could quite easily have been a completely different story.

The couple, who were were driving to a party in Surrey, attempted to navigate their way through the fog when the catastrophic incident would occur. As they approached a black-spot at the Robin Hood Roundabout on the A3, a terrifying collision which would completely write off Starr’s white Mercedes, Starr had to swerve, at 60 mph, to avoid hitting an oncoming lorry. His evasive action sent the couple on a fifty-yard somersaulting skid in the process which resulted in his supercar colliding head-on into two lampposts.

However, despite the leg injury that Ringo suffered, he heroically pulled Barbara safety. Removing her from the car, Starr then comically headed back into his wrecked car to retrieve a pack of cigarettes like a true rockstar. Both walked away from the crash, luckily, with only minor injuries.

The Mercedes was a total loss and written off. Following the accident, the couple had the wrecked car crushed into an artistic cube and converted it into a unique coffee table for their home, serving as a reminder of their lucky escape.

The near-fatal experience reportedly brought Starr and Bach closer together, and they married the following year.

Deborah Kerr: The Epitome of British Elegance

Deborah Kerr (1921–2007) was a celebrated Scottish actress whose career spanned several decades, making her one of the most recognizable stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Known for her refined beauty, graceful demeanor, and the ability to portray characters with immense dignity and emotional depth, she became the screen’s quintessential British lady.

While often typecast in roles as sophisticated, repressed, or prim women, Kerr proved her remarkable versatility by taking on daring roles, most famously the passionate adulteress Karen Holmes in From Here to Eternity (1953), which earned her the first of six Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, a record she holds with two other actresses. She is also beloved for her iconic performance as Anna Leonowens in the musical The King and I (1956) and the dramatic role in An Affair to Remember (1957).

In 1994, Kerr received an Honorary Academy Award for her lifetime achievements, recognizing a career that defined cinematic elegance. Take a look at these vintage photos to see portraits of a young Deborah Kerr in the 1940s and 1950s.

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