Gorgeous Photos of Lisa Ferraday in the 1950s

Lisa Ferraday (1921–2004) was a Romanian-American actress and model known for her elegant presence in Hollywood films during the 1950s. Born in Arad, Romania, to a Transylvanian diplomat, she grew up in Europe and worked for the Red Cross during World War II, surviving imprisonment by Soviet authorities.

After moving to the U.S. in 1948, Ferraday began acting in films such as China Corsair (1951), Rancho Notorious (1952), and Death of a Scoundrel (1956). She also worked in radio, theater, and television, and briefly as a disc jockey. Ferraday married twice and had one daughter. She died in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2004.

Take a look at these gorgeous photos to see portraits of Lisa Ferraday in the 1950s.

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Crowd at Coney Island During the July Heatwave in 1940

Weegee’s photograph, “Crowd at Coney Island,” taken on July 21, 1940, captures a bustling scene of people enjoying a hot summer day at the beach. The photograph, published in the newspaper PM, depicts a massive crowd under a temperature of 89 degrees, with the caption “They came early, stayed late.”

People came to Coney Island for the salt water. Many of them spend the day and night and spend no more than 25 cents. They came with their bathing suits under their clothes, or they negotiated a furtive quick change under the boardwalk. Perhaps they brought a few sandwiches. Or maybe they will buy a few frankfurters... The beach policemen testify that there are youths who spend the whole summer on the beach and never pay a nickel’s rent.

Weegee, whose real name was Arthur Fellig, was a master of capturing candid moments. He was known for using a variety of techniques, including infrared film to shoot at night without being noticed, to document the underbelly and everyday life of New York.

“At Coney I had two kosher frankfurters and two beers at a Jewish delicatessen...” said Weegee. “Later on for a chaser I had five more beers, a malted milk, two root beers, three Coca Colas and two glasses of buttermilk. And five cigars, costing 19 cents.”

Amazing Photos of the 1934 Auburn Twelve Salon Speedster

The 1934 Auburn Twelve Salon Speedster stands as one of the most iconic and striking examples of pre-war American automotive design. Produced by the Auburn Automobile Company, this car epitomized the daring spirit and luxurious innovation of the Art Deco era. With its sleek, boat-tail rear end and sweeping fenders, the Speedster was as much a work of art as it was a machine.

At its heart was a powerful 160-horsepower, 6.4-liter (391-cubic inch) V12 engine—hence the “Twelve” in its name—engineered by Lycoming, a company also owned by Auburn's parent corporation. The engine was mated to a three-speed manual transmission with a unique dual-ratio rear axle system, effectively offering six forward speeds and exceptional flexibility. This allowed the Speedster to cruise effortlessly at high speeds, and in fact, Auburn guaranteed that every model was capable of exceeding 100 mph, a staggering claim for the time.

The “Salon” designation marked it as an elite model, featuring the finest materials, hand-finished details, and Auburn’s most advanced technology. Signature design elements included chrome-plated exhaust pipes arching from the engine bay, a sharply raked windshield, and artful interior flourishes like machine-turned dash panels and premium leather trim.

Despite its brilliance, the Speedster was born into hard times. The Great Depression had taken a massive toll on luxury car sales, and Auburn—under the direction of the flamboyant E.L. Cord—struggled to stay afloat. Although the Twelve Salon Speedster garnered attention for its performance and aesthetics, it could not reverse the company’s fortunes. Auburn ceased production in 1937, just a few years after this masterpiece debuted.

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Joy Harmon (19 Years Old) Being Crowned the “NYC Donut Queen” in 1957 by USO

Joy Harmon, who was just 19 years old at the time, was crowned the “NYC Donut Queen” at the 1957 USO. She’s better known as the blonde in the car wash scene in the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke.

She was credited simply as “The Girl,” but anyone who ever saw Cool Hand Luke knows her as “Lucille.” Harmon was the 27-year-old actress who tantalized a chain-gang of sweaty convicts in the Paul Newman classic in 1967. In just over 3 minutes of screen time, she left her mark on the film, the 196os, and pop culture at large: the car wash scene in Cool Hand Luke consistently ranks among the most iconic in cinema.

“I was just washing a car to my best ability and having fun with it, with the sponge and everything,” said Harmon. “My concept of the [scene] was not like what came out. I was not aware that there were two meanings to things that I was doing, and I’m still not really that much aware of what they all were.”

Joy Harmon—who had debuted on Broadway in 1958’s Make a Million and then partnered with Groucho Marx on his early 1960s TV show—said she scored the role after Newman marveled at the blueness of her eyes during the audition process. But once she arrived in Stockton, California, to film the scene, Harmon began to have second thoughts. The producers suggested the shoot would be better if Harmon smoked marijuana beforehand in order to act more uninhibited for the camera. “I don’t do that; I never have done that,” Harmon said in the interview in 2017. “I was so upset, and I called my dad and he said, ‘You just come on home. Don’t do the movie.’ I told Mr. Rosenberg I was going home and then they came to the room, and he brought me flowers and chocolate. He said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’re not doing marijuana; you don’t need it.’ And it worked out fine.”

Most of the credit for the sequence goes to Harmon, who displays the perfect combination of sexual power and mischievousness. But director Stuart Rosenberg clearly was trying to milk the scene for titillating effect—so much so that he had kept wives and girlfriend away from the set for weeks and then surprised the men with Harmon’s appearance so as to capture their genuine reactions. When she emerges from the dilapidated country house, turns on the portable radio and the hose, and goes to work washing the car, Rosenberg pointed the cameras at the men, watching her from a distance. They didn’t require instruction on how to act. “The only one that I talked to was Stuart Rosenberg and the photographer,” Harmon added. “He just worked it like—‘Now, get the sponge, and squeeze it, and wash the car’ and so forth. I just followed [his instruction]. The shots were all like kind of broken up, you know, how he wanted me to do it. It was easy. It was so easy.”

Harmon realized that she’d made an impression after the film came out. In 1968, she married film editor Jeff Gourson, and their Las Vegas honeymoon was comped and their hotel introduced her at shows as “The Girl From Cool Hand Luke.” But she didn’t chase fame, and she eventually left acting to raise her three children. “I was never one who said, ‘Oh, I’ve got to be a big star,’” Harmon said. “I just took whatever came to me. It got to be the point where I would just get calls—I didn’t have to go in and read for it—go in for wardrobe and do scenes in all those TV shows that were out at that time. It was simple and easy and fun.”

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25 Photographs of Joey Ramone and Debbie Harry Together in the 1970s and 1980s

Joey Ramone, the iconic frontman of the Ramones, and Debbie Harry, the celebrated lead singer of Blondie, were two of the most prominent figures in the New York City punk and new wave scene of the 1970s. They were close friends and colleagues who emerged from the same vibrant musical landscape centered around clubs like CBGB.

Their relationship was primarily one of friendship and mutual respect within the burgeoning punk scene. They often played at the same venues and were part of the same community of artists. There are several well-known photographs of them together, including one taken by Blondie’s Chris Stein in 1977 that was used for a photo montage in Punk magazine titled “Mutant Monster Beach Party.”

Both artists were highly influential in shaping the sound and image of punk and new wave. Joey Ramone’s distinctive vocal style and the Ramones’ fast, raw, and melodic punk rock were hugely impactful. Debbie Harry, with her powerful vocals, striking stage presence, and Blondie’s innovative blend of punk, pop, disco, and reggae, also left an indelible mark on music. Their respective bands helped define an era and influenced countless musicians who followed.

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Herbert Rose Barraud’s Stunning Portraits From ‘Men and Women of the Day’ (1888-89)

Herbert Rose Barraud (1845–1896) was a prominent British portrait photographer who had studios in London and Liverpool. He produced cabinet photos of many famous Victorian statesmen, artists, and members of the aristocracy, many of which were published in his two-volume work, Men and Women of the Day (1888-89).

Most of Barraud’s images were woodburytypes, then a newly developed process which lent itself admirably to portraiture, being able to render middle tones accurately. His studios were at 96 Gloucester Place, Portman Square in 1883; at 263 Oxford Street (“A few doors west of ‘The Circus’”) between 1883 and 1891; at 73 Piccadilly from 1893 to 1896; and at 126 Piccadilly in 1897. Another studio was located at 92 Bold Street, Liverpool.

Below is a selection of stunning portraits from Men and Women of the Day (1888-89) by Herbert Rose Barraud.

Ellen Wallis, 1888

Antoinette Sterling, 1888

Ellen Terry, 1888

Helen Mathers, 1888

Lady Randolph Churchill, 1888

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Portrait of 17-Year-Old Rowan Atkinson, Electrical Engineering at Newcastle University, 1972

Long before he became the face of global comedy, this quiet young man was deeply immersed in circuits, formulas, and the world of electrical engineering.

Captured here in 1972, a young Rowan Atkinson was pursuing his undergraduate studies at Newcastle University. Bright-eyed and sharply dressed, no one could’ve guessed that this soft-spoken student would one day become “Mr. Bean” — a character without words who made the whole world laugh.

17-year-old Rowan Atkinson, electrical engineering student at Newcastle University, 1972.

Rowan was in his first year of university here, having just graduated from the public school St. Bees, where he’d had quite the reputation as a highly intelligent student (especially in science and maths), but also an unruly and rebellious troublemaker. One fellow student remembered him as “the one who is always kept behind after lessons and gets his revenge by writing scurrilous verse in Latin about the master who kept him in.” 

But he could also often be found tinkering with equipment on campus, as he had a great passion for fixing things, and he became a valued member of the school choir and even served as choir secretary. Most notably, though, he had a great talent for the stage, and his performances in school plays left a lasting impression on teachers and peers alike, even prompting his headmaster to tell him, “I have never recommended to anyone that they should take up a career in the entertainment industry, but it would seem silly for you, Atkinson, not at least to try.”

But Rowan, who adored all things electrical and mechanical, put aside his gift for performance for awhile. He followed in the footsteps of his two older brothers and went to Newcastle University, pursuing his passion for engineering. He recalled that he kept to himself and “worked very hard” there, and he was nearly at the top of his class upon earning his undergraduate degree at only 20 years old.

20-year-old Rowan Atkinson, electrical engineering student, pictured tinkering away in his last year at Newcastle University, 1975.

He would next go on to Oxford to do research, and it was there he would discover that he wanted to seriously embrace and pursue a career in comedy and performance. Lucky for all of us!

The info and quotes are from the Rowan Atkinson biography by Bruce Dessau, and Rowan’s Desert Island Discs episode from 1988. (via rowanatkinsonlibrary)