Before Tattoo Was Popular: 30 Cool Pics of Tattooed Ladies From the Early 20th Century

Tattoos date back many thousands of years.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the majority of tattoos were found on circus performers or sailors. Tattoos were used to tell someone's personal story, as well as their professions. For example, it was common for a sailor to have an anchor tattoo.

Tattooed ladies from the early 20th century

Tattoos were not very common or socially acceptable until the mid 20th century. Up until this time, they were reserved for a small population, mainly those in the entertainment industry. Fully tattooed people became a popular attraction in and of themselves.

Tattoos and women at the beginning of the 20th century were not very compatible concepts: skirts and pants and are now badly associated with tattoos. However, even then there were quite radical (in the full sense of the word) ladies who covered their bodies with tattoos, despite the fact that it was socially unacceptable and too rare.

Here below is a set of stunning photographs that captured portraits of tattooed ladies in the early 20th century.

Emma de Burgh, circa early 1900s

Nora Hildebrandt, circa early 1900s

Portrait of a tattooed lady in the early 1900s

Tattooed lady with umbrella, circa 1900s

Maude Wagner, 1908

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30 Vintage Photographs of a Young and Handsome Michael Jackson in the 1980s

Michael Jackson literally ruled the 1980s. He kicked off the decade by carrying over his success from Off the Wall, which was released in August 1979. Off the Wall was a groundbreaking, top-selling funk and disco-pop album, but underrated compared to what came next—and that’s Thriller (1982).

Nothing preexisting or succeeding could top the Thriller. In fact, Michael reigned over pop culture in the ’80s well after the album dropped. Thriller won eight Grammys in 1984, but that only captures a bit of the album’s critical and financial success.

Michael Jackson broke the color barrier on MTV with his music videos “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller.” Not only that, but his music broke color barriers around the world. He’s arguably the one artist that could unite people from many different races, ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds from all over the world. And he did it with the power of his music. He has the album sales to prove it!

It’s impossible to top Thriller. But Michael Jackson made another great album in the ’80s. Bad is one of the best-selling albums of all-time. The album garnered five #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits—“I Just Can't Stop Loving You,” “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Dirty Diana”.

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Inside the Wanderer, the World's Oldest Leisure Caravan in Existence

William Gordon Stables was born in Banffshire in 1838. After attending Aberdeen University, he became a surgeon in the Royal Navy. He retired in 1877 due to ill health. Afterwards, in 1885, he commissioned ‘The Wanderer’, the first horse drawn touring caravan, which he called a Land Yacht.

Made from mahogany and maple wood, and painted black and gold, former naval officer Dr Stables wanted the life of a gypsy while traveling in style - spawning the nickname ‘Gentleman Gypsy’. Although it can be pulled by car, in Dr Stables’ day the work was done by two horses, Captain Corn-flower and Polly Pea-blossom.

The Edwardian caravan, which went on its first tour in 1885 has finally come to rest in the Cotswolds at the Caravan Club Site in Broadway.

Dr William Gordan Stables, right, in 1885 just after he designed and built the Wanderer.

Dr William Gordon Stables pictured standing with his caravan, The Wanderer.

Dr William Gordon Stables pictured with The Wanderer caravan.

The Wanderer caravan pictured with Dr William Gordon Stables seated on a blanket in the foreground.

Beverley Larion, of the Caravan Club, said: “We would prefer to keep it at the Caravan Club rather than in a storage facility so our members can enjoy it. It’s the most beautiful display of craftsmanship internally. The Woodwood, upholstery is all original.”

It was restored in the decade leading up to The Club’s centenary in 2007 when The Wanderer took centre stage at Buckingham Palace (HRH Prince Philip is The Club’s patron). There was a garden party to mark the centenary and The Wanderer was majestically pulled through the gates of Buckingham Palace by a team of horses, the original horse power of caravans.

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The King of Silent Film: 38 Vintage Photos of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle During His Peak Career

Born 1887 in Smith Center, Kansas, American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle started at the Selig Polyscope Company he eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel Normand and Harold Lloyd.

Arbuckle mentored Charlie Chaplin and discovered Buster Keaton and Bob Hope. He was one of the most popular silent stars of the 1910s, and soon became one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood.

Between November 1921 and April 1922, Arbuckle was the defendant in three widely publicized trials for the rape and manslaughter of actress Virginia Rappe. Rappe had fallen ill at a party hosted by Arbuckle at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco in September 1921; she died four days later. Arbuckle was accused by Rappe's acquaintance of raping and accidentally killing Rappe. After the first two trials, which resulted in hung juries, Arbuckle was acquitted in the third trial and received a formal written statement of apology from the jury.

Despite Arbuckle's acquittal, the scandal has mostly overshadowed his legacy as a pioneering comedian. Following the trials, his films were banned and he was publicly ostracized. Although the ban on his films was lifted within a year, Arbuckle only worked sparingly through the 1920s. He later worked as a film director under the alias William Goodrich. He was finally able to return to acting, making short two-reel comedies in 1932 for Warner Bros.

Arbuckle died in his sleep of a heart attack in 1933 at age 46, reportedly on the same day he signed a contract with Warner Brothers to make a feature film.

For his contributions to the film industry, Arbuckle has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6701 Hollywood Boulevard.

Here below is a set of old photos that captured portrait of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle from between the 1900s and 1920s.

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40 Cool Snaps Defined Fashion Styles of American Youth in the 1980s

1980s fashion had heavy emphasis on expensive clothes and fashion accessories. Apparel tended to be very bright and vivid in appearance.

Women expressed an image of wealth and success through shiny costume jewelry, such as large faux-gold earrings, pearl necklaces, and clothing covered with sequins and diamonds.

Punk fashion began as a reaction against both the hippie movement of the past decades and the materialist values of the current decade. The first half of the decade was relatively tame in comparison to the second half, which is when the iconic 1980s color scheme had come into popularity.

Hair in the 1980s was typically big, curly, bouffant and heavily styled. Women from the 1980s wore bright, heavy makeup. Everyday fashion in the 1980s consisted of light-colored lips, dark and thick eyelashes, and pink or red rouge (otherwise known as blush).

These cool snaps from JMANCHA2010 captured young people in California that defined fashion styles of American youth in the 1980s.

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Quilt, Tumbling Blocks With Signatures – Adeline Harris Sears, 1856

In 1856, seventeen-year-old Adeline Harris, the daughter of a well-to-do Rhode Island mill owner, conceived of a unique quiltmaking project. She sent small diamond-shaped pieces of white silk worldwide to people she esteemed as the most important figures of her day, asking each to sign the silk and return it to her. By the time the signatures were all returned and ready to be stitched into a “tumbling-blocks” patterned quilt, Adeline had amassed an astonishing collection of autographs.

Her quilt features the signatures of eight American presidents; luminaries from the worlds of science, religion, and education; heroes of the Civil War; such authors as Charles Dickens and Ralph Waldo Emerson; and an array of prominent artists.

Today, the autographs displayed in this beautiful and immaculately constructed quilt provide an intriguing glimpse into the way an educated young woman of the mid-nineteenth century viewed her world.

(Image source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

30 Amazing Color Photographs of a Young Elton John in the 1970s

Elton John’s unique blend of pop and rock styles turned him into one of the 20th century’s biggest music icons. He was musically gifted from a young age, and released his first self-titled American album in 1970, making him a huge international star.

In the 1970s, Elton John was not just big. He was enormous! Unless you were there, it’s hard to appreciate just how big a star Elton John was in the 1970s.

John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, Middlesex, England. He discovered his passion for music at an early age and taught himself how to play the piano when he was only four years old. Proving to be a great talent, he won a scholarship to a youth program at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

He had a difficult relationship with his father, Stanley Dwight, a member of the Royal Air Force. His parents divorced when he was a teenager, and he and his father clashed over his future. John, captivated by the sounds of early rock and roll, wanted to pursue a career in pop music. And much to his father's dismay, John dropped out of school at 17 to follow his dream. He started playing with a group called Bluesology, and he cobbled together his stage moniker from the names of two members of the group.

In 1967 John answered an ad for a songwriter for Liberty Records. He got the job and soon teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin. The duo switched to the DJM label the following year, writing songs for other artists.

John got his first break as a singer with his 1969 album Empty Sky, featuring songs by John and Taupin. While that recording failed to catch on, his 1970 self-titled effort featured John’s first hit, “Your Song.” More hits soon followed, including No. 1 smashes such as “Crocodile Rock,” “Bennie and the Jets” and “Island Girl.” John enjoyed a series of top-selling albums during this time, including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and Rock of the Westies (1975).

One of the top acts of the 1970s, John became equally famous for his live shows. He dressed in fabulous, over-the-top costumes and glasses for his elaborate concerts. In an interview with W, John explained that “I wasn’t a sex symbol like Bowie, Marc Bolan or Freddie Mercury, so I dressed more on the humorous side, because if I was going to be stuck at the piano for two hours, I was going to make people look at me.”

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