The Thames of Old London: 20 Amazing Vintage Photographs That Show the River Thames in the 1910s and 1920s

The River Thames is 215 miles long and has been an important trade route throughout its history.

Some people believe that the Romans may have been influenced by the Thames when they were choosing where to build London. According to the Museum in Docklands, the river was probably only tidal to where the City of London now sits when the Romans were choosing a site.

There are 44 locks on the non-tidal Thames, which begins nears Cirencester and ends at Teddington Lock.

The first bridge in the capital was located where the current London Bridge stands. It has been rebuilt many times since the Romans first constructed a river crossing there around 2,000 years ago.

Before engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette built London’s sewer system, much of the capital’s waste was dumped in the river. In 1858, the stench from the river was so overpowering that Parliament had to be suspended and the government decided to find a way to rid the Thames of sewage.

Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race at Putney Bridge, c. 1910

Tower of London from the river, c. 1910

Billingsgate Market, c. 1910

Customs House, c. 1910

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Dancers of the Casino de Paris, c.1915

These beauties, from the lavish topless revue shows at the Casino de Paris at 16 rue de Clichy in Paris, grace hand-colored postcards which depict the accurate costumes and color of the famous theater. Patrons from around the world visit this establishment, and the influence of is extravagant costumes and topless dancers extends even to America.

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Anna Pavlova in Costume for the Dying Swan, ca.1910s

The Dying Swan (originally The Swan) is a ballet choreographed by Mikhail Fokine in 1905 to Camille Saint-Saëns's cello solo Le Cygne from Le Carnaval des Animaux as a pièce d'occasion for the ballerina Anna Pavlova. The short ballet follows the last moments in the life of a swan, and was first presented in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1905. Pavlova performed the dance about 4,000 times. The ballet has since influenced modern interpretations of Odette in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and has inspired non-traditional interpretations and various adaptations.

(Photographs by Mishkin)

Benny and Betty Fox - Famous Sky Dancers in the 1930s and 1940s

Before the Illinois State Journal and the State Register merged into one newspaper, there was a spirited battle for newspaper subscribers. The State Journal was the most prolific at staging spectacular stunts in the community in hopes of boosting its circulation numbers.

Enter Benny and Betty Fox, the famous death defying ‘sky dancers.’ They were billed as a brother and sister act but actually were not related. And Betty was not always the same person nor was she actually named Betty. Benny chose the name for his partner because he liked the sound of it.

Whoever she was, she was willing to put her life in Benny’s hands while they danced on an 18-inch wide disc, atop a poll 100 feet in the air. The Journal sponsored their visit to the city on at least two occasions in 1937 and again in 1946.

On October 6, 1937, they did six performances throughout the day from the roof of the Journal building at 313 S. Sixth St. The last performance at 8 p.m. was lit by four powerful floodlights.

Every inch of space available on the street in front of the Journal building was taken by people watching the stunt that evening, the paper reported. “Streets, windows, roofs and fire escapes all through the downtown area were jammed for the night show.” The Journal enthusiastically (and unbelievably) estimated the crowd at 100,000.

Betty and Benny Fox warm up on the roof of the Illinois State Journal building, November 26, 1946. They lived on the edge and thrilled crowds with their death defying aerial stunts throughout the 1930s and '40s. They made at least two appearances to Springfield. file/The State Journal-Register

A little closer to earth, Benny and Benny Fox pose for a photo, October 6, 1937. file/The State Journal-Register

Betty and Benny performed atop a 100-foot pole, and the pole was atop the 3-story Journal building during their two visits to Springfield. This photo is from October 6, 1937. file/The State Journal-Register

A crowd gathers to watch the performance on November 26, 1946. According to the Journal, doctors, nurses and an ambulance were on the scene in case there was a mishap and "Death fails to take his expected holiday." file/The State Journal-Register

A crowd gathers across from the old Journal building at 313 S. Sixth St. for the November 26, 1946 appearance of Benny and Betty. file/The State Journal-Register

Betty and Benny Fox warm up the crowd gathered on the street before their performance on the Illinois State Journal building at 313 S. Sixth Street, September 25, 1937. file/The State Journal-Register

Rare Color Photos of Adam West and Burt Ward in "Batman" (1966)

Batman, often promoted as Batman: The Movie, is a 1966 film based on the Batman television series, and the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the DC Comics Batman. Released by 20th Century Fox, the film starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. The film includes most members of the original TV cast, with the notable exception of Julie Newmar as Catwoman.

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Andy Warhol Holding a Polaroid of Andy Warhol, 1980

A photograph by portraitist Bill Ray of Andy Warhol, standing in front of the 20x24 Polaroid Camera and holding a Polaroid of himself in 1980.

Bill Ray captured this “double portrait” of Andy Warhol holding a Polaroid of Andy Warhol, back in 1980.

Warhol was a famous enthusiast of the instant cameras, although he’s best known for favoring the “junky” Polaroid Big Shot, which he would bring to parties, gallery openings and museums.

In 1947 Edwin Land, the visionary founder of Polaroid, unveiled the world’s first instant camera — a triumph of innovation that would go on to revolutionize photography. Land’s invention helped democratize photography for the everyday hobbyist and tourist. But as Christopher Bonanos documents in his book Instant: The Story of Polaroid, they also captured the imagination of some of the 20th century’s most important artists.

“Polaroid looks different than other photography, much in the way of Kodachrome, with its own color palette and characteristics,” said Bonanos. “There was no grain in the larger 8×10 or 20×24 formats, for example.”

Amazing Vintage Photos of Batman and Robin From the 1943 Serial ‘Batman’

Batman (or The Batman) is a 1943 black-and-white 15-chapter theatrical serial from Columbia Pictures, produced by Rudolph C. Flothow, directed by Lambert Hillyer, that stars Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as his sidekick Robin. The serial is based on the DC Comics character Batman, who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. The villain is an original character named Dr. Daka, a secret agent of the Japanese Imperial government, played by J. Carrol Naish. Rounding out the cast are Shirley Patterson as Linda Page, Bruce Wayne's love interest, and William Austin as Alfred, the Wayne Manor butler.

Batman is notable for being the first appearance on film of Batman and for debuting serial story details that quickly became permanent parts of the Batman comic's mythos: the Bat's Cave and its secret entrance through a grandfather clock inside Wayne Manor. The serial also changed the course of how Alfred Pennyworth's physical appearance was depicted in Batman stories. At the time Batman was released in theaters, Alfred was a portly gentleman in the comics. Subsequent issues suddenly portrayed Alfred as trim and sporting a thin mustache, following actor William Austin's portrayal.

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Taking a Photograph of a Bird's Nest, ca. 1900

A photograph showing Cherry Kearton standing on his brother Richard’s shoulders to take a picture of a bird’s nest, 1900.

The brothers were pioneers of wildlife photography and in 1892 took the first ever photograph of a bird’s nest with eggs. In 1899 they published With Nature and a Camera illustrated with 160 photographs. Richard went on to develop the photographic hide, after a series of experiments one of which involved hiding in a stuffed ox in order to obtain better pictures.

Vintage Photos Show the Life in Central Park in Summer 1961

New York’s Central Park has been around, in various incarnations, for roughly 150 years. In that time it has been hailed as a masterpiece of landscape design; has served as a punchline in jokes about muggings and violent crime; provided the setting for key scenes in countless books, plays and movies; and remains, for New Yorkers and for millions of visitors to Gotham every single year, one of the world’s great urban wonders — 800 acres of tree-lined paths, public plazas, open fields, gardens, ponds, lakes, bridges, performance spaces, a castle on a hill, arguably the world’s greatest museum and a small, quite charming zoo.

Here, a series of photos life in Central Park from 1961, taken by photographer Leonard McCombe.

Dancers in Central Park, 1961

Unicyclist in Central Park, 1961

Warming up before a soccer match, Central Park, 1961

Scene in Central Park, 1961

A painter finds a secluded spot, Central Park, 1961

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A Car That has Everything, 1952

Louie Mattar, who turned his 1947 Cadillac into a how-to guide for four-wheeled DIYers everywhere. As LIFE told its readers in a March 1952 article, “A Car That has Everything,” Mattar was “a San Diego garage owner with a big imagination.”

"When he bought a brand new Cadillac four years ago, the extra equipment his dealer offered was not enough and Mattar started to add a weird assortment of things that other motorists can only dream of.

Doing most of the work himself, he put in a shower, coiling the pipes from his 50-gallon water tanks around the exhaust manifold for the hot water. A pumping system was crammed under the hood. Next to the taillight went a drinking fountain and under the dashboard a tape recorder and a bar with spigots for whisky, water and soda. In the back seat he put a washing machine, a stove and even included a kitchen sink. All this took four years to do and cost Mattar better than $14,000."

One additional note: Later that year, in Sept. 1952, Mattar’s ultra-tricked-out Caddy set a world endurance non-stop record (since eclipsed) when three drivers, working in shifts, traveled round-trip from San Diego to New York and back — 6,300 miles — in one week. It later traveled — virtually non-stop, due to Mattar’s innovations that allowed it to refuel while driving, etc. — from Anchorage, Alaska, to Mexico City. Today, Mattar’s wild ride is on display at the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park.

Louis Mattar with his 1947 Cadillac, San Diego, 1952.

Louis Mattar pulls the makings of a meal from the trunk of his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac, San Diego, 1952.

Washing is done by small machine in back seat. Two batteries provide extra electricity.

Louis Mattar hangs washing from his heavily modified 1947 Cadillac.

Ironing is easy for Mrs. Mattar with arm rest as board. Toaster or razor can be plugged in here.

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Rare 1941 High School Class Picture of Marilyn Monroe

A panoramic photograph of Ralph Waldo Emerson Junior Hugh School Class of Summer, 1941. The photo shows a young Marilyn, then known as Norma Jeane Baker, sitting with the rest of her high school classmates at the Ralph Waldo Emerson high school in Los Angeles (she is near the middle row in the right half of the image — see the closeup image).

On the back of the photo is an inscription to her friend George which reads:

To ‘Georgie’

A super, swell fellow
in fact really keen!
(I really mean it Geo.)

Norma Jeane Baker
S ’41.

Bizarre Tobacco Advertising From the 1920s and 1930s

In the 20th century smoking became fashionable and prestigious, it was promoted by advertising and the first movies.

In the late 19th - early 20th century due to the emancipation of women smoked masse. Fashionable image free glamorous beauty in a short dress without a corset, leading a bohemian lifestyle, very well with the cigarette.

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