20 Stunning Portraits of Yoko Ono in the 1970s

Yoko Ono (born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese artist, musician, activist, and filmmaker. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. In the 1970s, Ono was a pioneering, often misunderstood, avant-garde artist and musician who transformed her public image from a vilified figure into a powerful creative force.

Alongside John Lennon, she championed anti-war activism, produced avant-garde music via the Plastic Ono Band, and embraced conceptual art, defying immense media prejudice. Following their 1969 marriage, the couple relocated to New York in 1971, diving into political activism, including the Bed-In for Peace.

Ono continued her groundbreaking conceptual work, including an unauthorized 1971 “Museum of Modern [F]art” exhibition at MoMA, which featured a “show” of imaginary artwork, such as releasing flies on the museum grounds. She released several avant-garde albums, such as Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band (1970) and Fly (1971), pioneering feminist-leaning, experimental music that blended art, rock, and personal expression.

Her work in the 1970s included performance art that challenged societal norms and emphasized participation, such as “Hammer in a Nail.” Despite being often unfairly criticized in the media during this time, she was a central figure in the avant-garde movement, with her later work being recognized as a major contribution to 20th-century art. 

Her 1970s work, characterized by its unapologetic, experimental, and feminist nature, laid the foundation for her later commercial success, such as with 1980’s Double Fantasy.

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20 Amazing Photos of Robert Duvall on Screen During the 1970s

It is a heavy loss for the film world. Robert Duvall passed away this past Sunday, February 15, 2026, at his home in Middleburg, Virginia. His wife, Luciana, shared that he died peacefully surrounded by family. While no specific cause was given, reports indicate he had been experiencing the natural frailty of his 95 years but remained active until recently, even seen lifting weights just a few months ago.

Tributes have poured in from former co-stars like Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and John Travolta, as well as other Hollywood peers who remembered him as a “giant” and a “born actor.”

In the 1970s, Duvall solidified his reputation as one of Hollywood’s most respected performers, often described as the “No. 1 No. 2 lead” due to his unparalleled ability to steal scenes in supporting roles. This decade was his artistic peak, where his gritty, realistic acting style perfectly aligned with the New Hollywood movement.

As Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), the Corleone family’s “Consigliere,” he was the calm, methodical voice of reason. His performance earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He had a brief but pivotal uncredited role as “The Director” in The Conversation (1974), adding to the film’s atmosphere of corporate paranoia. He closed the decade with his most iconic role as Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979). His portrayal of the surf-obsessed, napalm-loving commander earned him another Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win.

Outside of the Coppola epics, Duvall established himself as a master of playing “memorable jerks” and authority figures. In M*A*S*H (1970), he played the supercilious and incompetent Major Frank Burns, a role that became a blueprint for “the man you love to hate.” In George Lucas’s directorial debut THX 1138 (1971), Duvall played the title role, proving he could carry a cerebral, avant-garde sci-fi film as a lead. As Frank Hackett in Network (1976), the ruthless television executive, he was a “ferocious hatchet man” who personified the cold corporate takeover of news. Playing Bull Meechum in The Great Santini (1979), a domineering Marine pilot, he earned his first Best Actor nomination, delivering a harrowing performance as a father who treats his family like a military unit.

Duvall’s 1970s work is often studied by actors today for how he balanced technical precision with deep, lived-in humanity. Here are 20 amazing photos of Robert Duvall on screen during the 1970s:

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New York City in the Late 1950s Through Nick DeWolf’s Lens

New York City in the late 1950s was a cinematic landscape of vibrant contrasts and mid-century modernism.

The streets were a symphony of chrome-bumpered Cadillacs, yellow Checker Cabs, and men in sharp fedoras hurrying past neon-lit diners. This era captured the city at a cultural crossroads: the grit of the Bowery coexisted with the soaring optimism of new glass skyscrapers like the Seagram Building.

It was a decade that felt both bustling and intimate, defined by a gritty, jazz-fueled energy that cemented New York as the undisputed capital of the world. These vintage photos, taken by American photographer Nick DeWolf, capture street scenes in New York City in the late 1950s.

Corner of 5th Avenue and east 42nd Street, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, 1957

Corner of 6th Avenue and west 42nd Street, New York City, 1957

LaGuardia Airport, New York City, 1957

Passenger holding area, New York City, 1957

East 42nd Street, New York City, 1957

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Portraits of Rene Russo on Vogue Covers Throughout the 1970s

Before her Hollywood breakout, Rene Russo was one of the most successful supermodels of the 1970s. Discovered at a Rolling Stones concert at age 17, she quickly became a favorite of legendary photographers like Francesco Scavullo and Richard Avedon.

In the mid-1970s, Russo was nearly ubiquitous on newsstands, often alternating covers with other icons of the era like Patti Hansen and Rosie Vela. Russo was a muse for Francesco Scavullo, who captured her most famous high-glamour looks, often featuring decadent furs, bold 1970s makeup, and “big hair.”

Vogue editors frequently praised her for being able to pivot from “accessible and aspirational” beach shoots to high-power editorial looks that demanded a certain “tenacity.”

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, as the “supermodel” era shifted, Russo began transitioning into acting, eventually retiring from modeling entirely to pursue the film career she is known for today. Below are some portraits of Rene Russo on Vogue covers throughout the 1970s:

Vogue US April 1974, by Richard Avedon.

Vogue US July 1974, by Francesco Scavullo.

Vogue Italia September 1974, by Francesco Scavullo.

Vogue Italia September 1974, by Francesco Scavullo.

Vogue US October 1974, by Francesco Scavullo.

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Shi Pei Pu, a Chinese Spy and Opera Singer Who Persuaded His French Lover He Was a Woman

Shi Pei Pu (1938–2009) was a Chinese opera singer from Beijing who became the center of one of the most unusual and unbelievable espionage cases of the 20th century. His story is a mix of Cold War politics, deep deception, and a 20-year romance that inspired the Tony Award-winning play and subsequent film, M. Butterfly.

Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu, before 1960.

The story began in 1964 when Bernard Boursicot, a 20-year-old diplomat at the French embassy in Beijing, met Shi Pei Pu at a cocktail party. Shi, who was 26 at the time, was a singer and librettist who convinced Boursicot that he was actually a woman disguised as a man by his parents because they desperately wanted a son.

Boursicot believed the story, and the two began a sexual and romantic relationship that lasted two decades. To maintain the ruse during intimacy, Shi utilized extreme modesty and physical manipulation, citing Chinese cultural “tradition” to keep the lights off and clothes on.

Bernard Boursicot worked as an accountant at the French Embassy in Beijing in 1965.

The deception went even further. Shi claimed to have become pregnant and later presented Boursicot with a son, Shi Du Du. In reality, Shi had purchased the child from a doctor in a remote region of China. When Chinese intelligence discovered the affair, they pressured Boursicot into providing embassy documents. Between 1977 and 1982, Boursicot turned over approximately 500 classified documents to the Chinese government, believing he was protecting his “wife” and “son.”

The truth finally came out in 1983 after Boursicot moved Shi and the boy to Paris. French authorities arrested them both for espionage. During the trial, a medical examination confirmed that Shi Pei Pu was biologically male. Boursicot was reportedly devastated and became the subject of widespread ridicule in France. Both men were sentenced to six years in prison, but Shi was pardoned by President François Mitterrand after only a year to ease diplomatic tensions with China.

Shi (left) and Boursicot met in 1964. Shi dressed as a man but claimed that he was actually a woman.

Boursicot and Shi Dudu, his ‘son’ with Shi Peipu. In reality, the boy was adopted.

Boursicot (left) and Shi stood trial in France in 1983 for spying for China. They were found guilty in 1986 and received six-year sentences for espionage. Both were pardoned in 1987.

After his pardon, Shi returned to performing as an opera singer. He was reluctant to share the details of his relationship with Boursicot, stating that he “used to fascinate both men and women” and that “What I was and what they were didn’t matter.” Shi spoke infrequently with Boursicot over the subsequent years. However, in the months before Shi’s death, he told Boursicot that he still loved him.

Shi was said to be 70 years old when he died on 30 June 2009, in Paris. Shi is survived by his adopted son, Shi Du Du, who later fathered three sons of his own. Notified at a French nursing home of Shi’s death, Boursicot said, “He did so many things against me that he had no pity for; I think it is stupid to play another game now and say I am sad. The plate is clean now. I am free.”

Shi and Boursicot’s affair is one of the strangest espionage stories of recent times.

A scene from the 1993 film M. Butterfly.

Edmund Adler: Painting the Heart of Childhood

Edmund Adler (1876–1965) was a celebrated Austrian genre painter renowned for his warm and intimate portrayals of rural life and childhood.

A master of the Vienna Academy, Adler possessed a unique gift for capturing the innocence of youth, often depicting children engaged in simple, everyday activities, playing with pets, sharing meals, or wandering through sun-dappled forests. His work is characterized by a remarkable technical precision and a soft, naturalistic light that gives his canvases a timeless, nostalgic glow.

Rather than focusing on the grand dramas of his era, Adler chose to immortalize the quiet, harmonious moments of the peasantry, making him a beloved figure for those who cherish realism infused with heart and humanity.

A Little Tragedy

A Feathered Friend

A Girl with a Ball

A Posy for Mother

A Work of Art

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In 1968, the Pilot of a Japan Airlines Flight Accidentally Landed the Plane in the Ocean Just Over 2 Miles Short of the Runway

On November 22, 1968, Japan Air Lines (JAL) Flight 2, a Douglas DC-8-62 named Shiga, made an accidental water landing in the shallow waters of San Francisco Bay. The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Tokyo to San Francisco. Often called the “Asoh Defense” incident or the “SFO Water Landing,” it remains a legendary story not just for the survival of everyone on board, but for what happened to the aircraft afterward.

In thick fog and low visibility, Captain Kohei Asoh mistakenly believed he was over the runway. Instead, the plane touched down roughly 2.5 miles (4 km) short of San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Miraculously, all 107 occupants (96 passengers and 11 crew) survived without a single injury. The landing was assisted by an unusually high tide, which provided enough cushioning for the impact while keeping the exit doors above the waterline. Passengers and crew evacuated via lifeboats and were towed to the nearby Coyote Point Yacht Harbor by the Coast Guard and police. Captain Asoh was the last to leave the aircraft. 

The incident is most famous for Captain Asoh’s blunt accountability during the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation. When asked what went wrong, he reportedly stated: “As you Americans say, I f---ed up.”

This rare act of “radical honesty” became known in leadership and business management as the “Asoh Defense.” Because he took full responsibility without shifting blame to technical issues or weather, he was not fired, but merely demoted and sent for retraining; he eventually returned to flying for JAL until his retirement. 

Unlike most ditched jetliners, the Shiga was not a total loss. The aircraft was salvaged from the bay 55 hours after the incident. United Airlines repaired the plane at a cost of approximately $4 million. It was returned to JAL in March 1969 and continued to fly for several years under a new name, Hidaka. It was later sold to Airborne Express and was finally scrapped in 2001.

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