Del Womacks Getting His Trained Horse to “Play Dead” While Amused Children Look On, ca. 1900

Del Womack’s horse may not have been a tradition house pet, but it knew tricks like “play dead.” Womacks, an animal trainer and regional performer, trained his horse to collapse gently and lie perfectly still on the ground while still hitched to the cart.

(Photo: Missouri State Archives)

The secret to triggering the trick was dropping a hat on the ground. If you look closely near the horse’s flank, a black hat can be seen lying on the ground, which served as the cue for the horse to perform.

While the sight of a collapsed carriage horse would normally cause panic, the lighthearted expressions of Womacks and the smiling boy standing next to the cart reveal the performance nature of the scene. Such animal acts were highly popular at local fairs and exhibitions during this era.

Fascinating Color Photos of the Munich Oktoberfest in the Early 1950s

These fascinating color photos capture the Munich Oktoberfest in the early 1950s, a period of postwar recovery and renewed celebration. The images show crowded beer tents, traditional Bavarian dress, lively crowds, amusement rides, and the festive atmosphere of the Theresienwiese.

Taken just a few years after the festival fully resumed following World War II, the photos preserve the spirit of the event as it regained its place as one of Germany’s most beloved traditions. They offer a vibrant and nostalgic glimpse of Oktoberfest more than seventy years ago.

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Photographs Young Olivia Newton-John and Pat Carroll in the 1960s

Before Olivia Newton-John became a global pop icon and the star of Grease, she spent the mid-1960s performing as part of a pop vocal duo called “Pat and Olivia” alongside her close friend and fellow Australian singer, Pat Carroll.

After initially crossing paths in the Australian music circuit and appearing on local television like Swallow’s Juniors, both girls set their sights on the United Kingdom. Olivia moved to London first after winning a talent contest, and Pat joined her shortly after.

In 1966, the two teens moved into a Hampstead mews flat together, sharing it with Olivia’s mother. They initially started out with Olivia tagging along to Pat's solo gigs for company, but they quickly realized they would have more leverage in the British music scene if they teamed up. As a duo, they slept on a blow-up mattress on the floor, living out the typical, gritty life of young artists trying to break through in swinging 1960s London.

Billing themselves as “Pat and Olivia,” they spent the late 1960s touring nightclubs and pubs across the UK and Europe. Their repertoire consisted primarily of energetic pop covers and folk-blended harmonies. They managed to gain steady traction, securing backup singing gigs for major stars like Cliff Richard and booking multiple high-profile television appearances.

Despite their growing momentum, the duo’s partnership came to an abrupt end due to strict UK immigration laws. Pat Carroll’s visa expired, and she was forced to return to Australia. Following her return home, Pat married musician John Farrar in 1969. Farrar would later go on to write and produce many of Olivia’s biggest career-defining hits, keeping the artistic circle tightly connected. Meanwhile, Olivia stayed behind in Britain to grind out a solo career, which eventually launched her into international superstardom in the 1970s.

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30 Vintage Kodachrome Slides of People at 1950s Parties

These vintage Kodachrome slides capture the lively atmosphere of parties in the 1950s. Shot in the rich, saturated colors that made Kodachrome famous, the images show men and women dressed in the style of the era: gathered in living rooms, around tables, dancing, laughing, and enjoying one another’s company.

From formal gatherings to more relaxed social evenings, the photos preserve the fashion, interiors, and social spirit of mid-century America. They offer a colorful and nostalgic glimpse into everyday celebration more than seventy years ago.

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Two Young Men Hold a Pre-Printed Sign “NOT MARRIED BUT WILLING TO BE”, ca. 1900

Approximately 120 years ago, this couple held opposite edges of a sign whilst posing for this photo in a very different world than the one we live in today.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, preprinted signs reading “Not Married But Willing To Be” were common novelty props supplied by photography studios. They were intended to be used tongue-in-cheek by solo, single men who were dressed in their Sunday best. The photograph would then be shared as a playful advertisement to local women that the bachelor was available for marriage.

Instead of a solo man looking for a wife, this photograph subverts that norm entirely: two young men hold the sign together, each gripping an edge. While they posed for this photo in an era when male partnerships were strictly criminalized and socially suppressed, their intimate posture, proximity, and shared declaration quietly signaled a desire to be legally wed to one another. Authors and curators have noted that the couple actually took at least five different photographs together to memorialize their relationship.

The photo serves as the famous cover image for Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s–1950s. The book is drawn from the Nini-Treadwell Collection, an archive of more than 4,000 vintage photographs meticulously accumulated over two decades by married couple Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell. They traveled the globe, scouring flea markets, antique shops, family albums, and estate sales, to rescue lost moments of male romance that families often hid away or destroyed out of shame.

Fleetwood Mac Celebrating Halloween in 1978

In October 1978, Fleetwood Mac took a break from recording the Tusk album at Village Recorders in Los Angeles to celebrate Halloween by attending a costume party together. The band’s costumes from that specific night, documented in candid photos featured in the book Get Tusked: The Inside Story of Fleetwood Mac’s Most Anticipated Album, reflected a wide, eccentric, and today highly controversial range of themes.

Lindsey Buckingham dressed as a priest, complete with a dark clerical frock and collar. Stevie Nicks wore a dramatic blonde wig, heavy white face makeup and a white gown, a ghostly, ethereal look often linked to her “Rhiannon” persona.

Christine McVie wore a highly controversial Aunt Jemima-inspired costume in blackface. John McVie wore a deeply problematic Nazi officer uniform. According to details in Mick Fleetwood’s autobiography, the choice stemmed from McVie’s personal, historical interest in collecting Third Reich memorabilia rather than political alignment, though both his and Christine’s costumes are widely viewed as unacceptable by modern social standards.

Mick Fleetwood also dressed up in elaborate gear, fitting his eccentric style. He participated in the group’s spooky season gathering, which took place while the band was deep in the era of recording their ambitious follow-up album, Tusk.

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Marisa Berenson: The Elegant Icon of 1970s Fashion and Cinema

Marisa Berenson is an American model and actress who became one of the defining faces of the late 1960s and ’70s.

Granddaughter of legendary fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, Berenson was discovered by Diana Vreeland and rose to prominence as a high-fashion model, appearing on the covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Known for her refined beauty and eclectic style, she transitioned successfully into film, earning critical acclaim for her role as Natalia Landauer in Cabaret (1972) and starring as Lady Lyndon in Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975).

With her aristocratic elegance and distinctive presence, Berenson remains an enduring icon of both fashion and cinema. These elegant photos capture the timeless beauty and sophisticated style of Marisa Berenson, a true icon of 1970s fashion and film.

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