Barbara Parkins: The Epitome of 1960s Sophistication

Born 1942 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canadian-American actress Barbara Parkins became a defining style icon of the 1960s, best known for her role as Betty Anderson in the groundbreaking soap opera Peyton Place.

With her striking dark hair, porcelain skin, and dramatic eyes, Parkins possessed a sophisticated look that captivated audiences worldwide. Her career reached a cinematic peak with the 1967 cult classic Valley of the Dolls, where her portrayal of Anne Welles showcased the glamorous yet tumultuous fashion world of the era.

Beyond her acting talent, Parkins was a favorite subject for fashion photographers, often seen sporting the sharp silhouettes, bold eyeliner, and elegant updos that characterized the “Mod” aesthetic. Even as she transitioned into later roles, her legacy remains tied to that golden age of television and film, where she stood as a symbol of cool, understated elegance.

See more»

The Making of Queen Elizabeth II’s Wedding Cake, 1947

Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding cake, created for her marriage to Prince Philip on November 20, 1947, stood at an extraordinary 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall and weighed over 500 pounds (227 kg). Crafted by McVitie & Price Ltd, it became known as the “10,000 Mile Cake,” a name earned because its key ingredients – including sugar, flour, and dried fruits – were sent from across the Commonwealth, notably from Australia and South Africa, at a time when post-war Britain was still enduring strict rationing.

The cake featured four tiers of rich fruitcake, each covered in intricate royal icing. Its decoration carried layers of meaning, with coats of arms, the couple’s monograms, and detailed sugarwork celebrating the unity of Britain and its Commonwealth nations. For a country still recovering from war, the grandeur of the cake was seen as both symbolic and uplifting, a gesture of shared sacrifice and hope for renewal.

Remarkably, slices of the cake have survived for decades. One such piece, preserved in its original presentation box, was discovered in Scotland and recently sold at auction for £2,200. Still in impressive condition after 77 years, it came with a letter from the Queen, making it not just a piece of confectionery, but a rare and tangible link to one of the most celebrated royal weddings of the 20th century.

See more»

In 1995, Sandra Bullock Made History by Becoming the First Person to Buy a Movie Ticket Online

Long before online ticket bookings were considered common, Sandra Bullock had helped make history with a single mouse click. And it wasn’t planned as a tech milestone. Instead, it was part of promoting her 31-year-old underrated thriller, The Net (1995), when Bullock took the initiative to be the very first person to use a computer to purchase the first-ever online film ticket.

Bullock used the MovieLink website (a joint venture of various studios including Disney and MGM) to complete the transaction. She bought two tickets for a screening of The Net at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood for a total of $17.70.

The event was captured in an Entertainment Tonight segment, which showed her navigating a bulky 1990s computer and inputting credit card data. At the time, online commerce was experimental; the stunt was designed to highlight the film's themes of technology and the emerging influence of the internet.

While some sources suggest she may have purchased tickets for her other 1995 hit, While You Were Sleeping, as part of the test, the majority of records and the viral footage confirm the purchase was primarily intended to promote The Net.

Fernand Toussaint: The Master of Feminine Elegance

Fernand Toussaint (1873–1956) was a prominent Belgian painter renowned for his exquisite ability to capture the grace and sophistication of women during the Belle Époque and interwar periods.

A student of the leading portraits of his time, Toussaint developed a style that sat beautifully between traditional realism and subtle Impressionism. He was best known for his portraits of aristocratic ladies, often depicted in luxurious interiors, surrounded by delicate flowers or dressed in shimmering silks. His mastery lay in his use of soft lighting and a refined color palette, which imbued his subjects with a sense of quiet dignity and timeless charm.

Beyond portraiture, his talent extended to vibrant still lifes and tranquil landscapes, but it is his “Toussaint woman”, always elegant, melancholic, and deeply poetic, that remains his most enduring legacy in the world of European art.

Elegant Lady on a Green Sofa

A Lady Before the Mirror

A Pretty Flower Bouquet

A Quiet Moment

A Seductive Pose

See more»

30 Vintage Postcards of Loretta Young in the 1930s and 1940s

Loretta Young (born Gretchen Michaela Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1916 to 1989. She received numerous honors including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards as well as two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in film and television.

In the early 1930s, Young was a “workhorse” for Warner Bros. and later 20th Century Fox, sometimes making 6–9 movies a year. This era showcased a much more “raw” side of her acting before her image became strictly “wholesome.” Before the strict censorship of the Hays Code (mid-1934), she played complex, often scandalous roles. In Midnight Mary (1933), she played a gangster’s moll, and in Employees’ Entrance (1933), she portrayed a woman in a desperate, ethically murky survival situation.

She became a romantic favorite alongside actors like Tyrone Power (they made five films together, including Café Metropole) and Spencer Tracy (Man’s Castle). While filming The Call of the Wild with Clark Gable, Young became pregnant. Because she was a devout Catholic and a major star, she hid the pregnancy by “traveling for her health” and later claimed to have adopted the child (Judy Lewis) to avoid a career-ending scandal.

By the 1940s, Young had established herself as a “freelance” actress, a rare and bold move at the time that allowed her to choose better roles. Her image shifted toward the elegant, moral, and “ethereal” woman. In 1947, she starred in the holiday classic The Bishop’s Wife (opposite Cary Grant) and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Farmer’s Daughter, where she played a Swedish-American maid who runs for Congress. She tackled film noir and suspense in Orson Welles’ The Stranger (1946) and played a nun in Come to the Stable (1949), for which she received another Oscar nomination.

Young was famous for her wardrobe and poise. She later brought this “grand entrance” style to her 1950s TV show, but the foundation of her “perfect lady” persona was built through her 1940s film roles.

See more»

Mrs. S.J. Bonner and Two Boys Photographed in Macon, Georgia in 1909

In 1909, Mrs. S.J. Bonner and her two sons were photographed in Macon, Georgia, by Lewis Hine for the National Child Labor Committee, capturing a family bound by necessity to the harsh realities of industrial labor. All three worked in Bibb Mill No. 1, with Mrs. Bonner earning $3.50 per week and her sons together earning $4.90. After the death of her husband, the family had left their farm to find work in the mills, relying entirely on these modest wages to survive.

The photograph highlights the economic pressures faced by families during this era, where even children were expected to contribute to household income. Mrs. Bonner and her sons labored long hours under difficult conditions, emblematic of countless families who turned to industrial work out of sheer necessity. Their experience reflects a period in American history when child labor and low wages were common, and survival often required the efforts of the entire family.

When adjusted for inflation, their weekly earnings amounted to roughly $125 for Mrs. Bonner and $175 for her sons, totaling around $300 per week, or about $1,200 a month. While these figures may seem modest by modern standards, they represented the lifeline that kept the family afloat, underscoring both the resilience and vulnerability of working-class families in the early 20th century.

Behind the Scenes Photos of Rowan Atkinson in Rehearsals for the Sketch Show “Not the Nine O’Clock News”

Before he was the bumbling Mr. Bean or the sharp-tongued Blackadder, Rowan Atkinson became a household name as one of the four stars of the satirical sketch show Not the Nine O’Clock News (1979–1982). The show was revolutionary for its time, designed as a fast-paced, “alternative” comedy competitor to the BBC’s actual Nine O’Clock News. It was here that Atkinson first showcased his “rubber-faced” physical comedy and his unique ability to play both the absolute intellectual and the complete idiot.

Atkinson often played characters that were pompous, unhinged, or eerily quiet. Some of his most iconic moments include:

• Gerald the Gorilla: Perhaps his most famous sketch from the series, where he plays a remarkably articulate gorilla (Wilderbeast) who has been “educated” by a researcher (played by Mel Smith). The comedy comes from the gorilla being more sophisticated and well-spoken than his captor.

• The Constable (The “Nice” Policeman): Atkinson excelled at playing over-the-top, slightly menacing authority figures. In one famous sketch, he plays a police officer giving evidence in court who lists increasingly ridiculous “crimes” committed by a defendant, including “walking on the cracks in the pavement.”

• The “Final” Politician: He often played politicians or newsreaders who would deliver absurdly blunt or catastrophic news with a perfectly straight, professional face.

• The Music Teacher: A masterclass in his physical comedy, where he attempts to conduct or play instruments with disastrous, high-energy results.

The show launched the careers of the “Big Four”: Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones, and Pamela Stephenson. It was during this show that Atkinson began collaborating with writer Richard Curtis. This partnership directly led to the creation of Blackadder shortly after the sketch show ended in 1982.

While the show was highly verbal and satirical, Atkinson’s performance proved that he didn’t need words to be the funniest person on screen—a trait he would later maximize for Mr. Bean. His performances earned him the 1981 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance.

See more»