Mina Mazzini: Italy’s Tiger of Cremona

Mina Anna Mazzini, known mononymously as Mina, is widely regarded as the greatest Italian pop singer of all time and a genuine icon of European popular culture. Born in 1940, she rose to prominence in the late 1950s and 1960s, quickly earning the nickname “The Tiger of Cremona” (La Tigre di Cremona) for her powerful, wide-ranging voice (a four-octave range) and her passionate, often provocative, stage presence.

Mina dominated the Italian charts throughout the 1960s and early 1970s with hits spanning genres from rock and roll and swing to balladry and soul, including classics like “Il cielo in una stanza” and “Parole parole.” Despite retiring from public performances in 1978 and living a famously reclusive life since, she has continued to release highly successful studio albums almost annually, cementing her status as an enduring and influential figure in global music.

Take a look at these vintage photos to see the beauty of young Mina Mazzini.

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Charting the Iron Horse: The Legacy of Railway Wonders of the World Magazine

Railway Wonders of the World was a popular British fortnightly magazine published in thirty-seven issues between 1935 and 1936 by the Amalgamated Press.

Edited by Clarence Winchester, the magazine was dedicated to educating the general public about the extraordinary history, engineering, and cultural impact of railways globally. It covered a vast array of topics, including descriptions of the world’s most famous trains and railway lines (such as the Trans-Siberian Railway), the mechanics of locomotive operation, the construction of ambitious tunnels and bridges, and the lives of key railway pioneers.

Renowned for its detailed articles, numerous photographs, and engaging illustrations, the magazine was eventually compiled into two large, comprehensive volumes, serving as a definitive and celebratory record of the golden age of railway travel and engineering achievements across the globe.

Take a look at these vintage photos to see covers of Railway Wonders of the World magazine during its publication.

Railway Wonders of the World magazine cover, No. 4-1935

Railway Wonders of the World magazine cover, No. 5-1935

Railway Wonders of the World magazine cover, No. 6-1935

Railway Wonders of the World magazine cover, No. 7-1935

Railway Wonders of the World magazine cover, No. 8-1935

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20 Rare Photographs of Elvis Presley With His Girl Friend June Juanico in the Mid-1950s

Elvis Presley and June Juanico had a two-year, on-again, off-again romance from 1955 to 1957, during the early rise of his superstardom. June, a former beauty queen from Biloxi, Mississippi, has been described as the only girlfriend Elvis’s mother, Gladys, ever approved of.

Elvis met June in June 1955 after one of his concerts in Biloxi and was immediately smitten, asking her out that night. They shared a deep emotional connection and a passionate, but chaste, physical relationship, with Juanico stating they never had sexual intercourse because she was afraid of getting pregnant.

June Juanico: “Elvis was the love of my life. I met him in the summer of 1955, when he was just a regional star. He had been in my hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi, several times before, and people said, ‘You need to see him,’ and I went on this one night.

“Girls were screaming over him, and I’m just not that kind. I was passing by him, not even looking at him, and he reached through the crowd and grabbed my arm. He said, ‘Where are you going?’

“What I remember most about that night was sitting in his car outside my house, just talking, while my mother kept an eye out to see what I was doing. The first thing I said was, ‘What is your real name?' I had never heard of a name like Elvis. And he said, ‘What do you mean my real name? My name is Elvis Aaron Presley.’ We sat there until the sun came up at 6 a.m. He was shocked because my parents were divorced. He thought marriage was a lifelong thing, and when he got married, it was going to be forever. And he told me all about his twin who was dead at birth. I’d never met anybody quite like him.”

As Elvis’s fame exploded, their relationship was strained by the lack of privacy and the constant attention from fans and reporters. Juanico often blamed Elvis’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, for encouraging Elvis to date other beautiful, famous women for publicity, which caused issues in their relationship.

Elvis took a three-week vacation with June in Biloxi in the summer of 1956, during which time their relationship was heavily covered by the press. Despite their strong feelings and discussions of marriage, the pressures of his career and his dating of other women made a lasting relationship difficult.

The romance officially ended in March 1957 when Elvis, during a train layover in New Orleans, asked June to meet him. She informed him that she was engaged to be married to another man.

“The next time I saw him was in a movie theater in Memphis in the early 1960s,” Juanico said. “I went down the row behind him and tapped him on the back, and he turned around and our eyes just locked. He got up and put me in a death grip.”

June Juanico later wrote a memoir about their time together, titled Elvis in the Twilight of Memory, and always spoke fondly of him, maintaining that she never stopped loving him and they remained lifelong friends.

“In August 1977, my mother was at my house,’ she recalled. “I had laid down for a nap, and when I came out of my bedroom my mother was looking at me really strange. Finally, she said, ‘June!’ She had tears in her eyes. She said, ‘I just heard on the television that Elvis Presley has died.’ I looked at her and said, ‘That can’t be! That can’t be!’ I went over to the television and fell to my knees in front of it. I couldn’t breathe. I honestly think if my mother had not been with me, I might have died. In my heart, I always thought Elvis and I would be together somewhere down the road. I was married for 36 years, and I’ve got two beautiful children and beautiful grandchildren. I’ve been blessed in many ways. But I have just never been able to stop loving Elvis.”

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Rare Polaroids of Steve Buscemi in Drag on the Set of “Somebody to Love” (1994)

Somebody to Love, directed by Alexandre Rockwell, is a romantic drama that explores the intertwined lives of struggling artists and dreamers in Los Angeles. It is inspired by Federico Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria. The film features a notable ensemble cast, including Rosie Perez, Harvey Keitel, Anthony Quinn, and Stanley Tucci, with Quentin Tarantino making a cameo appearance.

In the 1994 film, Steve Buscemi delivers a memorable performance as Mickey, a transvestite character who works in the same bar as the protagonist, Mercedes, portrayed by Rosie Perez. His portrayal was noted for its authenticity and depth, with critic Roger Ebert commenting that Buscemi did “a surprisingly convincing job” in the role.

For a visual glimpse of Buscemi in character, some behind the scenes Polaroids taken by artist Scott Williams showcases him in full makeup and costume. The images highlighting Buscemi’s striking transformation for the role.

Studio Portraits: Posing With Snow in the Early 20th Century

The tradition of taking studio portraits featuring snow was a popular and charming trend in early 20th-century photography. Since winter weather often made outdoor portrait sessions impractical, photographers ingeniously brought the winter atmosphere indoors.

These portraits typically featured subjects, often children or couples, posed against painted backdrops depicting snowy landscapes or cozy indoor settings with a view outside. The “snow” itself was meticulously arranged using simple props like cotton batting, shredded paper, or scattered white powder around the base of the scene or on small branches. These controlled studio environments allowed for flattering lighting and composition, resulting in photographs that offered a romanticized, often theatrical, vision of winter.

These photos perfectly captured the era’s desire to commemorate holidays and sentimental moments with a touch of artistic fantasy.

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John Lennon and Yoko Ono Waiting for Maid to Make Bed During “Bed-In for Peace” in 1969

In March 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono captured global attention with their famous “Bed-In for Peace” in Amsterdam, a week-long protest against war and violence. The couple, newly married, took residence in a flower-scented Presidential Suite at the Hilton Hotel, planning to remain in bed as a statement of peaceful resistance. Their aim was to use this unusual form of protest to draw attention to the world’s conflicts and advocate for love and nonviolence.

This specific photograph, taken by Charles Ley and published in the Daily Mirror on March 26, 1969, perfectly captures the contrast between their symbolic activism and everyday life. The couple had to momentarily get out of bed so that the hotel maid, Maria de Soledade Alves, could change the sheets. This humorous interruption highlighted the reality of their high-profile protest while staying in a luxury hotel.

The article with the headline “Beatle John and Yoko are forced out of their £20-a-day bed by Maria, the hotel maid.” It reads:

BEDMATES John Lennon and Yoko Ono, like many a visionary and revolutionary before them, discovered yesterday that being out of this world can have its little difficulties.

Suddenly, in their flower-scented £20-a-day Presidential Suite above Amsterdam, they found that high-thinkers occasionally have to compromise with more down-to-earth mortals ... such as hotel maids.

Suddenly, the serenity of Day Two of the Great Lennon Lie-in was interrupted by a rival “happening”: The Changing of The Bed Linen. And Beatle John and his Japanese bride had to get out of bed.

John and Yoko, who married last Thursday, took to their bed “as a protest against war violence in the world.” They planned to stay tucked up for seven days.

But that was before Maria de Soledade Alves, a Portuguese maid at Amsterdam's Hilton Hotel, came on the scene with a pile of new linen. Yoko, in a high-necked, old- fashioned white nightie, fled to a chair.

When Maria moved on to another room, the 28-year-old Beatle and his 34-year-old wife hopped happily back into bed.

To turn their backs on the world and peacefully contemplate the skyline of Amsterdam.

Pictures by CHARLES LEY

She (1965 Film): Hammer’s Immortal Fantasy

She is a lavish 1965 British adventure-fantasy film produced by Hammer Film Productions, based on the classic 1887 novel by H. Rider Haggard. The film stars the iconic Ursula Andress (fresh from her breakthrough in Dr. No) as Ayesha, the beautiful and mysterious immortal queen, known as “She Who Must Be Obeyed”, who rules a lost city deep in the remote African interior.

The plot follows three English adventurers who stumble upon the queen’s domain and become entangled in her ancient quest for a lost lover’s reincarnation. Characterized by its stunning Technicolor cinematography, exotic locations, and elaborate costume design, She successfully blended adventure, romance, and supernatural themes. It remains a memorable entry in Hammer’s non-horror repertoire and solidified Andress’s status as a screen siren of the 1960s.

Take a look at these beautiful photos to see portraits of Ursula Andress during the filming of She in 1965.

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