Richard Ansdell: A Master of Victorian Animal and Sporting Art

Richard Ansdell (1815–1885) was a distinguished British painter of the Victorian era, renowned for his exceptional skill in depicting animals, sporting scenes, and the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands.

Rising from a humble background in Liverpool, Ansdell became a celebrated member of the Royal Academy and was often considered a formidable rival to the famous Sir Edwin Landseer. His work is characterized by a meticulous attention to anatomical detail and a dramatic sense of narrative, whether he was portraying the intense energy of a hunt, the quiet life of a Highland shepherd, or powerful social themes as seen in his masterpiece, The Hunted Slaves.

His immense popularity during his lifetime was so significant that the district of Ansdell in Lancashire was named in his honor, making him the only English artist to have a town bear his name. Today, his paintings remain vital cultural records of 19th-century rural life and the enduring bond between humans and animals.

The Hunted Slaves

A Family Portrait

A Highlander with Setters and Game

A Warm Welcome

Andalusian Gallant

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35 Advertising Posters For Cigarette and Cigar in the Early 20th Century

In the early 20th century, advertising posters for cigarettes and cigars emerged as a dominant art form, blending commercial interest with the aesthetic movements of the time, such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Unlike the text-heavy ads of the previous century, these posters relied on bold visual storytelling and vibrant color lithography to capture the public's imagination.

Tobacco companies hired renowned illustrators to create iconic imagery that associated smoking with prestige and luxury. For cigars, posters often featured tropical landscapes or regal figures to emphasize the “exotic” and premium nature of the tobacco. Meanwhile, cigarette posters began to shift toward lifestyle branding, depicting the “New Woman” or the “Sophisticated Gentleman” to make smoking appear as an essential accessory for modern life.

These posters were not just advertisements, they were powerful cultural artifacts that utilized psychological triggers, such as social belonging, health claims, and romanticism, to cement tobacco’s place in the daily routine of the early 1900s.

Manufacture de cigares C. Müller & Co, Payerne, Switzerland, circa 1900

Cigarettes Saphir, circa 1900s

Cigarillos Paris, Fides, 1900

Los Cigarrillos Paris son los mejores, circa 1900s

Murad, The Turkish Cigarette, 1900

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40 Photos of Mary Tyler Moore in the 1970s

Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977), which “helped define a new vision of American womanhood” and “appealed to an audience facing the new trials of modern-day existence.”

Debuting on CBS on September 19, 1970, the sitcom followed Mary Richards, an associate producer at WJM-TV in Minneapolis. It won 29 Emmy Awards during its run, a record at the time. The show is cited as a landmark of second-wave feminism for its realistic depiction of workplace dynamics, equal pay, and female friendship.

Alongside her husband Grant Tinker, she co-founded MTM Enterprises in 1969/1970. The studio produced her namesake show and other 1970s hits like Rhoda, Phyllis, and The Bob Newhart Show.

In 1969, at age 33, Moore was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She maintained a private but active lifestyle, becoming a vocal advocate for diabetes research later in her life.

After her show ended in 1977, she ventured into variety television with Mary (1978) and The Mary Tyler Moore Hour (1979). She concluded the decade by filming the dramatic role of Beth Jarrett in Ordinary People (released in 1980), which earned her an Academy Award nomination.

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30 Wonderful Portraits of Marianne Faithfull in the 1970s

Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (December 29, 1946 – January 30, 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single “As Tears Go By.” She became one of the leading female artists of the British Invasion in the United States. In the 1970s, Faithfull underwent one of the most extreme and public transformations in music history. She began the decade as the “fallen” muse of the 1960s and ended it as a gravel-voiced icon of the New Wave and Punk era.

In 1970, her high-profile relationship with Mick Jagger ended. This period was marked by her losing custody of her son, Nicholas, and a subsequent suicide attempt. For much of the early-to-mid 1970s, Faithfull lived on the streets of London’s Soho district. She suffered from severe heroin addiction and anorexia nervosa, largely disappearing from the public eye except for occasional, fleeting appearances.

During these years, her once-pure, melodic soprano voice was permanently altered by heavy smoking, drug use, and severe laryngitis. It transformed into the deep, husky, and “scorched” rasp that would later define her career.

Despite her struggles, Faithfull made a few attempts to record music. In 1971, she recorded an album titled Masques (later released in 1985 as Rich Kid Blues), but it was shelved at the time due to her unstable condition. In 1976, she released Dreamin’ My Dreams, a country-influenced album. While it was mostly ignored in the UK, it became a massive hit in Ireland, reaching #1 and proving that she still had an audience.

The end of the decade saw one of the greatest “resurrection” stories in rock history. Faithfull emerged with Broken English (1979), an album that shed her 1960s pop persona entirely. It was aggressive, dark, and politically charged, blending New Wave, reggae, and rock. “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan” became one of her signature tracks, capturing the middle-aged disillusionment that resonated with a new generation of listeners. The song “Why’d Ya Do It?” was so explicit and raw that it was banned in several places, but it solidified her status as an artist who refused to be censored or silenced.

Marianne Faithfull’s 1970s were effectively a bridge from being “Mick Jagger’s girlfriend” to being a formidable, self-directed artist. Here’s a collection of 30 amazing portraits of Faithfull in the 1970s:

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Gunila: The Sculpted Grace of Mid-Century High Fashion

Gunila was one of the most striking faces of the 1950s and ’60s, a model who epitomized the “Nordic look” that fascinated the international fashion world. With her razor-sharp cheekbones, wide-set eyes, and an almost architectural sense of poise, she was a favorite muse for legendary photographers like Philippe Pottier, Irving Penn and Richard Avedon.

Gunila possessed a rare ability to transition from the stiff, aristocratic elegance of early ’50s couture to the youthful, avant-garde energy of the early ’60s. Often draped in the masterpieces of Cristóbal Balenciaga or Christian Dior, she didn’t just wear clothes, she gave them structure and movement.

Whether captured in a stark studio setting or on the chic streets of Paris, Gunila’s presence on the pages of Vogue represented a shift toward a more sophisticated, independent female ideal.

Gunila in black velvet coat lined with quilted satin worn over a black wool dress by Jean Patou, worn with a black fox fur hat, photo by Georges Saad, 1956

Gunila in black velvet dress over white tulle bubble skirt, white tulle also gathered at the décolletage, by Christian Dior, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1957

Gunila in charming dress of black and white mesh with white lace, bodice is black velvet, by Guy Laroche, photo Philippe Pottier, 1957

Gunila in elegant wool suit by Jacques Griffe, photo by Nicole Bukzin, 1957

A single large white rose adorns the crown of this dark green straw cloche by Jean Barthet worn by Gunila, jewelry by Boucheron, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1958

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This Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb Ring Contained Polonium-210, One of the Most Dangerous Radioactive Isotopes Known to Man

In the nuclear-obsessed 1940s, atomic energy was celebrated as the cutting edge of progress and modernity, capturing the imagination of the public. Capitalizing on this fascination, Kix cereal launched a bold promotion in 1947: for just 15 cents and a cereal box top, children could receive the Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb Ring. The ring promised excitement and novelty, tying a popular comic hero to the era’s atomic craze, and appealed directly to the curiosity and thrill-seeking of young consumers.

But the “toy” was far from harmless. Each ring contained a tiny amount of polonium-210, a highly radioactive substance, paired with a zinc sulfide screen that would glow when struck by alpha particles. While marketed as safe as long as it wasn’t ingested or inhaled, polonium-210 is among the most toxic substances known, making the ring an unsettling example of the era’s cavalier attitude toward radiation. At the time, very few questioned the potential dangers, and the public’s fascination with all things atomic often outweighed concerns for safety.

Polonium-210 is a highly radioactive alpha-emitter. While alpha particles cannot penetrate the outer layer of human skin, the substance is extremely dangerous if inhaled or swallowed. Because polonium-210 has a very short half-life (138 days), almost all the radioactivity vanished within a few years of the ring being manufactured. Any surviving rings today are virtually non-radioactive (having decayed into stable lead), though they no longer produce the “flashes” they once did.

Today, the Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb Ring stands as a bizarre museum artifact, a chilling reminder of a period when radioactive materials were marketed as novelty items for children. Because these rings were made of fragile plastic and aluminum, finding one in good condition with the red tail-fin intact is difficult. Depending on condition and whether the original mailing box and instructions are included, these rings typically sell for $100 to $400 on the collector's market.

30 Beautiful Portraits of Rita Hayworth From “My Gal Sal” (1942)

My Gal Sal is a 1942 American lavish, high-spirited musical tribute to the 1890s, capturing the vibrant energy of the “Gay Nineties” through a dazzle of song and dance. Starring the incomparable Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature, the film tells the fictionalized story of songwriter Paul Dresser as he rises from a traveling medicine show to the glamour of New York City’s Broadway. However, the true heart of the movie lies in the electrifying chemistry between its leads and the breathtaking production design.

Filmed in glorious Technicolor, My Gal Sal is a visual feast of crimson velvets, golden stage lights, and elaborate Victorian costumes. Rita Hayworth, at the height of her beauty, radiates charisma in every frame, particularly during the beautifully choreographed musical numbers. The film isn’t just a nostalgic look back at the era of Tin Pan Alley, it is a masterpiece of wartime escapism, offering 1940s audiences a world of pure elegance, hummable melodies, and the timeless allure of musical theater.

Take a look at these beautiful photos to see portraits of Rita Hayworth during the filming of My Gal Sal in 1942.

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