Beautiful Portraits of Elizabeth Taylor on the Set of ‘Beau Brummell’ (1954)

Elizabeth Taylor, already a major star, brought a captivating presence to the set of Beau Brummell in 1954, playing Lady Patricia Belham, the beautiful and high-spirited noblewoman who falls for the titular dandy. Photographs and studio portraits taken during production often highlight Taylor’s striking beauty framed by the elaborate costumes of the Regency period.

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Taylor embodied a vibrant, modern sensibility even in historical dress, with her signature dark hair and intense violet eyes providing a dramatic contrast to the era’s delicate fabrics and voluminous skirts.

Her portraiture from this film showcases her at the height of her early career glamour, radiating youthful confidence and the elegance required to convincingly portray a woman who navigates the rigid, fashion-conscious high society of early 19th-century England.

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22 Fascinating Photos of Shirley MacLaine as Lucy Dell in “My Geisha” (1962)

In the 1962 film My Geisha, Shirley MacLaine stars as Lucy Dell, a famous American comedienne who, in an attempt to prove her acting range and secure a dramatic role in her husband’s film, masquerades as a Japanese geisha named Yoko Mori.

The plot revolves around Lucy’s husband, Paul Robaix (played by Yves Montand), a film director who travels to Japan to film an authentic adaptation of Madame Butterfly. He intends to cast an unknown Japanese actress for the lead role, specifically to prove his directorial talent without relying on his famous wife.

Unbeknownst to him, Lucy follows him to Japan and, with the help of the film’s producer Sam Lewis (Edward G. Robinson) and a real geisha who teaches her the customs, completely transforms her appearance to pass as a Japanese woman. She auditions under the name Yoko Mori and wins the part.

MacLaine’s role required a significant physical transformation, including elaborate makeup and costuming to alter her Caucasian features to an “Oriental shape.”

Her performance is described in contemporary reviews as subdued and in keeping with the formal nature of the geisha role, showing her versatility beyond the “Lucille-Ball-type” comedienne character she plays at the beginning of the film. The film is a comedy of errors where her character has to maintain the elaborate deception throughout the filming process, even as her husband becomes romantically intrigued by the mysterious “Yoko Mori.”

The film was largely seen as a light, charming, though highly improbable, comedy. While praised for its beautiful on-location shots of Japan and MacLaine’s convincing performance, it has also been viewed as a product of its time, with modern discussions pointing out the use of “yellowface” and cultural insensitivity inherent in the premise, similar to modern discussions of Tropic Thunder.

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Photographs of the Ramones Hanging Out in London in July 1976

The Ramones visited London in July 1976 for their first shows outside the United States, performing a pair of legendary gigs that are often cited as a pivotal moment in the birth of the UK punk rock scene.

The band played two shows in London, supporting the headlining act the Flamin’ Groovies. Their UK debut at the Roundhouse on July 4 and a second show at Dingwalls on July 5. These shows were highly successful, drawing large crowds of up to 3,000 people at the Roundhouse, far more than the typical audience of 150 they were getting in New York City at the time.

The Ramones’ fast, raw, three-chord sound had a massive impact on the nascent British punk scene. Members of many future pioneering British punk bands were in the audience such as The Clash, the Sex Pistols, The Damned, and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. Accounts from the time describe the British bands and fans being inspired to form their own groups after seeing the Ramones, realizing that they could create powerful music with a simple, high-energy approach.

Photos from the visit by the band’s manager and photographer Danny Fields capture the band members, including Joey and Dee Dee, hanging out at the venues and in the streets in London:

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Young Diana Dors at the Miss Venus Beauty Pageant at Weston-super-Mare, England, 1947

In 1947 Diana Dors came third in a beauty contest while on holiday in Weston-Super-Mare. The winner was Beryl Ten-Brooke, who she later said of Diana: “to be honest, I remember her being a bit precious.”

Beryl Ten-Brooke, left, winning the Miss Venus beauty pageant at Weston-super-Mare, beating a young Diana Dors, right.

In 1947, Dors was a 15-year-old student at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), where she was the youngest student in her class. During this year, she began her film career, appearing in several films, often in brief or uncredited roles.

She also won the London Films Cup at LAMDA, an award for the “girl most likely to succeed in films.” It was also around this time that she signed a contract with the Rank Organisation and became known for her willingness to pose for glamour shots, earning her the nickname "The Body". She had previously been going by her birth name, Diana Mary Fluck, and changed it to Dors at the suggestion of her mother.

Patti Page: The Silky-Voiced Star of 1950s American Pop

Clara Ann Fowler (1927–2013), universally known as Patti Page, was one of the best-selling female artists of the 1950s, defining the era with her warm, smooth, and instantly recognizable voice.

A pioneer in the music industry, Page was the first artist to successfully employ the technique of multi-track recording, effectively harmonizing with herself—a sound that became her signature style. This innovation was famously showcased in her breakthrough 1950 hit, “Tennessee Waltz,” which became one of the biggest-selling records of the 20th century. Her repertoire spanned country, pop standards, and novelties, leading to other enduring classics such as “Doggie in the Window” and “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte.”

Patti Page’s extensive career made her a fixture on radio, television, and record charts for decades, solidifying her status as “The Singing Rage.” Take a look at these vintage photos featuring lovely portraits of a young Patti Page.

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Rare Color Photos of Vietnam in the Early 1930s

W. Robert Moore (1899–1968), a leading photographer and staff writer for National Geographic Magazine, provided a groundbreaking visual record of Vietnam, then part of French Indochina, during the 1930s. His work was significant not only for its extensive geographical coverage but also for his pioneering use of early natural color photography, capturing the vivid scenes of the country using new films like Kodachrome.

Moore’s lens often focused on the traditional and the majestic: documenting the rice paddies, the bustling marketplaces of Hanoi and Saigon, and the serene beauty of ancient temples and monuments along what he referred to as the old Mandarin Road. His articles and photographs presented an evocative, yet often exoticized, portrait of the region to Western audiences, showcasing the intricate customs and traditional dress of the Vietnamese people amidst the dramatic backdrop of colonial influence and lush Southeast Asian landscapes.

These beautiful color photos, taken by W. Robert Moore, capture life in Vietnam from the early 1930s.

Annamese men and women walk to the market along the Mandarin Road, Vietnam, circa July 1930

A civil mandarin poses in his winged scholar's bonnet, Hue, Vietnam, 1931

A class of students pose for National Geographic Magazine, Hue, Vietnam, 1931

A princess of Hue is fanned by her maids, Hue, Vietnam, 1931

A royal princess of Hue dressed in her royal robes, Hue, Vietnam, 1931

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40 Amazing Photographs of Jodie Foster as Iris Steensma on the Set of “Taxi Driver” (1976)

Jodie Foster was only 12 when she began preparing to play Iris Steensma in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film Taxi Driver, a role that pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable for a young actor. To help her understand the deeply damaged and vulnerable girl she was portraying, a runaway entangled in a harsh world no child should ever know, Scorsese took serious and unconventional steps. He brought in a real FBI agent and a licensed psychiatrist to guide her through the emotional and psychological terrain of the character. These sessions were intense and often disturbing, giving Foster a window into the kind of life Iris lived, without subjecting her to direct exposure to it.

The FBI agent explained the grim realities of exploited minors on the streets of 1970s New York. He shared real case studies, stories of young girls abandoned or manipulated into dangerous situations. The intention was not to shock Foster, but to ground her performance in truth. She remembered listening quietly as he described the survival tactics many of these children developed, how they masked their fear, how they learned to read people, and how they adapted to a world that rarely showed them kindness.

At the same time, the psychiatrist focused on Iris’s inner world, her numbness, her confusion, her small acts of rebellion. The sessions became a kind of emotional excavation. Foster was encouraged to ask questions, to think about how someone her age might try to reclaim a sense of control when everything around them felt unsafe. She described these meetings as uncomfortable but important, moments where she had to consider emotions she had never personally felt but had to represent convincingly.

Jodie later said that even though she didn’t fully understand the adult implications of Iris’s life, she deeply sensed the sadness and isolation the girl lived with. The protective bubble she had grown up in made the contrast sharper. Her conversations with the psychiatrist often blurred the lines between her own thoughts and those of her character. In one session, she asked if people her age could become so detached they stopped expecting love or safety. The answer stayed with her: yes, and it’s one of the most heartbreaking consequences of neglect.

Robert De Niro, who played Travis Bickle, worked closely with her during rehearsals. He was patient but relentless, running lines with her over and over until each word felt natural. Jodie noted how he never treated her like a child. He respected her process, pushed her when necessary, and showed her what it meant to be fully present in a scene. His dedication helped her find moments of authenticity that would eventually make her performance unforgettable.

One of the most emotionally charged scenes, when Iris tells Travis she’s not ready to go back to a normal life, was filmed after a day of deep psychological preparation. The team encouraged Foster to tap into her character’s pride, not her pain. They wanted her to show the complexity of a child trying to sound strong in a world built to break her. She said that moment felt like stepping out of herself and into Iris completely.

Her mother was on set every day, monitoring closely, making sure boundaries were respected. Certain scenes used a stand-in, and the entire production operated under the scrutiny of child welfare professionals. Still, there were things no one could completely shield her from. The weight of the material, the emotional residue, it stayed with her. But Foster never looked at it as something damaging. She always spoke of it as the moment she first understood what it meant to truly become someone else.

She once said the role shaped her understanding of empathy. Not as a soft feeling, but as a powerful tool that allowed her to connect with people whose lives were far different from her own. Her portrayal of Iris in Taxi Driver remains one of the most raw, honest, and unsettling performances by a young actor in film history.

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