Laughing, crying, worrying, nervous, etc., here is a lovely vintage photo collection that show children’s feelings for Santa Clauses in the past.
40 Lovely Vintage Photos Show Different Feelings of Children for Santa Clauses
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
December 5, 2020
December 4, 2020
December 3, 1992: The First Text Message to a Mobile Phone Is Sent
On the same day that Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” hit the charts as the #1 song in the US, and Home Alone 2 topped the box office, a young British engineer named Neil Papworth sent the world’s first SMS (Short Message Service).
Although the technology was conceived by Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert of the GSM Corporation in 1984, the first SMS message was sent in December 1992 by Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old test engineer for Sema Group, who used a computer to text “Merry Christmas” over Vodafone’s GSM network in the UK where it was received by his boss using an Orbitel 901 handset.
He never imagined he’d make history. “For me, I was doing a day’s work and I just thought: ‘OK, if this thing works, what am I doing tomorrow?’” Papworth told CTV News.
“The person I sent it to, Richard Jarvis, he was at a Vodaphone Christmas party and what else are you going to send to someone at a Christmas party?” Papworth said. “I used to talk to my friends about what I do, and they’re like: ‘Text what?’ No one had a mobile phone back then.”.
The following year in 1993, Nokia’s GSM mobile phone series became the first to support consumer SMS texting. By 1995 network traffic totaled a mere 0.4 messages per GSM customer per month. That number eventually skyrocketed and in 2010 it’s estimated that 6.1 trillion SMS text messages were sent, which is an average of 193,000 SMS per second.
Today, billions of texts continue to be sent every day although mainstream text messaging has been trending towards applications such as Apple's iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat and Line.
December 3, 2020
In the Old Days at Christmas, Women Apologized to Their Husbands for Their Mistakes During the Year
At the turn of the 20th century, where traditionally at Christmas women would get on their knees and beg forgiveness from their husbands for all the mistakes they had made during the past year.
In the early Victorian era, a woman entering upon marriage had almost no rights. All her property automatically became her husband’s. Even if she had her own land, her husband received the income from it.
A husband had the right to lock up his wife. If he beat her, she had no legal redress. The law mostly removed itself from marital relations.
Married women were put into the same category as lunatics, idiots, outlaws and children. Even her children were not hers, according to the law. And if a woman left the home to take refuge elsewhere, her husband could lock her out, without needing a court order.
(via lindaseccaspina)
In the early Victorian era, a woman entering upon marriage had almost no rights. All her property automatically became her husband’s. Even if she had her own land, her husband received the income from it.
A husband had the right to lock up his wife. If he beat her, she had no legal redress. The law mostly removed itself from marital relations.
Married women were put into the same category as lunatics, idiots, outlaws and children. Even her children were not hers, according to the law. And if a woman left the home to take refuge elsewhere, her husband could lock her out, without needing a court order.
(via lindaseccaspina)
November 29, 2020
Santa Claus in the Old Days
In the old days, Santa Claus would gather up bad children, toss them in his basket, and whisk them away to the North Pole to serve as his slaves. That’s where the legend of Santa’s elves came from.
40 Vintage Photos of Living Rooms During the ’50s Christmas Time
The Christmas tree surely becomes the center of attention during the festive season, but there are a lot more things that can illuminate the Christmas spirit for the joyous occasion. And this is true for both contemporary Christmas decoration ideas and the ones used in the past.
A set of vintage photos shows what living rooms looked like during the 1950s Christmas time.
November 22, 2020
In 1843, Inventor Henry Cole Created the Very First Christmas Card
This is the world’s first commercial Christmas card. It was commissioned by Henry Cole in 1843. 1,000 of these Christmas cards were printed, and Cole used as many as he required before selling the rest for 6d (sixpence) each. This price that made them a luxury item, unavailable to the working class.
This advert for the card appeared in the Athenaeum paper:
Cole’s diary entry for 17 December 1843 records, “In the Evg Horsley came & brought his design for Christmas Cards”. Horsley’s design depicts three generations of the Cole family raising a toast in a central, hand-colored panel surrounded by a decorative trellis and black and white scenes depicting acts of giving; the twofold message was of celebration and charity. Cole then commissioned a printer to transfer the design onto cards, printing a thousand copies that could be personalized with a hand-written greeting. Horsley himself personalized his card to Cole by drawing a tiny self-portrait in the bottom right corner instead of his signature, along with the date “Xmasse, 1843”.
Cole’s Christmas card was also published and offered for sale at a shilling a piece, which was expensive at the time, and the venture was judged a commercial flop. But the 1840s was a period of change, with Prince Albert introducing various German Christmas traditions to the British public, including the decorated Christmas tree.
Cole may have been ahead of his time but the commercialization of Christmas was on its way, prompted by developments in the publishing industry. More affordable Christmas gift-books and keepsakes were aimed at the growing middle classes, and authors responded to the trend: Charles Dickens wrote Christmas themed stories for Household Words and All the Year Round and published A Christmas Carol in 1843. By the 1870s the Christmas trend was firmly established.
(via Victoria and Albert Museum)
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| The world’s first commercially produced Christmas card, designed by John Callcott Horsley for Henry Cole in 1843. |
This advert for the card appeared in the Athenaeum paper:
“Just published. A Christmas Congratulation Card: or picture emblematical of Old English Festivity to Perpetuate kind recollections between Dear Friends.”Henry Cole (1808 – 1882) was a prominent civil-servant, educator, inventor and the first director of the V&A. In the 1840s, he was instrumental in reforming the British postal system, helping to set up the Uniform Penny Post which encouraged the sending of seasonal greetings on decorated letterheads and visiting cards. Christmas was a busy time in the Cole household and with unanswered mail piling up, a timesaving solution was needed. Henry turned to his friend, artist John Callcott Horsley to illustrate his idea.
Cole’s diary entry for 17 December 1843 records, “In the Evg Horsley came & brought his design for Christmas Cards”. Horsley’s design depicts three generations of the Cole family raising a toast in a central, hand-colored panel surrounded by a decorative trellis and black and white scenes depicting acts of giving; the twofold message was of celebration and charity. Cole then commissioned a printer to transfer the design onto cards, printing a thousand copies that could be personalized with a hand-written greeting. Horsley himself personalized his card to Cole by drawing a tiny self-portrait in the bottom right corner instead of his signature, along with the date “Xmasse, 1843”.
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| Greetings card, John Callcott Horsley, 1843, England. Museum no. MSL.3293-1987. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. |
Cole’s Christmas card was also published and offered for sale at a shilling a piece, which was expensive at the time, and the venture was judged a commercial flop. But the 1840s was a period of change, with Prince Albert introducing various German Christmas traditions to the British public, including the decorated Christmas tree.
Cole may have been ahead of his time but the commercialization of Christmas was on its way, prompted by developments in the publishing industry. More affordable Christmas gift-books and keepsakes were aimed at the growing middle classes, and authors responded to the trend: Charles Dickens wrote Christmas themed stories for Household Words and All the Year Round and published A Christmas Carol in 1843. By the 1870s the Christmas trend was firmly established.
(via Victoria and Albert Museum)
June 17, 2020
Rare Photos Show Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret as the Teenage Stars in Private Royal Pantomimes in the 1940s
These photographs were taken between December 1941 and 1944 and show a teenaged Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, playing various pantomime roles in front of a very privileged audience at Windsor Castle. The performances included Cinderella, Aladdin, and Sleeping Beauty.
A pantomime, or “panto” as it is also known≤ is a mixture of slapstick and music performed across Britain during the holiday season. They are typically based on children’s stories and usually feature male leads played by women (and vice versa), comedic twists and audience participation.
After the outbreak of World War II in 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the current queen’s mother, spent most of their time in London while their daughters remained in Windsor, just outside the capital.
But at Christmas they would return to join a privileged audience at the luxury pantomimes their daughters starred in at the Royal School.
In 1941 Elizabeth, then 15, played Prince Florizel, the male lead, in a pantomime of Cinderella, while 11-year-old Margaret took the title role. The following year the future queen starred as Prince Salvador in Sleeping Beauty with Margaret as Fairy Thistledown.
In 1943 Elizabeth won her first title role in Aladdin with Margaret as Princess Roxana. The next year the royal sisters starred as Lady Christina Sherwood and the Honorable Lucinda Fairfax, respectively, in Old Mother Red Riding Boots.
According to CNN, these fascinating images are owned by the estates of Hubert Tannar, an amateur actor and headmaster of the school the princesses attended, and Cyril Woods, who shared the stage with the young Windsors and became a friend of the future queen during rehearsals.
A pantomime, or “panto” as it is also known≤ is a mixture of slapstick and music performed across Britain during the holiday season. They are typically based on children’s stories and usually feature male leads played by women (and vice versa), comedic twists and audience participation.
After the outbreak of World War II in 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the current queen’s mother, spent most of their time in London while their daughters remained in Windsor, just outside the capital.
But at Christmas they would return to join a privileged audience at the luxury pantomimes their daughters starred in at the Royal School.
In 1941 Elizabeth, then 15, played Prince Florizel, the male lead, in a pantomime of Cinderella, while 11-year-old Margaret took the title role. The following year the future queen starred as Prince Salvador in Sleeping Beauty with Margaret as Fairy Thistledown.
In 1943 Elizabeth won her first title role in Aladdin with Margaret as Princess Roxana. The next year the royal sisters starred as Lady Christina Sherwood and the Honorable Lucinda Fairfax, respectively, in Old Mother Red Riding Boots.
According to CNN, these fascinating images are owned by the estates of Hubert Tannar, an amateur actor and headmaster of the school the princesses attended, and Cyril Woods, who shared the stage with the young Windsors and became a friend of the future queen during rehearsals.
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| A very young Princess Elizabeth (left) and Princess Margaret (right) in these two portrait pictures from the play Cinderella, in 1941, at the Royal School, Windsor. |
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| A young Princess Elizabeth (left) stars in the play Cinderella in 1941 at the Royal School, Windsor. |
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| Princess Margaret (left) and Princess Elizabeth (right) perform in Cinderella in 1941 at the Royal School, Windsor. |
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| Princess Margaret (left) and Princess Elizabeth (right) with the Queen Mother on the set of the play Cinderella, in 1941. |
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| Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth (left) in the play Cinderella, 1941, at the Royal School, Windsor. |
April 4, 2020
In 1980, American Express Teamed Up With DeLorean to Produce a 24K Gold Plated DMC-12, But Only Two Were Sold!
In 1980, American Express teamed up with DeLorean to produce a specialty car to promote their gold card. A 24K gold plated DeLorean DMC-12 was featured in the 1980 American Express Christmas catalog. A limited edition of no more than 100 DeLoreans, with 24-karat gold plating, were offered at $85,000 (about $220,000 today) each though only two were sold through this promotion.
The catalog declares “This Christmas, American Express brings you the gold at the end of the rainbow,” and the cover car bears a front license plate that resembles a green Amex card. In the DeLorean listing itself, American Express declares the gilded ride “the most luxurious car in the world.”
Here’s the original ad, which we’ve also transcribed below:
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| Gold plated DeLorean leaving the plant. |
The catalog declares “This Christmas, American Express brings you the gold at the end of the rainbow,” and the cover car bears a front license plate that resembles a green Amex card. In the DeLorean listing itself, American Express declares the gilded ride “the most luxurious car in the world.”
Here’s the original ad, which we’ve also transcribed below:
“The car of the future—a sportscar so spectacular that it surpasses the imagination. From its dramatic gull wing doors and outer surface of glittering 24 karat gold to its Colin Chapman world championship automotive engineering, the DeLorean glides into the future with a grace and authority that is seldom seen.
The luxury is unbelievable. Specially commissioned by you alone—as conceived by the great Giorgetto Giugiaro—the DeLorean is a masterpiece of engineering and design. And, as befits its extraordinary character, the entire corrosion-free stainless steel outer body panels of this limited edition DeLorean will be electroplated with pure 24 karat gold.
Imagine yourself behind the wheel of the most talked about sportscar of this century—a car that speaks luxury, performance and advanced engineering with a richly appointed Connolly English and Italian glove leather interior, multi-speaker high output stereo system, air conditioning, full instrumentation and electrical locking, a rear-mounted, light alloy overhead cam PRV V6 2.85 litre engine, Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, Lambda Sond/catalytic emission control, 5-speed manual, or 3-speed automatic transmission, counter-balanced gull wing doors with cryogenically pre-set stainless steel torsion bars—to name just a few of its features. Your 24 karat gold DeLorean will move you like you’ve never been moved before—0 to 60 mph in under 8 seconds.
Furthermore, no more than 100 will ever be produced.
The first step toward becoming one of the 100 people in the world to acquire this limited edition car is to call one of our toll-free numbers for answers to all of your questions.
When production of your car begins in the United Kingdom for delivery to any of the more than 300 DeLorean dealerships in the United States in June of 1981, a deposit of $10,000 will be required on this $85,000 masterpiece. Chargeable, of course, on your American Express Card account. Truly a golden opportunity!”
December 23, 2019
Rare Photographs of Princess Diana Performing a Dance With Wayne Sleep During a Private Christmas Gala in 1985
As a kid, Diana Spencer dreamed of being a ballerina but her dreams came to a halt as she was too tall. Nevertheless, she continued to dance throughout her life and famously danced with John Travolta at President Reagan’s White House reception in 1985.
Diana even surprised her husband Prince Charles by secretly rehearsing a routine with ballet dancer Wayne Sleep for months.
When the two headed to the Royal Opera House on December 23, 1985 for a show, Diana excused herself and took to the stage to perform a once-in-a-lifetime jig to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” with Wayne as her partner.
“We did eight curtain calls… 2000 people with one gasp of breath together, I’d never heard that before,” Wayne Sleep later confessed in an interview discussing how she surprised the entire audience.
“They were in shock and then they realized it was her. I said now you have to bow to the royal box and she said ‘I’m not bowing to him, he’s my husband!’ I said, ‘Well I have to!’”
The performance was actually one big surprise, and the pair had managed to keep it a secret not just from Charles and the rest of the royal family, but the paparazzi too.
Diana even surprised her husband Prince Charles by secretly rehearsing a routine with ballet dancer Wayne Sleep for months.
When the two headed to the Royal Opera House on December 23, 1985 for a show, Diana excused herself and took to the stage to perform a once-in-a-lifetime jig to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” with Wayne as her partner.
“We did eight curtain calls… 2000 people with one gasp of breath together, I’d never heard that before,” Wayne Sleep later confessed in an interview discussing how she surprised the entire audience.
“They were in shock and then they realized it was her. I said now you have to bow to the royal box and she said ‘I’m not bowing to him, he’s my husband!’ I said, ‘Well I have to!’”
The performance was actually one big surprise, and the pair had managed to keep it a secret not just from Charles and the rest of the royal family, but the paparazzi too.
December 21, 2019
45 Vintage Found Snaps Show Christmas Trees and Nativity Scenes on TV Sets
Here is an interesting collection of found photos from TackyJulie that shows Christmas trees & nativity scenes on TV sets.
20 Vintage Snapshots of Mid-Century Women Matching Their Christmas Trees
Dress is the spirit of the holidays with new a Christmas dress, party outfit, or winter-themed clothing. Be festive in a red, green, blue or silver Christmas party dress. Check out these amazing snaps of women matching their Christmas trees in the 1950s and ’60s.
December 18, 2019
33 Interesting Snaps Show What Christmas Trees Looked Like in the 1950s and '60s
How did people decorate their Christmas trees in the past? An interesting photo collection shows what Christmas trees looked like in the 1950s and 1960s.
December 17, 2019
Holiday Nostalgia Train: Take a Ride on a Vintage 1930s NYC Subway Car
Each year during the month of December, New York residents can witness the Holiday Nostalgia Train Rides up and running.
The MTA is bringing back Holiday Nostalgia Rides on vintage train cars, with the 1930s R1/9 train cars, which will depart from Second Avenue F train station. Here’s what the New York Transit Museum says:
“The Holiday Nostalgia Train consists of eight cars from the 1930s that ran along lettered lines through the late-1970s. The vintage Independent Subway System (IND) cars were used by the first subway company operated by the City of New York. Modern for their time, the R1/9s complimented the IND’s Depression-Era Art Deco aesthetic. Featuring rattan seats, paddle ceiling fans, incandescent light bulbs, roll signs, and period advertisements, these are the cars that inspired Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the A Train.” Today, they are preserved as part of the New York Transit Museum’s collection.”
The Holiday Nostalgia Train is made up of subway cars in service from 1932 until 1977. Three of the subway trains, from the 1930s, usually reside in the Brooklyn-based NY Transit Museum, which takes them out on a special-occasion-only basis.
Ceiling fans, padded seats, and incandescent light bulbs were state-of-the-art when these cars were first placed in service. Each car holds about 70 seats. About four cars are returned to service for the delight of nostalgic riders, train buffs, and folks looking for a funky way to time travel in the Big Apple.
Not only the trains but their fixers and mechanics, too, are a rarity. As one can imagine, these are historic cars, and only a handful of experts today actually know how to use and repair trains that were designed to function mechanically.
So, pick your era and go for a ride. You might dress up like a 1930s flapper or a 1960s fop...
The MTA is bringing back Holiday Nostalgia Rides on vintage train cars, with the 1930s R1/9 train cars, which will depart from Second Avenue F train station. Here’s what the New York Transit Museum says:
“The Holiday Nostalgia Train consists of eight cars from the 1930s that ran along lettered lines through the late-1970s. The vintage Independent Subway System (IND) cars were used by the first subway company operated by the City of New York. Modern for their time, the R1/9s complimented the IND’s Depression-Era Art Deco aesthetic. Featuring rattan seats, paddle ceiling fans, incandescent light bulbs, roll signs, and period advertisements, these are the cars that inspired Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the A Train.” Today, they are preserved as part of the New York Transit Museum’s collection.”
The Holiday Nostalgia Train is made up of subway cars in service from 1932 until 1977. Three of the subway trains, from the 1930s, usually reside in the Brooklyn-based NY Transit Museum, which takes them out on a special-occasion-only basis.
Ceiling fans, padded seats, and incandescent light bulbs were state-of-the-art when these cars were first placed in service. Each car holds about 70 seats. About four cars are returned to service for the delight of nostalgic riders, train buffs, and folks looking for a funky way to time travel in the Big Apple.
Not only the trains but their fixers and mechanics, too, are a rarity. As one can imagine, these are historic cars, and only a handful of experts today actually know how to use and repair trains that were designed to function mechanically.
So, pick your era and go for a ride. You might dress up like a 1930s flapper or a 1960s fop...
