The Last Photo Taken of Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary at Territet, Switzerland, a Week Before Her Death, 1898

Purported last photograph taken of Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary (at left) at Territet, Switzerland, with her lady-in-waiting Irma Sztáray on September 3, 1898.

Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; December 24, 1837 – September 10, 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on April 24, 1854 until her assassination in 1898.

Elisabeth was born into the Ducal royal branch of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach but enjoyed an informal upbringing before marrying her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph I, at 16. The marriage thrust her into the much more formal Habsburg court life, for which she was unprepared and which she found suffocating. Early in the marriage, she was at odds with her mother-in-law, who was also her maternal aunt, Archduchess Sophie, who took over the rearing of Elisabeth’s daughters, one of whom, Sophie, died in infancy. The birth of a son, Crown Prince Rudolf, improved Elisabeth’s standing at court, but her health suffered under the strain. As a result, she would often visit Hungary for its more relaxed environment. She came to develop a deep kinship with Hungary and helped to bring about the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867.

The death of Elisabeth’s only son and his mistress Mary Vetsera in a murder–suicide at his hunting lodge at Mayerling in 1889 was a blow from which the Empress never recovered. She withdrew from court duties and traveled widely, unaccompanied by her family. In 1890, she had the palace Achilleion built on the Greek island of Corfu. The palace featured an elaborate mythological motif and served as a refuge, which Elisabeth visited often. She was obsessively concerned with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty, developing a restrictive diet and wearing extremely tightlaced corsets to keep her waist looking very small.

While traveling in Geneva in 1898, Elisabeth was fatally stabbed in the heart by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni. Her tenure of 44 years was the longest of any Austrian empress.

Wonderful Color Photos Capture People Skiing at Ski Resorts in Switzerland and Austria in 1949-1950

Robert Capa is synonymous with black and white documentation of conflict, from the Spanish Civil War to World War II. Also largely monochrome were the major Capa collections that followed: studies of the Soviet Union and Israel. But the photographer did make extensive use of color, which gradually seeped into his work from 1941 right up until the end of his life. His glossy coverage of high-society European ski resorts are a notable departure from black and white, even if the backdrop to all the color-saturated human activity is the most monochrome of natural landscapes.

In 1948, Robert Capa proposed a story on the grand ski resorts in France, Switzerland and Austria to Holiday magazine. He loved skiing and visited Klosters, the Swiss resort, every year. It was carnival when he arrived in Zürs, and the Austrians took costumes seriously. One skier dressed head to toe as Charlie Chaplin and another transformed them self into a cello. The festivities continued into the evening with fancy dress parties.

In the story, published in the January 1951 issue, Capa wrote about his escapades for the magazine and his troubles with finding a place to stay: “None of [the hotels] had rooms, but every one of them had a gala night, and to enter you had to dress in costume…I rolled up my trousers, turned my vest inside out, put my tie around my head, and went to the Zürserhof.”

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Albert Einstein and Marie Curie Having a Walk and a Talk by the Geneva Lake, ca. 1920s

Discussing near a lake, ca. 1929. A meeting of the most brilliant scientific minds of that time. Note that Marie Curie started working with radium in 1902. The pictures were taken five years before her death. She was probably slightly radioactive at this time.

In 1906, Curie’s husband, Pierre, was killed. She later became close to Pierre’s student, Paul Langevin, who was separated from his abusive wife.

Langevin’s wife exposed their relationship to the press, creating a scandal and forcing Curie and her daughter into hiding. Langevin tried to defend Curie’s reputation in an unarmed duel with a tabloid editor.

During this, Albert Einstein sent Curie a letter expressing his admiration and support: 

“Highly esteemed Mrs. Curie,

Do not laugh at me for writing you without having anything sensible to say. But I am so enraged by the base manner in which the public is presently daring to concern itself with you that I absolutely must give vent to this feeling. However, I am convinced that you consistently despise this rabble, whether it obsequiously lavishes respect on you or whether it attempts to satiate its lust for sensationalism!

I am impelled to tell you how much I have come to admire your intellect, your drive, and your honesty, and that I consider myself lucky to have made your personal acquaintance in Brussels. Anyone who does not number among these reptiles is certainly happy, now as before, that we have such personages among us as you, and Langevin too, real people with whom one feels privileged to be in contact. If the rabble continues to occupy itself with you, then simply don’t read that hogwash, but rather leave it to the reptile for whom it has been fabricated.

With most amicable regards to you, Langevin, and Perrin, yours very truly,

A. Einstein”

The letter is part of nearly 5,000 of his papers that can be found online in The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein.

Despite the scandal, Marie Curie won her second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911.

Switzerland in 1994 Through Amazing Photos

Switzerland is a landlocked country located at the confluence of Western, Central and Southern Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.

Switzerland is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps and the Jura; the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, whereas most of the country’s population of 8.7 million are concentrated on the plateau, which hosts the largest cities and economic centers, including Zürich, Geneva and Basel.

It has four main linguistic and cultural regions: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Although most Swiss are German-speaking, national identity is fairly cohesive, being rooted in a common historical background, shared values such as federalism and direct democracy, and Alpine symbolism. Swiss identity transcends language, ethnicity, and religion, leading to Switzerland being described as a Willensnation (“nation of volition”) rather than a nation state.

Switzerland is one of the world’s most developed countries. It has the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Switzerland ranks first in the Human Development Index since 2021 and performs highly also on several international metrics, including economic competitiveness and democratic governance. Cities such as Zürich, Geneva and Basel rank among the highest in terms of quality of life, albeit with some of the highest costs of living.

These amazing photos were taken by Steve Brown that show life of Switzerland in 1994.

An old chapel at Riffelalp, 2000 feet above Zermatt, at the base of the Matterhorn, 1994

Basel quiet side street, 1994

Basel. Along the shoreline of the Rhine River, 1994

Basel. Swiss passenger train, 1994

Bauen on Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, 1994

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From Europe to North Africa: Lush Kodachrome Slides Taken on a Tour of Duty in the Early 1950s

These slides appear to have been taken by a US Army nurse who seems to have been attached to the 97th General Army Hospital at Frankfurt, West Germany in 1952 and 1953. During her tour of duty she was able, like most US service personnel, to travel in her free time to various places in Europe and Algeria (and possibly other countries in North Africa).

Take a look at Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Algeria in the early 1950s through these 26 beautiful Kodachrome pictures. For more fascinating vintage photographs, make sure to visit gbfernie5's brilliant collections on Flickr.

Algerians at a lookout in or near the El Kettar Cemetery, Algiers, Algeria.

Bou-Saada, Algeria.

Bou-Saada, Algeria.

Carpet market, Bou-Saada, Algeria.

Market, Bou-Saada, Algeria.

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Rare Photographs of a Lucky Italian Fan Posing With Queen in Zurich, Switzerland in February 1979

Queen played at Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland on February 4, 1979. Italian fan Manuela Scarpel was 17 years old at the time and was attending university in Zurich. She decided to participate in a competition and so she won a Queen gold record.

For the award ceremony there was a big party and the whole of Manuela’s family was invited, of course they also participated in the concert that was held that day.

Manuela’s father Tommaso shared his daughter’s experience on the blog: Passato e Presente. Today this lucky fan still jealously keeps that golden disc!

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21 Kodachrome Photos From an American’s Trip to Switzerland in the Late 1950s

These 35mm Kodachrome pictures were taken by an American during their trip to Switzerland, in particular Lake Thun (“Thunersee”), and the lakeside towns of Spiez and Gurten. The slide mounts indicate that the slides were processed between 1955 and 1959.

Take a look back at Switzerland in the late 1950s through these 21 gorgeous pictures. For more fascinating vintage photographs, visit Graeme Fernie's brilliant Flickr site.

Schoolchildren at Wharf, Beatenbucht, Sigriswil, Switzerland

Schoolchildren on Ferry, Spiez, Switzerland

The Gurten Ferry at Speiz, Switzerland

View from Schonriedstrasse of Eglise de Saanen, Gstaad, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

View from Spiez towards Merligen and the Niederhorn, Switzerland

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Portraits of Swiss “Halbstarken” Girls With Very Big Hair in the 1950s and 1960s

Halbstarke is a German term describing a postwar-period subculture of adolescents – mostly male and of working class parents – that appeared in public in an aggressive and provocative way during the 1950s in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Later, the term sometimes described youths in general.

Often, the Halbstarken wore a quiff, jeans, checked shirts and leather jackets. Their look separated them from the other, more widespread, German youth culture. Mopeds and motorbikes were very popular and used for riding in ‘gangs’ (as seen in American movies). Because there weren’t a lot of alternatives, the Halbstarken often spent their leisure time outdoors. Their cliques met at corners of the road, in parks or at other public places. This behavior wasn’t appreciated by elder citizens and so they described it as “bumming around”.

These photographs were taken by Karlheinz Weinberger (1921–2006) who began to take pictures as a teenager and became a member of the Bund der Naturfreunde photography club where he improved his technique.

In the 1940s, he joined the famous Zürich underground gay club “Der Kreis” and began to publish his photos in its magazine under the pseudonym of Jim. In the late 1950s, he met young misfits on the street and began to photograph them, in studio at his mother’s apartment or during their trips in the Swiss countryside. Working all his life as a warehouseman for the Siemens factory, he devoted all his spare time to his photographic passion for eccentricity. For more than thirty years, Karlheinz Weinberger followed these young people, who reused the codes of Rebel Without a Cause and created inventive and provocative outfits.

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38 Beautiful Photos of Switzerland in the 1950s

For a long period after World War II, the undamaged Swiss economy experienced very little unemployment, and it grew approximately 5 percent per year in the 1950s and ’60s. During this period, foreign policy was virtually reduced to negotiating bilateral trade agreements.

Because Switzerland avoided multilateral ties that could affect its sovereignty, it resisted European integration efforts. Thus, it did not join the European Economic Community (later succeeded by the European Union [EU]); instead it was a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1960.

Switzerland’s economic growth rapidly changed the landscape and the living standard, helping to perpetuate the image of the country as a special case (Sonderfall). It renounced bilateralism only slowly and gradually within “apolitical” international bodies, including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1966), the International Monetary Fund and World Bank (1992), and the World Trade Organization (1995).

In 1971, the World Economic Forum was established in Davos as a gathering for the discussion of policy, economics, and social issues. By the early 21st century, the name Davos had become synonymous with globalization and the international decision makers who regularly attended the meeting.

These beautiful color photos were taken by gbfernie5 that show what Switzerland looked like in the 1950s.

Basel. Basler Halle (Today this is the location of the Congress Center, Basel), Switzerland, early 1950s

Basel. Papyrus Shop, Freie Strasse 43 4001, Switzerland, 1956

Aarburg. Aarburg Reformed Church and Fortress Aarburg viewed from the corner of Färbeweg and Landhausstrasse, Switzerland, 1950s

Appenzell. North Easterly view of Hauptgasse from the corner of Hirschengasse & Hauptgasse, Switzerland, 1950s

Bern. Corner of Postgasse and Postgasshalde, Switzerland, 1950s

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Pictures of the Kremos, a Swiss Family of Acrobats, From the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

This amazing vintage footage depicts the Kremos, a Swiss family of acrobats, doing their act in Paris in August 1896. The short film was taken by the Lumière brothers.

 

The Kremos, produced two generations of remarkable icarists, followed by two generations of remarkable jugglers, Béla Kremo, and his son, Kris. All of them have been important circus and variety stars in Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, and Kris Kremo, who also became a celebrated international star in America as well as in Europe, continued the tradition well into the twenty-first century.

The original Kremo troupe was created around 1880 by Josef Kremo (1854-1917), whose real name was Kremka, and whose family was of Czech origins—at a time when Czechoslovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This first Kremo troupe was composed of Josef and his two eldest sons, Sylvester and Karl. Josef Kremo had been apprenticed to the Scheffers, an Austrian family of talented acrobats who performed the best and most celebrated Risley act of the late 19th century.

Josef had married an Austro-Hungarian equestrienne, Franzisca Allinger (1858-1940). Together they had had thirteen children, twelve of whom eventually participated in the family’s Risley act. At least three of their children, Anton, Franziska, and Viktor, could perform a triple somersault on the feet of their father, the most difficult trick of the specialty, then as now. Sylvester (1881-1962), Josef's eldest son, and Karl (1882-1958), his younger brother, eventually went on to create their own troupes, and continued the family tradition, each with his own troupe.

The Sylvester Kremo Family troupe consisted of Sylvester and his daughters, Sylvia and Selna. The Karl Kremo Family was a larger troupe, consisting of Karl, his brother Mark (1888-1945), his wife Margrit (1891-1923)—née Hanus in Hungary—and their children, Bellona, Béla, Bianca, and Bert, along with occasional partners. Both troupes brilliantly continued the Kremo tradition, performing in Europe’s leading circuses and variety theaters until the 1930s. The Karl Kremo Family was the most famous of the two, and of course, was survived by one of Karl’s sons, Béla Kremo, who maintained the name alive as a world-famous juggler.

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Homoerotic Images of Young Men in Blue Jeans in Post-War Switzerland

An unsung pioneer of vernacular photography since the 1950s, Karlheinz Weinberger (1921–2006) captured a young generation of Swiss rebels who were greatly influenced by American culture.

For most of his adult life, Weinberger worked in the warehouse department of the Siemens-Albis factory in Zurich. In his free time, he escaped his job’s monotony by immersing himself in photography. His artistic career began by taking photographs for the gay underground Zurich club and magazine Der Kreis, taking candid shots of lovers, friends and strangers on the street with an overt erotic investment in his subjects.

In 1958 Weinberger met a small group of teenagers known as “Halbstark” (or “half strong”). The group was comprised of working class boys and girls dissatisfied with the conservative Swiss climate. Its members demonstrated their anti- establishment stance with embellished outfits of denim and leather, in an exaggerated and homemade version of the popularized American bad-boy style of the time.

Weinberger captured the unfiltered attitude of the group in the parks and fairgrounds that they gathered while processing and developing the photos in his home makeshift studio. In his stark, posed photographs of these young rebels, Weinberger focused on individual figures, exploring both a personal erotic obsession and the cultural symbolism of blue jeans, whose scarcity in post war Switzerland implied not just a fashion statement but a badge of pride.

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