These wonderful color slides show everyday life of a normal family in North Dakota in 1956 with activities: camping, farming, and harvesting wheat.
August 26, 2016
Doing Hard Time: 14 Historical Nebraska Mug Shots From the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries
Photography revolutionized crime investigations. Beginning in the mid 1800s, police photographed the faces of known criminals. Called “mug shots” (after the British slang word “mug” meaning “face”) these images replaced drawings and descriptions on wanted posters. Scientists even studied mug shots to see if physical traits could predict criminal behavior.
The Nebraska State Penitentiary used photography beginning in 1867 to record the likeness of the state's most infamous residents. The Omaha police photographed suspects when arrested. Whether the people depicted were guilty or innocent, behind every photograph is a human story. This glimpse back at some of the thousands of photographs in the Nebraska State Penitentiary and Omaha Police Court Collections at the Nebraska State Historical Society and their accompanying tales offer insights into how earlier Nebraskans ran afoul of the law, and how some attitudes about crime and punishment may have changed.
1. Mrs. H. C. Adams - Blackmail
Looks can often be deceiving. Mrs. H.C. Adams looks every bit the typical Victorian lady. Her elegant hairstyle and wire-rimmed glasses hide a dark secret. Mrs. Adams was arrested in Omaha on April 12, 1900 for blackmail. She listed her residence as Palisade, Nebraska, and her occupation as prostitute. The police record describes her as 5 feet, 1 inch tall with a medium build and a sallow complexion.
2. Minnie Bradley - Larceny from a person
Minnie Bradley refuses to look at the camera in her Omaha Police Court mug shot. Minnie, 27, and 5 foot 2 inches tall was arrested in Omaha on December 13, 1902 for larceny from a person. She listed her residence on north 11th Street in Omaha and her occupation as prostitute. The description also noted that Minnie wore a wig.
3. Charles Martin - Safe blowing and burglary
Three burglars blew up a safe in a bank vault in Sheridan, Missouri, on the night of February 15, 1898. They got away with about $2,400. The bank's insurance company hired the famed Pinkerton Detective Agency and sent Assistant Superintendent F.H. Tollotson to hunt down the burglars. Tollotson tracked one of the wanted men through Missouri to Council Bluffs and eventually to a room at the Sheridan Hotel in Omaha. With the aid of the Omaha police, Tollotson apprehended a gun-welding fugitive after a brief struggle. The alleged bank robber gave his name as Charles Martin, but had several letters addressed to Charles Davis. Martin was unknown to Omaha police, but some detectives speculated to newspaper reporters he could be the notorious safe blower and bank robber Sam Welsh. At the time of his arrest, Martin had a gold watch and $565 in cash believed to be his share of the spoils of the Missouri bank robbery. Martin was taken to the police court where he was measured, photographed, and locked up while he awaited his transfer to Missouri.
4. Albert Johnson - Grand larceny
In March 1885, Albert Johnson arrived at the Nebraska State Prison sporting an impressive handlebar mustache. Johnson was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months for grand larceny. Because of prison policy to reduce lice, authorities shaved Johnson's head and facial hair.
Detailed descriptions and mug shots were important to police and prison authorities. Criminals easily changed names and created numerous identities. Typically, three mug shots taken of each prisoner. One before their heads were shaved and a full-faced and profile image after their hair was removed. Women only had a full-face and profile image. Their hair was not cut.
5. Herbert Cockran - Burglary
An unidentified member of the Omaha police force holds Herbert Cockran in a headlock during his mug shot. Cockran was arrested on November 24, 1899, for burglary. A tailor from Fairmont, Nebraska, Cockran had a slightly stooped build with a fair complexion and his eyebrows met at the root of his nose, according to the police description.
The Nebraska State Penitentiary used photography beginning in 1867 to record the likeness of the state's most infamous residents. The Omaha police photographed suspects when arrested. Whether the people depicted were guilty or innocent, behind every photograph is a human story. This glimpse back at some of the thousands of photographs in the Nebraska State Penitentiary and Omaha Police Court Collections at the Nebraska State Historical Society and their accompanying tales offer insights into how earlier Nebraskans ran afoul of the law, and how some attitudes about crime and punishment may have changed.
1. Mrs. H. C. Adams - Blackmail
Looks can often be deceiving. Mrs. H.C. Adams looks every bit the typical Victorian lady. Her elegant hairstyle and wire-rimmed glasses hide a dark secret. Mrs. Adams was arrested in Omaha on April 12, 1900 for blackmail. She listed her residence as Palisade, Nebraska, and her occupation as prostitute. The police record describes her as 5 feet, 1 inch tall with a medium build and a sallow complexion.
2. Minnie Bradley - Larceny from a person
Minnie Bradley refuses to look at the camera in her Omaha Police Court mug shot. Minnie, 27, and 5 foot 2 inches tall was arrested in Omaha on December 13, 1902 for larceny from a person. She listed her residence on north 11th Street in Omaha and her occupation as prostitute. The description also noted that Minnie wore a wig.
3. Charles Martin - Safe blowing and burglary
Three burglars blew up a safe in a bank vault in Sheridan, Missouri, on the night of February 15, 1898. They got away with about $2,400. The bank's insurance company hired the famed Pinkerton Detective Agency and sent Assistant Superintendent F.H. Tollotson to hunt down the burglars. Tollotson tracked one of the wanted men through Missouri to Council Bluffs and eventually to a room at the Sheridan Hotel in Omaha. With the aid of the Omaha police, Tollotson apprehended a gun-welding fugitive after a brief struggle. The alleged bank robber gave his name as Charles Martin, but had several letters addressed to Charles Davis. Martin was unknown to Omaha police, but some detectives speculated to newspaper reporters he could be the notorious safe blower and bank robber Sam Welsh. At the time of his arrest, Martin had a gold watch and $565 in cash believed to be his share of the spoils of the Missouri bank robbery. Martin was taken to the police court where he was measured, photographed, and locked up while he awaited his transfer to Missouri.
4. Albert Johnson - Grand larceny
In March 1885, Albert Johnson arrived at the Nebraska State Prison sporting an impressive handlebar mustache. Johnson was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months for grand larceny. Because of prison policy to reduce lice, authorities shaved Johnson's head and facial hair.
Detailed descriptions and mug shots were important to police and prison authorities. Criminals easily changed names and created numerous identities. Typically, three mug shots taken of each prisoner. One before their heads were shaved and a full-faced and profile image after their hair was removed. Women only had a full-face and profile image. Their hair was not cut.
5. Herbert Cockran - Burglary
An unidentified member of the Omaha police force holds Herbert Cockran in a headlock during his mug shot. Cockran was arrested on November 24, 1899, for burglary. A tailor from Fairmont, Nebraska, Cockran had a slightly stooped build with a fair complexion and his eyebrows met at the root of his nose, according to the police description.
August 25, 2016
These Inflatable Wonder Sauna Hot Pants for Men and Women from the 1970s Are the Most Shameful Products Ever
There was one product in the 1970s that brought a whole new meaning to the term "hot pants," and it's probably not what you'd expect. The decade of bizarre fads and goofy products culminated into the introduction of Wonder Sauna Hot Pants, one of the decade's most puzzling innovations.
Promise to ‘slenderize exactly where you want,’ these inflatable pants were designed to melt away fat from people's stomach and thighs. Instead of eating right and exercising, people around the country could sit back, relax, and have the fat magically disappear.
The Wonder Sauna Hot Pants worked like this: You inflated the rubber shorts and wore them around the house for a while. You could theoretically leave the house, but we don't think many people did. Because of the heat, your body would sweat more than usual, causing you to lose a few extra ounces of water weight.
There's no concrete evidence that people actually used these pants, but the fact they exist means someone out there sweated off a couple pounds.
(via MeTV Network)
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| Wonder Sauna Short Hot Pants |
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| Wonder Sauna Long Hot Pants |
Promise to ‘slenderize exactly where you want,’ these inflatable pants were designed to melt away fat from people's stomach and thighs. Instead of eating right and exercising, people around the country could sit back, relax, and have the fat magically disappear.
The Wonder Sauna Hot Pants worked like this: You inflated the rubber shorts and wore them around the house for a while. You could theoretically leave the house, but we don't think many people did. Because of the heat, your body would sweat more than usual, causing you to lose a few extra ounces of water weight.
There's no concrete evidence that people actually used these pants, but the fact they exist means someone out there sweated off a couple pounds.
(via MeTV Network)
The Style, the Music, and the Screaming Girls: 50 Rare Behind the Scenes Photos From the Making of The Beatles' Classic Film 'A Hard Day’s Night'
A Hard Day’s Night stars the Fab Four of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, capturing Beatlemania as it is happening. There are six new Beatles songs featured in the film, including the title track, along with other Beatles favorites. The bands energy drives the action while the songs punctuate the film.
The film is directed by Richard Letter who was known for his style of fast cutting and spontaneity. Lester identified his own influence from La Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave) and its experiment with the film form. Lester often worked without a script and had the film in formed in his head. He relied on improvisation rather than rehearsal. For A Hard Day’s Night, the script was a series of one-liners which Lester would prompt for his actors, turning the camera on them to repeat back to him.
The film is directed by Richard Letter who was known for his style of fast cutting and spontaneity. Lester identified his own influence from La Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave) and its experiment with the film form. Lester often worked without a script and had the film in formed in his head. He relied on improvisation rather than rehearsal. For A Hard Day’s Night, the script was a series of one-liners which Lester would prompt for his actors, turning the camera on them to repeat back to him.
What Did Jewish Children Looked Like in the 1960s?
An unknown photographer who made a trip through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan and took these awesome photos in 1965. He documented everyday life of Jewish people, especially children in this time.
23 Rare Photos Document Everyday Life of Atlanta, Georgia Before 1900
These are what everyday life in Atlanta, the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia, looked like before 1900.
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| Alabama Street, near its intersection with Pryor Street in downtown Atlanta, ca. 1890 |
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| Atlanta in the Civil War, ca. 1861-65 |
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| Atlanta's Grady Hospital on May 25, 1892 |
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| Atlanta in 1864 |
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| Atlanta’s Equitable Building in 1892 |
30 Stunning Color Photographs of the "Queen of Mod" Peggy Moffitt in the 1960s
Though her unique look has now become iconic of the 60s fashion scene, Peggy Moffitt began her a career as an actress, beginning with an uncredited role in the 1955 film You're Never Too Young. She first began modeling in Paris in the 1950s.
During the 1960s, she developed a signature style, including false eyelashes and heavy eye makeup. Her hairstyle, an asymmetrical bowl cut, created by Vidal Sassoon, became known as the "five point". Her unique look became an icon of the 1960s fashion scene.
Moffitt and her husband photographer William Claxton collaborated with fashion designer Rudi Gernreich for many years. The three became "a dynamic and inseparable trio." “Without Rudi I would have been a gifted and innovative model,” explained Moffitt in The Rudi Gernreich Book. “Without me he would have been an avant-garde designer of genius. We made each other better. We were each other’s catalyst... It was fun, it was invigorating, it was a true collaboration, and yes, it was love.” Moffit was later described as his muse.
During the 1960s, she developed a signature style, including false eyelashes and heavy eye makeup. Her hairstyle, an asymmetrical bowl cut, created by Vidal Sassoon, became known as the "five point". Her unique look became an icon of the 1960s fashion scene.
Moffitt and her husband photographer William Claxton collaborated with fashion designer Rudi Gernreich for many years. The three became "a dynamic and inseparable trio." “Without Rudi I would have been a gifted and innovative model,” explained Moffitt in The Rudi Gernreich Book. “Without me he would have been an avant-garde designer of genius. We made each other better. We were each other’s catalyst... It was fun, it was invigorating, it was a true collaboration, and yes, it was love.” Moffit was later described as his muse.
