Wonderful Life of Italy in the Late 1950s Through Fascinating Color Photos

A selection of color slides from Fraser Pettigrew belonging to his grandfather James Halley, from one or more trips to Italy, probably in the late 1950s.

“Most of the slides were home-mounted in glass slide frames and haven't seen the light of day for many years, being kept by my late Uncle Semple who took possession of them after my grandfather died in 1976.”

Vicenza street scenes

Vicenza. Garibaldi

Assisi street scenes

Assisi street scenes

Basilica d'Aquilea

See more»

Beautiful Pictures of David Bowie and Dana Gillespie Photographed by Michael Stroud in 1971

Dana Gillespie performed backing vocals for the song ‘It Ain’t Easy’, from Bowie’s album ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’. She was also a British water skiing champion. Both singers were managed by Tony DeFries’s Mainman management company.

These beautiful photographs were taken by Michael Stroud that captured portraits of David Bowie and Dana Gillespie together at a studio on May 17, 1971.

See more»

15 Beautiful Vintage Portraits of Olivia de Havilland as Melanie in ‘Gone with the Wind’ (1939)

Actress Olivia de Havilland, best known as Melanie in Gone with the Wind, has passed away at age 104. She died of natural causes in her sleep at her home in Paris, France, on July 25, 2020.

Olivia de Havilland was a Japanese born British-American actress and centenarian. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films, and was one of the leading actresses of her time. She was also one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood Cinema, until her death.

In a letter to a colleague dated November 18, 1938, film producer David O. Selznick wrote, “I would give anything if we had Olivia de Havilland under contract to us so that we could cast her as Melanie.” The film he was preparing to shoot was Gone with the Wind, and Warner Bros. studio head Jack L. Warner was unwilling to lend her out for the project. De Havilland had read the novel, and unlike most other actresses, who wanted the Scarlett O’Hara role, she wanted to play Melanie Hamilton‍—‌a character whose quiet dignity and inner strength she understood and felt she could bring to life on the screen.

De Havilland turned to Warner’s wife Anne for help. Warner later recalled: “Olivia, who had a brain like a computer concealed behind those fawn-like eyes, simply went to my wife and they joined forces to change my mind.” Warner relented, and de Havilland was signed to the project a few weeks before the start of principal photography on January 26, 1939.

“Melanie was someone different. She had very, deeply feminine qualities ... that I felt were very endangered at that time, and they are from generation to generation, and that somehow they should be kept alive, and ... that’s why I wanted to interpret her role. ... The main thing is that she was always thinking of the other person, and the interesting thing to me is that she was a happy person ... loving, compassionate.” — Olivia de Havilland

Set in the American South during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, the film is about the strong-willed daughter of a Georgia plantation owner in love with the husband of her sister-in-law, Melanie, whose kindness stands in sharp contrast to those around her. According to film historian Tony Thomas, de Havilland’s skillful and subtle performance effectively presents this character of selfless love and quiet strength in a way that keeps her vital and interesting throughout the film.

Gone with the Wind had its world premiere in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 15, 1939, and was well received. Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times wrote that de Havilland’s Melanie “is a gracious, dignified, tender gem of characterization”, and John C. Flinn, Sr., in Variety called her “a standout” The film won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and de Havilland received her first nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

See more»

1975 UrbaCar – A Town Car That You Could Purchase and Assemble Yourself for Only $1,400

When UrbaCar was featured on the cover of Mechanix Illustrated magazine in the mid-1970s it set off a build-it-yourself car boom that would last for over ten years. It was the first in a long series of alternative cars that would be featured by Mechanix Illustrated magazine. Ultimately it would lead to a series of unique car designs following a minimalist alternative car theme. UrbaCar was envisioned as an in-town runabout that would help reduce dependence on imported oil, but in reality it was a precursor to today’s super-mileage cars like Smart Car and hybrids.

The original prototype, as it appears in Mechanix Illustrated, was powered by a 12 kW (16 hp) single cylinder industrial engine mounted in the rear. It delivered a top speed of 95 km/h (60 mph) and fuel economy on the order of 23 km/l (55 mpg). Using today’s automotive technology, it could easily reach 100 mpg. The design featured removable gull-wing doors and a 10 gallon fuel tank that would hold enough fuel for nearly 965 km (600 mi).

UrbaCar tips the scales at a mere 295 kg (650 lb). Because of its low curb weight, the small 12 kW (16 hp) engine still gives it a power-to-weight ratio about equal to that of the early VW Beetle. And more powerful engines can be installed. The simple drive train uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which transfers power to an oil-bath chain drive and then through a differential to the rear wheels. A standard automotive starter motor drives the car in reverse. The integral power train (engine, transmission, and final drive mounted on a sub-frame) is suspended from the rear of the chassis at four points using soft rubber mounts. This allows for easy removal of the drive package, and it effectively isolates vibrations.

Ultimately, UrbaCar went through three generations of improvements. The perfected version was slated for production in Kitchener, Ontario, until public interest in high fuel economy vanished as the oil market stabilized. Plans offered here include the previously unpublished and vastly improved production chassis. It is still classified as a “1975 UrbaCar.” A non-functional UrbaCar is on display at the American Museum of Science and Energy at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

(This original article was published on Robert Q. Riley Enterprises)

Amazing Found Photos Show What Life Looked Like in the 1970s

Fashion in the 1970s was about individuality. Common items included mini skirts, bell-bottoms popularized by hippies, vintage clothing from the 1950s and earlier, and the androgynous glam rock and disco styles that introduced platform shoes, bright colors, glitter, and satin.

The most famous silhouette of the mid and late 1970s for both genders was that of tight on top and loose on bottom. It also saw the birth of the indifferent, anti-conformist casual chic approach to fashion, which consisted of sweaters, T-shirts, jeans and sneakers.

These amazing found photos were found by Mark Susina that show what life looked like in the 1970s.

See more»

Melbourne’s First Cable Tram Service, 1885

The Melbourne tram network began in 1884 with the construction of the Fairfield Horse Tramway. However, the purpose of the line was to increase land prices in the area, and it soon closed during the depression in 1890. The first genuine attempt to construct a tramway network was the construction of the Richmond cable tram line by the Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company in 1885.

Melbourne’s first cable tram service; between Bridge Road, Richmond, and Spencer Street via Flinders Street, November 11, 1885.

Over the next few years, 16 more cable tram lines were constructed, as well as numerous other horse tramways. The depression of the early 1890s slowed further expansion of the cable network. The first electric tram line was the Box Hill and Doncaster tramway which opened in 1889. This was a pioneering line in what was then the countryside and thus didn't receive much patronage. It closed in 1896.

The next attempt at an electric tramway was Victorian Railways’ St Kilda to Brighton line, which opened in 1906. Later that year, the North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company opened lines to Essendon and Maribyrnong. Many local councils formed their own tramway trusts and built tramways within their own constituency. The most successful of these was the Prahran and Malvern Tramway Trust.

Operating from 1885 until 1940, Melbourne’s cable tram system was the fourth biggest in the world, with about 75 km of double track, 17 inner-suburban routes, and 600 cable car and trailer sets. Cable trams depended for their motive power on a cable in a slot between the rails, kept moving by an engine house along the route. In the first car (the dummy), the driver (the gripman) worked the levers that gripped the cable to make the tram move. Passengers could ride in the dummy, but apart from the roof it was quite open. To warn passengers to hold on when the tram departed from a straight line, the gripman usually called “mind the curve!” The second car was more like a conventional small tram, but was only a trailer, pulled along by the dummy.

Necklaces: One of the Favorite Fashion Accessories of Victorian Ladies

Victorian fashion comprises the various fashions and trends in British culture that emerged and developed in the United Kingdom and the British Empire throughout the Victorian era, roughly from the 1830s through the 1890s.

The period saw many changes in fashion, including changes in styles, fashion technology and the methods of distribution. Various movement in architecture, literature, and the decorative and visual arts as well as a changing perception of the traditional gender roles also influenced fashion.

Here below is an amazing collection of beautiful photos that shows Victorian ladies wearing their necklaces.

See more»