Vintage Black-and-White Portraits of Harlem Residents in the 1950s

Mario De Biasi was an Italian photographer. Born in 1923, he later moved to Milan after spending his youth in the village of Sois. He joined Epoca in 1953 and began his career as a photojournalist, which lasted until the 1980s. In over 30 years he filed reports for the magazine from around the world. Among these was a report on the Hungarian uprising in 1956, pictures of New York in the 1950s and numerous portraits of famous figures, including Marlene Dietrich, Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren.

 

De Biasi studied cinema, architecture and nature, and has held exhibitions and workshops in Italy and abroad over the years. He has published several books and received many awards, among these were the Saint Vincent Prize for Journalism in 1982 and the title of Master of Italian Photography, the highest honour of the Italian Federation of Photographic Associations. He died at the age of 89 on May 27, 2013, after receiving the prize for lifetime achievement from the AIF in February 2013.

Take a look through 26 fascinating vintage black-and-white portraits of Harlem residents taken by De Biasi during his trip to New York in February 1956:

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30 Cool Photos Show What Teenage Boys Looked Like in the 1980s

The 1980s were undoubtedly an interesting time for fashion. Filled with bold designs and bright colors, the decade saw gents fully embrace trends and proudly showcase their style.

Casual fashion in the 1980s saw gents don dad jeans in full force, often with a matching denim jacket. T-shirts and loose shirts were also popular during the time while bomber jackets, leather jackets, windbreakers, and sweaters acted as the outerwear of choice.

When it came to footwear, white sneakers were the ultimate casual shoe that’s perfect for a range of looks.

Take a look at these cool photos to see what teenage boys looked like in the 1980s.

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Elton John in His Closet, London, 1975

Sir Elton John is known for his outrageously amazing outfits that he pairs with equally outrageous pair of shades he’s been collecting since the 1970s. And he had shelves built into the eaves in his attic.

Here, Terry O’Neill captured Elton John, wearing a vest top and satin shorts, at his home in London, 1975, with part of his wardrobe, notably a large collection of platform shoes.

“That’s a great one. When I was at his home, I suggested we just walk around and I’ll take some photos of him with some of his collections. I was thinking at the time, he’ll show me some sculptures or paintings. Little did I know what I was getting myself into!” – Terry O’Neill

30 Vintage Photos of Peggy Hopkins Joyce in the 1910s and ’20s

Born 1893 as Marguerite Upton in Berkley, Virginia, American actress, artist’s model and dancer Peggy Hopkins Joyce made her Broadway debut in 1917 in the Ziegfeld Follies, followed by an appearance in the Shuberts’ A Sleepless Night.

Joyce appeared in her second film, The Skyrocket (1926), which provoked the Wisconsin state legislature into introducing a bill to allow censorship of all movies entering the state. In any event, the film was a box office failure.

In 1930, Joyce published a ghostwritten, “tell-all” book reputedly taken from her steamy diary entries. Men, Marriage and Me advised, “True love was a heavy diamond bracelet, preferably one that arrived with its price tag intact.” In 1933, Joyce played herself in the ramshackle film, International House, which contained some good-natured joshing about her love life.

In addition to her performing career, Joyce was known for her flamboyant life, with numerous engagements, four marriages to wealthy men, subsequent divorces, a series of scandalous affairs, a collection of diamonds and furs, and a generally lavish lifestyle.

Joyce died in 1957 at the age of 64.

Take a look at these vintage photos to see the beauty of young Peggy Hopkins Joyce in the 1910s and 1920s.

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Pictures of New York’s Easter Parade From the 19th Century

New York City has hosted an Easter parade on Fifth Avenue since the 19th century. Taking place on Easter Sunday, for decades it was one of the most significant cultural events of the year. The parade, known for its display of beautiful bonnets and fancy hats. You can see how packed the streets near St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

One of the first places crowds gathered to display their Easter finery in New York City was not Fifth Avenue, but Central Park. The New York Times of April 21, 1873 reported:

“In the afternoon the crowds began to arrive. By every line of cars they swarmed into the Park. And, strange to say, there was a full fair sprinkling of the comparatively aristocratic classes, besides those who habitually make the Park their paradise on fine Sundays. Many couples were promenading who had certainly come from St. Thomas’ and other Fifth avenue churches, for their prayer-books were still in their hands. It seemed to be a universal exodus. Their were ladies in the most delicate Spring attire, poor sewing and shop girls in their Easter finery, ragged little children playing tag, to the great scandal of the straight-laced. And their were gentlemen in fine Spring overcoats and in heavy Winter overcoats, in Spring suits and Winter suits. Their were ladies in heavy silks and warm furs, and beside them others in the latest varieties of cameo fabrics.  It was evident that if some had come to parade their finery, the great majority had been perfectly surprised by such kindness on the part of Spring, but had determined, like sensible folk, to enjoy the fresh air and the glorious day in their old clothes   It would be impossible to calculate the crowds that swarmed over the Park like emigrating bees.”

By 1879 the Easter Parade was officially taking place on Fifth Avenue according to The New York Times. The newspaper on April 14, 1879 commented  “that Fifth Avenue was crowded with promenaders” and “Spring bonnets were worn by every lady promenader.”

The tradition of the Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue continues in the 21st century and is no longer an aristocratic event, but one open to anyone wishing to show off their sense of style (or lack of it). Here are some images of the parade from the late 19th century:

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(via Stuff Nobody Cares About)

Candid Photographs Captured People Living a Normal Life With Mummies in Venzone, Italy in 1950

The inhabitants of Venzone, Italy with their ancient mummy relatives in 1950 by Jack Birns for LIFE magazine. It was believed that so many people died from the Black Death that they couldn’t fit all the bodies in the cemetery and simply decided to live with their remains.

In a Venzone, a commune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, people were living with mummies. The people in that village lived a normal life with the mummies. They drank tee with the mummies, they ate together, went to the church, and slept. The people, living with the mummies were not something gross and strange. The mummies are their ancestors that lived in the village a long time ago.

In the 14th century, the Black Death swept the Venzone village. Many people died but did not have enough cemeteries to bury all the bodies. By this, the villagers put the 42 dead bodies that couldn’t be buried in the graveyard into a coffin and stored in the basement of the chapel of San Michael.

300 years later in 1647, the old chapel of San Michael was to be planned to be rebuilt, so the coffins in the basement had to be moved. However, when they opened the coffin, the 42 dead bodies were mummified. By this, the people believed that it was the God’s will to send their ancestors alive to them to protect the village (As at this time, they did not know what ‘mummy’ was). After this, the villagers asked for help for any hardship and wished good luck to the mummies. The mummies were treated very well as the elders in the village. And this tradition lasted till 1950. The mummies were the ancestors that the villagers had to cherish.

No one knew about this village’s tradition for a long time as the town was at the east end, isolated from other cities. One day, accidentally, an American photographer name Jack Birns was lost in the Alps mountain and needed a place to stay for the night. Jack fled into the Venzone village and saw this bizarre scene, an old man drinking tea with a mummy. He took pictures of the villagers daily life with the mummies and published on the Time magazine, Life. The photos of the mummies from Venzone village became a phenomenon throughout the world.

As the Venzone mummies were revealed to the world, people started to wonder how the mummies became naturally mummified. For a mummy, it is essential to remove all the organs in the body and the embalming treatment to prevent from desiccation. Without these treatments, there are exceptional cases of becoming a mummy as whether the weather is extremely cold or dry. However, the mummies from Venzone did not go through the process of preservation and been wholly neglected in the humid basement, the dead bodies became mummified. There have been other studies that the bodies became mummies from some germs. However, the villagers do not care how the bodies became mummified. They believe that the mummies, ancestors, are the will of God.

After the earthquake in 1976, there have been only 15 mummies prevented. Now for the protection of the mummies, they are kept in the Crypt of the Cemetery Chapel of Saint Michael (XIII century) located in S. Andrea Apostolo Cathedral churchyard.

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30 Fascinating Photos Capture Street Scenes of Trieste in the 1980s

Trieste is a city and a seaport in northeastern Italy. It is towards the end of a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia, approximately 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 mi) south and east of the city, Croatia is some 30 km (19 mi) to the south.

Trieste is at the head of the Gulf of Trieste and has a very long coastline, free sea access in Barcola and is surrounded by grassland, forest and karst areas. Being spared cold waves in winter by the maritime influence, the city has a subtropical climate rare for its relatively high latitude.

Trieste, with its deep-water port, is a maritime gateway for Northern Italy, Germany, Austria and Central Europe, as it was before 1918 and is considered the end point of the Maritime Silk Road with its connections via the Suez Canal and Turkey and the other Overland to Africa, China, Japan and many countries in Asia.

The city was also rated as one of the 25 best small towns in the world for quality of life and one of the ten safest cities in the world.

These fascinating photos were taken by Duccio Pugliese that show street scenes of Trieste in the 1980s.

A Sunday in Trieste

Barcola, Trieste

Bus No.30

Citroen 2CV

Fiat 238 reflection

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