Own a Piece of the Past

I've always harbored a design fantasy of covering a wall "salon style" with lots of interesting old black-and-white photographs. Unfortunately, most of the limited editions I drool over in art galleries and designer showrooms are beyond my budget and so my dream has remained unfulfilled.

Until now.

Recently I stumbled upon the most amazing website for vintage photographs and it's kind of changed my life and I swear I'm not even kidding. 

Look at this photo of Liz and Dick on their yacht in Sardinia in 1967. Was there ever a more glamorous couple? What would you say if I told you that I bought this original, one-of-a-kind photo (as in once it's gone, it's gone forever) for under $30? 

(P.S. All watermarks are from the website images. These marks DO NOT appear on the actual photos.)

(Collection of LBG. )

Here's the reverse side.  You can see the editorial comments, date stamp and the clipping of the article it appeared in. It's a fascinating little piece of history.

If you're wondering why all these photos are being made available to the public, here's the short answer: as newspapers finish digitizing all of their photo archives, they just don't have the room -- or the money  -- to keep storing the originals in huge temperature-controlled warehouses across the country anymore. (We're talking hundreds of thousands of images, by the way.) It's sad that these enormous collections are getting split up, but in a way, the newspapers are handing over the privilege of being custodians of the past to all of us. I don't know about you, but I'm honored.

Let's keep going. I want to show you some more examples of the kinds of photos you can find on the Tribune Archives. Here's Edith Sitwell, English poet and seriously fabulous eccentric. Of course I had to buy it. What more powerful example is there that glamour has no sell-by date?

(Collection of LBG.)

Here's Winston Churchill painting in the South of France. I love Winston. He is a total inspiration to me. As Boris Johnson said recently about him on NPR (HERE): "He was biblical. For anybody who's ever got drunk and regretted it in the morning, Churchill is a lodestar." 

(Collection of LBG.)

I searched "Charles Dickens" and found this incredible 1932 photo of a troupe of actors performing The Old Curiosity Shop on the anniversary of his birthday. 

 (Collection of LBG.)

I searched "London weather" and found this haunting photo of riders in the fog in Hyde Park in 1937...

 (Collection of LBG.)

...and this one of London girls camouflaging their smog masks with chiffon veils for a night on the town in 1953.

(Collection of LBG.)

And THEN...there's those crazy kids the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. I admit to being fascinated with them and not because I hold them in high regard or find them especially sympathetic. He was weak, she was ambitious. They had a great romance that turned into a great tragedy.

But oh, the stories that their photos tell. To me, the ones with editors' crop marks are especially interesting because of what they say about the Windsor's fluctuating social status over time. In the beginning of their relationship, it's usually the Duke who is highlighted for publication. People were captivated by the king who gave up his throne for love.

 (Collection of LBG.)

(Collection of LBG.)

But as time goes on, the balance of power shifts. Now it's Wallis who the general public can't seem to get enough of. And the Duke? He's not very subtly crossed out.

(Collection of LBG.)

(Collection of LBG.)

(Collection of LBG.)

Unless he happens to be wearing a killer pair of shades.

(Collection of LBG.)

(All photos were purchased via the Chicago Tribune Photo Archive.)

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One Very Important Thing to Know About Purchasing an Archival Newspaper Photo:

When you buy a photo, you own it as a collectors' item. The copyright is retained by the newspaper who issued it. As it says on the website, "No rights for reproduction or commercial use in any form whatsoever are given or implied." In other words, don't be making copies or silkscreening it on a tote bag.