Pics from the Past
Life Magazine has partnered with Google to make a metric crapload of vintage pictures available via the internets. It’s fantastic. Many of the pictures were never published. All are available for sale as framed prints. I’ve been a’Googlin’ all the authors and musicians that come to mind. My favorite picture so far is this one of Woody Guthrie playing his fascist killing machine guitar at McSorley’s in NYC (1943).
I was in that bar years ago, and it looks exactly the same.
Other cool pics:
Authors
- Ernest Hemingway with Noel Coward (1959) in Sloppy Joe’s (the one in Havana)
- Dorothy Parker in hat (1937)
- Lawrence Ferlinghetti reading poetry with no berets in site (1957)
- The completely not crazy Vladimir Nabokov working in his car (1958) writing on index cards
- John Steinbeck with the Shaggy D.A. (undated)
- Ralph Ellison in Italy
- William Faulkner receiving the National Book Award (1955)
- Allen Ginsberg at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago (1968)
- Rachel Carson (1952)
- W. Somerset Maugham has a cool writing room (1939)
- Gertrude Stein with Alice Toklas (1944)
Musicians
- Elvis in the Army in Germany (1958)
- The Carter Family (1941)
- Minnie Pearl w/o price tag on her hat at the Grand Old Opry (1946)
- Ernest Tubb at the Opry (1956)
- Leadbelly (1937)
- Johnny Cash walks the line (1969)
- Bob Dylan and George Harrison (1969)
- Billie Holiday (1944)
- Louis Armstrong (1950)
If you find something cool, share it with us in the comments.
December 2, 2008 7:39 am 6 Comments
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By Dr J, December 2, 2008 @ 10:13 am
I may have to purchase Woody in the Old Ale House, the best bar in the world.
I was there last summer. It still looks the same.
By Tim, December 2, 2008 @ 10:31 am
You can’t see it in this picture (reduced for size) but Woody has his “This Machine Kills Fascists” sticker on the guitar. Love this picture. Love McSorley’s.
By Dr J, December 2, 2008 @ 11:06 am
I’d love to know who the other guys in the shot are. Maybe Joe Gould is one of them.
By Tim, December 2, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
I just want to know where they all go hat shopping.
By Joe, December 5, 2008 @ 1:27 am
They have a great color portrait of MLK
http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=68795997af190a99
By Tim, December 5, 2008 @ 9:59 am
That’s great. Thanks, Joe.