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Photography

Compelling Snapshots of New York City Life During the 1950s

By Alison Nastasi on

New York City street photographer Frank Oscar Larson documented daily life in the bustling metropolis during the ’50s. The Queens Museum of Art will be exhibiting Larson’s compelling black and white snapshots, which the former banker took primarily in his spare time on the weekends. Larson’s photos of Times Square show a more innocent side of the Midtown junction, and his candid portraits of everyday life are quietly intimate. Many of the images were entered into photography competitions, but largely remained undiscovered. His grandson recently uncovered over 100 envelopes of medium format negatives dating back to the 1920s — images Larson used to develop in his basement darkroom in Flushing. The artist’s work will be honored at the museum from February 5 to May 20. For more information on Frank Oscar Larson: 1950s New York Street Stories, visit the museum’s website. Check out our preview of the exhibition in the gallery past the break. … Read More

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Photography

Photo Gallery: Tough, Stylish Teddy Girls of the 1950s

By Judy Berman on

If you’re into mid-century British youth culture — and who isn’t? — you probably know all about Teddy Boys, the ’50s rock ‘n roll dandies in long jackets and creepers. But perhaps you didn’t realize there was a whole subculture of Teddy Girls, too. Also known as Judies (we’ll take that as a compliment), they dressed much like their male counterparts, sporting short hair, pants, sharply cut suit jackets, and defiant sneers. Get to know them in the gallery of Teddy Girl photos taken by Ken Russell (yes, the one who later became a film director and made both Tommy and Altered States) in 1955, after the jump. … Read More

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Fashion

Flavorpill’s Guide to Tumblr: The Best Vintage Style Blogs

By Sophie Weiner on

Here at Flavorpill, we love Tumblr, with its innumerable smart and entertaining blogs, and the way it encourages discussion and sharing among users. But, as most users know, the good stuff is not always easy to find. The Directory is gone, the new Explore feature can be difficult to navigate, and finding cool Tumblrs can seem like it’s not worth the time. Since we spend a lot of time on Tumblr as it is (you can find us here), we decided to do the work for you, in a new series of posts guiding you to the best Tumblr blogs on individual subjects.

Between Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, and a constant stream of retro-inspired music and movies, recent pop culture seems dominated by the past. And aside from a trendy obsession with the ’80s and ’90s, it’s the style of the 1950s and 60s has seen the most pronounced resurgence in the past few years. We love this era in fashion, and Tumblr bloggers are all over it, providing documentation of mid-century style through cultural memorabilia from art to advertisements. We kick off Flavorpill’s Guide to Tumblr with a roundup of  its most inspiring vintage style blogs, after the jump. … Read More

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