Yesteryear

New York City in the Late 1950s Through Nick DeWolf’s Lens

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New York City in the late 1950s was a cinematic landscape of vibrant contrasts and mid-century modernism.

The streets were a symphony of chrome-bumpered Cadillacs, yellow Checker Cabs, and men in sharp fedoras hurrying past neon-lit diners. This era captured the city at a cultural crossroads: the grit of the Bowery coexisted with the soaring optimism of new glass skyscrapers like the Seagram Building.

It was a decade that felt both bustling and intimate, defined by a gritty, jazz-fueled energy that cemented New York as the undisputed capital of the world. These vintage photos, taken by American photographer Nick DeWolf, capture street scenes in New York City in the late 1950s.

Corner of 5th Avenue and east 42nd Street, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, 1957

Corner of 6th Avenue and west 42nd Street, New York City, 1957

LaGuardia Airport, New York City, 1957

Passenger holding area, New York City, 1957

East 42nd Street, New York City, 1957

Portraits of Rene Russo on Vogue Covers Throughout the 1970s

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Before her Hollywood breakout, Rene Russo was one of the most successful supermodels of the 1970s. Discovered at a Rolling Stones concert at age 17, she quickly became a favorite of legendary photographers like Francesco Scavullo and Richard Avedon.

In the mid-1970s, Russo was nearly ubiquitous on newsstands, often alternating covers with other icons of the era like Patti Hansen and Rosie Vela. Russo was a muse for Francesco Scavullo, who captured her most famous high-glamour looks, often featuring decadent furs, bold 1970s makeup, and “big hair.”

Vogue editors frequently praised her for being able to pivot from “accessible and aspirational” beach shoots to high-power editorial looks that demanded a certain “tenacity.”

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, as the “supermodel” era shifted, Russo began transitioning into acting, eventually retiring from modeling entirely to pursue the film career she is known for today. Below are some portraits of Rene Russo on Vogue covers throughout the 1970s:

Vogue US April 1974, by Richard Avedon.

Vogue US July 1974, by Francesco Scavullo.

Vogue Italia September 1974, by Francesco Scavullo.

Vogue US October 1974, by Francesco Scavullo.

Shi Pei Pu, a Chinese Spy and Opera Singer Who Persuaded His French Lover He Was a Woman

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Shi Pei Pu (1938–2009) was a Chinese opera singer from Beijing who became the center of one of the most unusual and unbelievable espionage cases of the 20th century. His story is a mix of Cold War politics, deep deception, and a 20-year romance that inspired the Tony Award-winning play and subsequent film, M. Butterfly.

Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu, before 1960.

The story began in 1964 when Bernard Boursicot, a 20-year-old diplomat at the French embassy in Beijing, met Shi Pei Pu at a cocktail party. Shi, who was 26 at the time, was a singer and librettist who convinced Boursicot that he was actually a woman disguised as a man by his parents because they desperately wanted a son.

Boursicot believed the story, and the two began a sexual and romantic relationship that lasted two decades. To maintain the ruse during intimacy, Shi utilized extreme modesty and physical manipulation, citing Chinese cultural “tradition” to keep the lights off and clothes on.

Bernard Boursicot worked as an accountant at the French Embassy in Beijing in 1965.

The deception went even further. Shi claimed to have become pregnant and later presented Boursicot with a son, Shi Du Du. In reality, Shi had purchased the child from a doctor in a remote region of China. When Chinese intelligence discovered the affair, they pressured Boursicot into providing embassy documents. Between 1977 and 1982, Boursicot turned over approximately 500 classified documents to the Chinese government, believing he was protecting his “wife” and “son.”

The truth finally came out in 1983 after Boursicot moved Shi and the boy to Paris. French authorities arrested them both for espionage. During the trial, a medical examination confirmed that Shi Pei Pu was biologically male. Boursicot was reportedly devastated and became the subject of widespread ridicule in France. Both men were sentenced to six years in prison, but Shi was pardoned by President François Mitterrand after only a year to ease diplomatic tensions with China.

Shi (left) and Boursicot met in 1964. Shi dressed as a man but claimed that he was actually a woman.

Boursicot and Shi Dudu, his ‘son’ with Shi Peipu. In reality, the boy was adopted.

Boursicot (left) and Shi stood trial in France in 1983 for spying for China. They were found guilty in 1986 and received six-year sentences for espionage. Both were pardoned in 1987.

After his pardon, Shi returned to performing as an opera singer. He was reluctant to share the details of his relationship with Boursicot, stating that he “used to fascinate both men and women” and that “What I was and what they were didn’t matter.” Shi spoke infrequently with Boursicot over the subsequent years. However, in the months before Shi’s death, he told Boursicot that he still loved him.

Shi was said to be 70 years old when he died on 30 June 2009, in Paris. Shi is survived by his adopted son, Shi Du Du, who later fathered three sons of his own. Notified at a French nursing home of Shi’s death, Boursicot said, “He did so many things against me that he had no pity for; I think it is stupid to play another game now and say I am sad. The plate is clean now. I am free.”

Shi and Boursicot’s affair is one of the strangest espionage stories of recent times.

A scene from the 1993 film M. Butterfly.

Edmund Adler: Painting the Heart of Childhood

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Edmund Adler (1876–1965) was a celebrated Austrian genre painter renowned for his warm and intimate portrayals of rural life and childhood.

A master of the Vienna Academy, Adler possessed a unique gift for capturing the innocence of youth, often depicting children engaged in simple, everyday activities, playing with pets, sharing meals, or wandering through sun-dappled forests. His work is characterized by a remarkable technical precision and a soft, naturalistic light that gives his canvases a timeless, nostalgic glow.

Rather than focusing on the grand dramas of his era, Adler chose to immortalize the quiet, harmonious moments of the peasantry, making him a beloved figure for those who cherish realism infused with heart and humanity.

A Little Tragedy

A Feathered Friend

A Girl with a Ball

A Posy for Mother

A Work of Art

In the Red

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1 9 9 8 (UK) 3 x 60 minute episodes This darkly satirical BBC “comedy thriller” is set in 1998, a year into a New Labour government, and a serial killer is murdering London bank managers and leaving behind pithy notes and £1 coins stuck to their eyelids or stuffed in their mouths. Adapted by Malcolm […]

Bad News Tour

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1 9 8 3 (UK) 1 x 30 minute episode “I could play “Stairway To Heaven” when I was 12. Jimmy Page didn’t actually write it until he was 22. I think that says quite a lot.” The Comic Strip team present a mock fly-on-the-wall rock documentary (mockumentary? rockumentary?) spending some time on the road with […]

Rik Mayall Presents

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1 9 9 3 (UK) 3 x 60 minute episodes 1 9 9 5 (UK) 3 x 60 minute episodes For an audience raised on The Young Ones and Bottom, this six-part series of one-off comedy/dramas showcasing Rik Mayall presented the comedian in an entirely new light, showing off his significant acting skills, delivering consistently varied […]

‘The Godfather’ And ‘Apocalypse Now’ Actor Robert Duvall Dies At 95

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Robert Duvall, the celebrated actor whose commanding performances in films like The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Tender Mercies made him one of the most respected figures in American cinema, has died at the age of 95. According to a statement from his family, Duvall died peacefully at his home in Middleburg, Virginia, on Sunday. Over […]

The post ‘The Godfather’ And ‘Apocalypse Now’ Actor Robert Duvall Dies At 95 appeared first on DoYouRemember? – The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Jane Kenney

Anjelica Huston: The High Priestess of Hollywood Elegance

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Anjelica Huston is a cinematic icon known for her commanding presence, aristocratic features, and an uncanny ability to portray women of immense depth and complexity.

Born into Hollywood royalty as the daughter of director John Huston, she defied expectations by carving out a unique legacy that transitioned from high-fashion modeling to Academy Award-winning acting. She is perhaps most beloved for her transformative role as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family, where she balanced macabre elegance with dry wit, but her range spans from the gritty intensity of Prizzi’s Honor to the whimsical, deadpan charm of her frequent collaborations with Wes Anderson.

Huston remains a symbol of unconventional beauty and fierce independence, a performer who never needed to raise her voice to command the entire screen.

The Cardiff Giant, One of the Most Famous Archaeological Hoaxes in American History

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The Cardiff Giant was a 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) gypsum statue that became one of the most famous archaeological hoaxes in American history. “Discovered” on October 16, 1869, on William “Stub” Newell’s farm in Cardiff, New York, it was presented as the petrified remains of an ancient giant.

The hoax was conceived by George Hull, a cigar manufacturer and atheist. He was inspired by a debate with a Methodist minister over Genesis 6:4 (“There were giants in the earth in those days”). He wanted to mock religious literalism while also turning a profit.

Hull purchased a 5-ton block of gypsum in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and had a Chicago stonecutter carve it in his own likeness. To make it look ancient, Hull treated the statue with sulphuric acid and used steel knitting needles to simulate skin pores.

Newell hired unsuspecting workers to dig a well exactly where the giant had been buried a year earlier. Upon its “discovery,” news spread rapidly, and Newell began charging 50 cents for admission, drawing thousands of visitors who believed they were seeing a biblical giant.

When the syndicate of owners refused to sell the giant to showman P.T. Barnum for $50,000, Barnum simply created his own plaster replica. He then claimed his version was the “real” giant and the Cardiff one was a fake. This sparked a legal battle where a judge famously refused to intervene unless the original giant could “swear to his own genuineness” in court.

Leading paleontologists like Othniel C. Marsh quickly identified the figure as a “decided humbug,” noting fresh chisel marks and the fact that gypsum would have deteriorated in the wet soil. Hull eventually confessed to the press in December 1869, though the giant remained a popular attraction for years.

The original Cardiff Giant is on permanent display at The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Barnum’s replica is reportedly at Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills, Michigan.