Throughout this “Golden Age of Magic,” performers like Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston relied on vibrant, stone-lithograph artworks to transform themselves into larger-than-life icons. These posters were famous for their dramatic imagery, often featuring mischievous red devils whispering into a magician’s ear or ethereal figures floating in mid-air, designed to blur the line between stage illusion and the supernatural.

With their bold typography and rich, saturated colors, these posters did more than just advertise a show, they captured the public’s imagination, promising an escape into a realm where the impossible became reality.

In 1998, Michelle Yeoh performed a daring stunt for a National Geographic photo shoot captured by photographer Joe McNally. The photograph was part of a feature story titled “The Globalization of Culture,” which examined the rapid international exchange of cultural icons via film, television, and the burgeoning internet.

“The idea sprang up as I was shooting a story for the National Geographic, conceived, edited and supervised by my dear friend Bill Douthitt…,” Mcnally said. “The story was termed ‘The Globalization of Culture,’ and it examined the rapid rate of the exchange of cultural items and icons, worldwide, via the hyper fast engines of TV, movies, fashion, cuisine and (at that point) the coming ubiquity of the internet. I needed an Asian star, capable of daring stunts, to do something with me to emphasize the growing global influence of movie personalities from Asia in big budget, mainstream Hollywood films.

“Michelle agreed, and I gave her the Hollywood treatment, flying her via helicopter to a dry lake bed considerably outside LA. I made lovely, fashion-driven photos. She’s magnetically beautiful in front of the lens, and I shot pictures like crazy, growing all the more pleased with myself during the course of the day.”

Yeoh did not climb out of the helicopter mid-flight; instead, she was rigged with cables and a harness while still in a hangar. She was then suspended beneath the helicopter and flown for approximately 20 to 25 minutes to reach the Hollywood sign. Despite wearing a “slinky” dress for the shot, Yeoh recalled in a 2022 interview with Jimmy Kimmel that the most challenging aspect was the intense cold at that altitude.

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Fitzgerald was known for her fierce independence, often prioritizing the artistic integrity of her roles over studio expectations. Beyond the silver screen, she enjoyed a prolific career on Broadway and later became a pioneer in street theater, proving that her passion for storytelling extended far beyond the glamour of Hollywood.

Take a look at these beautiful photos to see portraits of young Geraldine Fitzgerald in the late 1930s and 1940s.

Unlike the more basic Roadster, the Drophead Coupe offered a refined interior with a polished walnut dashboard and a heavy, lined canvas top that provided excellent weather protection. Combining the raw speed of a record-breaking sports car with the elegance of a grand tourer, this 1954 classic remains one of the most prestigious and collectible Jaguars ever built.