Yesteryear

Uprooted: Inside the Museum’s New Exhibition on Invasive Plants

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by Patrick McShea Plants travel across time and territory as seeds. The movement of seeds, each one a tiny embryo packaged with stored food in a protective coating, can generally […]

Roger Taylor and His Girlfriend Jill Johnson in Summerville’s Garden, ca. 1967

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One of Roger Taylor’s regular girlfriends was Jill Johnson. A former pupil at Truro’s County Grammar School for Girls, she spent a year with Roger and was part of the set which followed The Reaction around and hung-out at Truro’s coffee bars. Roger and Jill often teamed up with his neighbor Vaughan Hankins and his wife-to-be Gill Wilton. Vaughan’s father owned a garage so getting a car was never a problem. The four would have nights out together at Tregaye Country Club, Flo’s Bar in Devoran or at the Pandora Inn at Restronguet on the road to Falmouth.

Roger has described Jill Johnson as his first proper love when he was around 15–16 years old. They met at a club where Jill sang in a folk band and ended up dating for about four years, from approximately 1966 to 1969.

“My first real love was a girl called Jill,” he said in Queen in Cornwall book. “A mate and I went to a club and there was a folk group playing with a girl singer in it. My friend was older and had a car and we gave her a lift. As it turned out we all went to a nearby fair. Then, when I ran into her again, we ended up together for four years.

“She was small and wore short skirts, which were ‘in’ at the time. We had lots of rows but I think that was the reason why I liked her so much. She had a very strong mind and she knew what she wanted. I can’t stand dumb girls. I like girls who can take care of themselves. Things fizzled out for us at college: she joined another folk group, and went out with the guitarist, and that was the end of it. She was quiet in some ways, now that I think about it, but she had a lot of power in her.”

Jill Johnson was afterwards part of an all-girl trio called The Jay Jays or The Three Jays, and then lastly The Jayfolk. The other members were sisters Pat and Sue Johnstone. One of Roger’s first recording sessions was back-up musician to The Jay Jays. The girls, playing guitars and flutes, have been rehearsing with Roger on drums in premises next to the Barley Sheath pub in the centre of Truro.

They met Rod Wheatley, the owner of a Ferrograph tape recorder, and he offered to tape some of their songs, Rod was helped by his friend, Grenville Penhaligon, and they put down two songs on two-track tape.

“I remember Roger turning up with these three gorgeous girls with gorgeous voices,” Rod said. “The session wasn’t very long, an hour perhaps. The music was very, very good. They certainly had it all together.”

Jill Johnson incidentally, forged her own career in music, fronting the folk quartet, The Famous Jug Band, until they split in the early 1970s. They released two albums on Liberty Records, before Jill became ill with agoraphobia and later moved to Canada where her two elder twin sisters already lived.

Eugène Grasset: One of the Pioneers of Art Nouveau

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Eugène Grasset (1845–1917) was a Swiss-born French decorative artist who became one of the pioneers of the Art Nouveau movement in France. Originally trained as an architect and sculptor in Lausanne, he moved to Paris in the 1870s and built a versatile career spanning graphic design, illustration, furniture, stained glass, and decorative arts.

Grasset is best remembered for his elegant posters, book illustrations, and ornamental designs, which combined medieval and Japanese influences with a distinctly modern aesthetic. His use of flowing lines, stylized natural motifs, and harmonious color palettes made him a leading figure in fin-de-siècle Paris.

As a teacher at the École Guérin and later at the École Estienne, Grasset influenced a generation of artists and designers, including many who helped define Art Nouveau. His work bridged traditional craftsmanship and modern design, leaving a legacy that shaped not only poster art but also the decorative vocabulary of the early 20th century.

Below is a collection of posters illustrated by Eugène Grasset in the late 19th century.

Jeanne d’Arc, Sarah Bernhardt, 1889

Esclarmonde, Opéra Romanesque, circa 1889

Harper’s Bazar, Thanksgiving, 1889

Juillet (July), Zodiac Calendar, 1889

Poster for Massenet’s opera, Esclarmonde, circa 1889

28 Vintage Photographs of Horse-Pulled Motorcars in the Early 20th Century

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In the strange transitional period in the early 20th century when horse-drawn and motor vehicles overlapped. There really were “hybrid” arrangements where a horse pulled a motorcar body — sometimes practical, sometimes humorous.

When early cars stalled (which happened often), owners sometimes hitched a horse to the front to tow it. Some people removed the engine from an old or unaffordable car and used the body as a stylish horse-drawn carriage. This gave the appearance of owning a motorcar, but with horse power in the literal sense.

In remote areas, gasoline could be scarce, and repairing early engines was difficult. Farmers or small-town residents sometimes adapted car chassis into horse-drawn wagons. Below is a collection of 28 vintage photographs of horse-pulled motorcars from between the 1920s and 1940s:

Before Becoming Famous as James Bond, Sean Connery Served in the Royal Navy in the 1940s

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Sir Thomas Sean Connery (August 25, 1930 – October 31, 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond in motion pictures, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983.

In 1946, at the age of 16, Connery joined the Royal Navy, during which time he acquired two tattoos. Uunlike many tattoos, his were not frivolous – his tattoos reflect two of his lifelong commitments: his family and Scotland. One tattoo is a tribute to his parents and reads “Mum and Dad,” and the other is self-explanatory, “Scotland Forever.”

He trained in Portsmouth at the naval gunnery school and in an anti-aircraft crew. He was later assigned as an Able Seaman on HMS Formidable. Connery was discharged from the navy at the age of 19 on medical grounds because of a duodenal ulcer, a condition that affected most of the males in previous generations of his family.

Afterwards, he returned to the co-op and worked as a lorry driver, a lifeguard at Portobello swimming baths, a laborer, an artist’s model for the Edinburgh College of Art, and after a suggestion by the former Mr. Scotland Archie Brennan, as a coffin polisher, amongst other jobs.

He also began bodybuilding, which led to him competing in the 1953 Mr. Universe competition, where he placed third. This event was a turning point, as a fellow competitor suggested he audition for a theatrical production, which marked his entry into the world of acting. The discipline, poise, and physical presence he developed during his time in the Navy and as a bodybuilder were qualities that would later become synonymous with his iconic portrayal of James Bond.

40 Fascinating Photos of Paris Street Scenes in the Mid-20th Century

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In the mid-20th century, the streets of Paris were alive with a unique blend of history and modernity. Wide boulevards designed by Baron Haussmann in the 19th century still framed the city, but the daily rhythm reflected a changing world. Classic café terraces spilled out onto sidewalks, where Parisians gathered for coffee, conversation, and cigarettes, while flower vendors, newspaper stands, and street performers added vibrancy to everyday life.

The streets were filled with a mix of iconic automobiles, such as the Citroën Traction Avant or the 2CV, mingling with bicycles and pedestrians. Fashionable men and women, often dressed in tailored suits, dresses, and hats, embodied the elegance of the era. Markets, bookstalls along the Seine, and bustling intersections revealed the timeless charm of Paris, even as it embraced modernity in art, cinema, and culture.

These mid-century street scenes capture not only the beauty and romance of the French capital, but also a moment in time when tradition and innovation coexisted, making Paris a symbol of style, creativity, and everyday life in Europe. These fascinating photos capture street scenes of Paris in the 1950s and 1960s.

Made in Heaven (1952)

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The historic and picturesque English market town of Dunmow is famous for the Dunmow Flitch Trial – a test to find a married couple whose marriage is “made in heaven” by proving they have had thoughts of no other for a year and a day. The winning couple receive a ‘flitch’ (a side of bacon), […]

Corwin

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1 9 6 9 (Canada) 5 x 60 minute episodes 1 9 7 0 – 1 9 7 1 (Canada) 7 x 60 minute episodes Dr Greg Corwin (John Horton) first appeared on Sunday 5 October 1969, in a five-episode CBC-TV miniseries, when the young Toronto medico was straight out of two years as a […]

Cry for Happy (1961)

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Unable to find living space to rent in overcrowded Tokyo on their leave from the Korean War, CPO Andy Cyphers (Glenn Ford) and his trio of American Navy combat cameramen take up residence in an off-limits geisha house. The gobs and the girls get on just fine until the Navy goes looking for its wayward […]

Beautiful Photos of the 1965 Citroën DS 19 Cabriolet

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The Citroën DS 19 Cabriolet, introduced in the mid-1960s, represents one of the most elegant and desirable versions of Citroën’s revolutionary DS line. The DS, launched in 1955, was already famous for its futuristic design by Flaminio Bertoni and its advanced engineering, including hydropneumatic suspension, power steering, and disc brakes—all groundbreaking features for the era.

The Cabriolet, or Décapotable, version was built in limited numbers by the coachbuilder Henri Chapron, who transformed the sleek DS sedan into an open-top grand touring car. The 1965 DS 19 Cabriolet combined the DS’s trademark aerodynamic styling with the glamour of a convertible, making it one of the most stylish cars of the 1960s.

Its long, flowing lines, comfortable ride, and technical sophistication made it a favorite among the wealthy and fashionable. Today, surviving examples are highly sought after by collectors and are considered icons of French automotive design. Below is a collection of beautiful photos of the 1965 Citroën DS 19 Cabriolet.