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A man, his dog and a photobooth in New York City.

In 1943, a well dressed man took several photographs of himself with his large dog in a photobooth located in New York's Grand Central Station. All of the photobooth strips were cut into individual pictures but I have tried to recreate them here based on lighting and the man's clothing. Looking at the different coats he is wearing it appears he and his dog visited the photobooth regularly. Can you imagine trying to get a German Shepherd to sit still in the small space of the booth? These photos reveal to us not only a beloved animal but a whole relationship - and these two make a handsome pair!All photos Collection of Barbara Levine / projectB.com Save Read more 2 comments Barbara Levine, Dogs, Photobooth, vintage photos of dogs

The Two Headed Nightengale

Project B has a large collection of 19th Century original circus sideshow star photographs including this amazing image of Millie and Christine McKoy.  They were conjoined twins whose parents had no control over their fate. Not even a year old, they were sold by their North Carolina slave owner and then re-sold over and again to promoters and agents who exploited the commercial potential of these unusual girls, who shared a pelvis but otherwise had complete sets of limbs and organs. Remarkably, one of their owners reunited them with their mother, and (with an eye toward their performing careers) provided them education in foreign languages and instruction in music, ballet and recitation. The McKoy twins—often referred to simply as Millie-Crissie—soon... Read more

Vintage Folk Art Tintype Portraits

Somewhere on the spectrum between folk art and photography is the unofficial category of oddly painted tintype photographs.  In the late1800s, photographers could make people's portraits using a camera and the tintype process in informal settings such as at carnivals and on boardwalks. A tintype is a positive photograph made on thin sheet of  metal coated with a dark lacquer or enamel. The cost of a tintype varied - the larger the sheet of metal the larger and more expensive the photo. Tintypes were popular and affordable but painting was considered the more serious and valued form of portraiture. Sometimes therefore, the photographer (or an assistant) would make a large plate tin copy of the original photo and then paint... Read more

Why Collectors Treasure Vintage Photo ID Badges

Collection of Barbara Levine/projectB.comVintage employee identification badges are simultaneously a memory object, advertisement, photograph and artifact of business history. They have become of great interest to collectors (especially ones that feature women) since they exemplify two important cultural traditions: the use of photographs as jewelry (mourning pins, rings and novelty pin-back buttons) and as an instrument of authority or identification (mug shots, passports and licenses). The photo badge above, c.1945, was issued by New Departure, a Connecticut-based division of General Motors that manufactured ball bearings. Above is a c.1955 photo id badge. The Formfit Company was established in 1917 with headquarters in Chicago as a maker of women’s “foundation garments” – mainly corsets and girdles. It was one of the... Read more Barbara Levine, vintage photo id badges

CAMERA COMICS: A Short-Lived Rarity From The 1940s

A true comics rarity, only nine issues of Camera Comics were ever published by U. S. Camera Publishing Corporation, appearing between 1944 and 1946. The series featured action heroes whose exploits involved not guns or superhuman strength, but cameras. There’s Linda Lens, woman photographer – the first and only female action-adventure photographer. We meet Bob Scott, Crash Photographer, Jim Lane, Insurance Investigator, Grey Comet and others, including a teenager named Kid Click. |The comic even included fact-based stories about famous figures in photographic history such as Eadweard Muybridge and George Eastman, and instructive articles such as how to build a darkroom, making fun photos using everyday kitchen items and tips for better picture-taking.The short-lived series emerged when popular media like... Read more Camera Comics, Vintage comic books « Newer articles 1 2 3 4 … 16 Older articles »