Tag: winter

Feb82013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Time Capsule: New York City Blizzard, 1947

Time Capsule: New York City Blizzard, 1947

Capsules, History
The Christmas of 1947 was certainly a white one for residents of the U.S. northeast and the New York City metro area in particular. Too white in fact. From December 25 through the 26th, a surprise storm dumped more than two feet of snow in areas. The highest recorded amount was 26.4 inches in Central Park. 77 people died as a result of the blizzard. Life photographer Mark Kauffman captured some of the storm and a lot of the cleanup in a series of outstanding photographs covering what would become known as the Great Blizzard of 1947. In this photo gallery you can see the snow falling, streets piled with the white stuff, stranded commuters, and of course some vintage period signs and vehicles. You can also see what famous Gotham locations like Central Park, Rockefeller Center and the
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Dec132012 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Vintage Soviet Union (USSR) New Year’s Postcards, Vol. 2 (1960s)

Vintage Soviet Union (USSR) New Year’s Postcards, Vol. 2 (1960s)

Ephemera
I hope you enjoyed the first set of New Year's cards from the USSR of the 1950s, because we're moving on to the '60s. And while most of the imagery found in the '50s was brought over into the next decade, you can definitely see some more of the Space Age creeping in as well. As with the first set, all card scans courtesy Flickr user katya. Enjoy, and С Новым годом! (Happy New Year!) 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
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Dec62012 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Vintage Soviet Union (USSR) New Year’s Postcards, Vol. 1 (1950s)

Vintage Soviet Union (USSR) New Year’s Postcards, Vol. 1 (1950s)

Ephemera
I guess I just always assumed that once the Communists came to power in Russia and the rest of what became the USSR, any holiday not linked directly to the Communist Party ceased to exist. But lo and behold, I stumbled upon a Flickr set of postcards from the Soviet Union celebrating New Year's, some of them dating back to the 1930s. What I find most fascinating about these cards is how for the most part they look like they could have come from the West. Most of them feature images of idyllic forest scenes, cityscapes, and smiling children. The more overt Soviet stuff pops up in the cards from the '60s, which I'll feature in the next post on this series. Let's look at some cards, and as they say in Russia, С Новым годом! (Happy New Year!) 1953 1954 (more…)
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Feb42011 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Here’s some stuff I enjoyed this week

Here’s some stuff I enjoyed this week

Internet, Links
Here’s a fresh batch of some quality interweb finds I’ve come across over the last 7 days: Dana Carvey + Linkin Park = Satan shooting explosive diarrhea in your face! (You Just Made My List!) A look at the worst men in sports.  No Al Davis, strangely enough.  (Deadspin) Even if you don't know what https is, change this Facebook setting now. (Gawker) "The arrow of time", a year-by-year history of the unhappiest family ever.  (Zone Zero) Remember zany, watermelon-smashing comic Gallagher?  Now he's paranoid, bitter, homophobic, right-wing nutjob, watermelon-smashing ranter Gallagher. (The Stranger) This is where TLC is heading, and you know it. (Urlesque) A graphic overview tracing the evolution of the Hipster (Gawker) Matthew Baldwin (Defective Yeti) is rating all the
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