Project Le Tour Photos by Brent Humphrey
While one famous Texan has been getting all the Tour de France headlines, perhaps another Texan will end up best capturing the legacy of this year’s tour. Austin-based photographer Brent Humphrey’s Project Le Tour portfolio captures the grace of the racers and the morning fog coming down jagged hills, yes, but also the tents of campers waiting for a brief glimpse at the riders, rotisserie chicken being grilled at roadside stands, and the proclivity of sunbathers along the roadside. In all, a fascinating, quirky glimpse at the world’s most famous bicycle race. Lance who?
See more images of this collection after the jump.
Spacesuits at the Smithsonian
Amanda Young, a spacesuit caretaker for the National Air and Space Museum, has released a book entitled “Spacesuits,” which takes a detailed look at the carefully preserved suits worn by astronauts throughout missions during the 1960’s and 70’s. What began six years ago as an archival catalog eventually developed into a glossy coffee-table book. Young collaborated with Mark Avino, head chief of photographic services at NASM. A majority of the photographs in the book focus on the suits worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The book’s release also coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission. “Spacesuits” can be purchased at Amazon.
See more images after the jump.
Sydney Police Mug Shots from 1912-1930
A Time To Get showcases what is undoubtedly the coolest set of mug shots you will ever see. Taken in Australia in the early 20th century, the accused are generally shown photographed twice, once from roughly the chest up (for facial detail) and again as an off-center full portrait. Dressed in their own clothing, the subjects project an air of casualness and confidence, some with arms around another, many with satisfied postures, and all accentuated by the variety of backgrounds—including a trees, plants, and other people. Similar to Richard Avedon’s American West series, the pictures highlight a peculiar mixture of hard-times and informality. For a fascinating in-depth explanation of these photographs and how they were rediscovered, visit Scan.Net.
More images after the jump.
WWII and Korean War Aircraft Nose Art
Web Urbanist gives us a great look into the evolution of war plane graphics. Originating with German and Italian pilots, military plane nose art has evolved into a distinctly American tradition, dating as far back as 1915 and peaking during the 40’s and 50’s. Always created by amateur artists, the practice generally focused on two subjects–women and war. The women were usually drawn in the distinct pin-up girl style of girl-next-door gone glamorous, while war themes largely were portrayed through fierce animals, screaming bombs, and by anthropomorphizing the nose into teeth-baring terrors. Cartoon characters also began to make frequent appearances on the noses of planes in the late 30’s and throughout the 40’s. While the practice still carries on, popular imagination will forever place the practice firmly in mid-century Americana.
See more images after the jump.
Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan (Video)
As mentioned in the RRL post, the genuine shell cordovan used for the upper of the Bowery Boot was crafted at the Horween Leather factory of Chicago. Founded in 1905, Horween Leather Company is one of the oldest operating tanneries in the country. They offer a multitude of tannages mainly using cowhide and horsehide with smaller quantities of calf and bison hides also used. The quality leather is used in various products ranging from shoes to sporting good to bags to belts. The video will highlight several steps of this rigorous process, and the journey to produce some of the world’s best leather.
Watch the video after the jump.
The Frame – Second Week Tour de France Photos from The Sacramento Bee
“The Frame” section of the Sacramento Bee is a truly impressive photo blog that documents many world events in stunning fashion. All photos posted in the feature are in high definition. These collections closely follow the concept used for the the Boston Globe’s “Big Picture,” though the subject matter varies, obviously.
For its latest installment, the Sacramento Bee multimedia staff acquired images for a piece on the numerous stages of the Tour de France. This storied race has grown enormously popular in the US much in part to the success of Lance Armstrong. The backdrops for these pictures are nothing short of awesome. You’ll find that photo blogs such as these can be quite inspiring.
See all of the photos at The Sacramento Bee website or head over to the jump to see some of our selections.
Core77 Dutch Master Limited Edition Bicycle
Design group Core77 has released 25 limited edition bicycles that they call “The Dutch Master.” The overall look is based on the classic Worksman cruiser frame, an iconic design that dates back nearly 100 years in the bike messenger and delivery history of New York City. The bikes were hand-built by KT Higgins, a Brooklyn-based ex-bike messenger and proprietor of Bushwick Bike Shop.
As part of the product launch, the Apple Store SoHo (103 Prince Street) New York will be presenting a Live “Meet the Designers” Event on Saturday, July 11th at 3pm, featuring the story of the Core77 Dutch Master Bicycle. Following the event, the Dutch Master will be on display in the lobby of the Ace Hotel (20 West 29th Street) from July 11 – 18.
For more information, visit Core77.com/dutchmaster.
See more images after the jump.
A Style Tribute to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson will probably go down in history as the greatest entertainer of all time but aside from being a musical genius & icon, he will be remember for his style as well.
These images come from an editorial shot for Italian Vanity Fair last year on the groundbreaking pop styles of the late Michael Jackson. MJ had a knack for taking contemporary fashion & adding his personal flare to it. Most notable in his repertoire of style is definitely the “suit of lights” sequined saturated glove. It’s very presence embodies a lifetime of memories for his fans. Like the glove, his “Captain Crunch” performance uniforms held a unique quality all their own. Military garments have always been incorporated into contemporary fashion, but Michael Jackson wore them in a way similar to no one else. The glove, combined with an array of suits are legends in their own rights.
Whether in the use of texture or designer cuts, color was always integral to The King of Pop’s style in a bold way. Music videos like Smooth Criminal, Beat It, & Bad are just a few examples where this was evident. So like everything else great about this entertainer/humanitarian, his sense of style will never be forgotten. R.I.P. – August 29 1958 – June 25 2009
See more images after the jump.
Michael Jackson’s Arcade Collection
The King of Pop Michael Jackson’s personal game room is more similar to a pop culture museum than a coin-op arcade room. The virtual tour is showcased from a Beverly Hills display room. In December of 2008 MJ’s game room was exhibited as a twelve day display to the public; which was previously set to be an auction.
Michael’s game room features almost everything a pop culture memorabilia fanatic could want. There’s everything from life sized statues of Batman, ET, Bruce Lee, Superman, & a Lego version of Darth Vader to vintage bicycles, jukeboxes, & wall art. Since its an arcade room the majority of the toys are classic games. Michael must have had fun reliving a childhood with all of this.
The place is packed with memorable favorites like Mrs. Pacman, NBA Jams, Mortal Kombat, a Sega R360 air combat simulator & a series of of vintage pinball machines. A person could seriously spend an entire day admiring & playing with all of these goodies. The only thing missing was Michael’s own Moonwalker game from Sega (he must’ve had that under safe wraps). Enough reading, go take the tour!
See more of Michael Jackson’s arcade collection after the jump.
Mister Freedom – A Time to Get Article
Mr. Nick Maggio of popular blog, A Time to Get, recounts his love affair with the Los Angeles retail space/design studio created by Mr. Christophe Loiron, French expatriate to California in 1990. Maggio is given the ultimate pleasure of touring Loiron’s personal workspace, and they discuss their shared passion for all things vintage.
The Mister Freedom store has now been in existence for 6 years. The space is filled with a huge inventory of vintage clothing, footwear and accessories for men and women from the 1850’s to the present. The store also offers rare textiles, vintage books as well as antique props for deco. This extensive eclectic collection of vintage items is collected around the world and updated daily with new finds.
Follow the link to read the complete article. A Time to Get – Hometown Heroes: Mister Freedom
More images from the article after the jump.
