Burke-Amey: Bold American Fashion of the 1960s

Burke-Amey was a New York fashion house founded in 1959 by designer Ronald Amey and his business partner Joseph Burke. Known for inventive use of fabrics, bold prints, and sophisticated ready-to-wear and couture designs, the label reflected the vibrant style of 1960s American fashion. Amey’s creations often featured striking color combinations, graphic patterns, and refined silhouettes that appealed to stylish clients.

In 1970, Amey bought out his partner and continued under his own name, though the original Burke-Amey label remains remembered for its distinctive contribution to mid-century American design. These elegant designs showcase the bold style and refined craftsmanship of Burke-Amey, a distinctive voice in 1960s American fashion.

Dorothea McGowan in biased black silk crêpe dress by Burke-Amey, photo by Irving Penn, Vogue, July 1, 1960

Dorothea McGowan in sleeveless dress and jacket of wild grape-pink grained silk, jacket tied with brown satin sash and point d'esprit scarf by Burke-Amey, grape straw hat by Emme, photo by Irving Penn, Vogue, March 1, 1961

Simone d'Aillencourt in plaid wool dress by Burke-Amey and bulbous turban-hat by Lilly Daché, photo by Horst P. Horst, Vogue, 1962

Wilhelmina in long and heavy white crêpe dress masked by a flouncy lace caraco embroidered with black straw flowers by Burke-Amey, kidskin gloves by Viola Weinberger, photo by Irving Penn, Vogue, March 1, 1963

Brigitte Bauer in bold black and white wool houndstooth suit over a black and white silk paisley blouse stock-tied, by Burke-Amey, belt by Chanel, bag by Coblentz, photo by Horst P. Horst, Vogue, February 1, 1964

See more»

Graceful and Elegant Photos of Greta Garbo Taken by Cecil Beaton in New York in April 1946

Cecil Beaton was one of the most important photographers of the last century. The Royal Family, famous celebrities, writers, singers, painters and statesmen were shot by Beaton. He also was a good writer and wrote about all the places he visited and the people he had known. Beaton also was a designer and a perfect English gentleman of cultivated tastes.

Some say that Beaton was obsessed with Greta Garbo. In the 1930s he went to Hollywood with the secret desire to shot Garbo. But Garbo, elusive as ever, did not want to meet him. He caught a glimpse of her just for a few hours casually in the mansion of the director Edmond Goulding where Garbo unexpected was invited and he was absolutely bewitched by “the Swedish goddess.”

The second time Garbo and Beaton met was in New York in 1946. Garbo was not working in that period and was often seen walking in Manhattan or attending cocktail parties. In 1946, they met casually and even made a series of photographs. They started a deep friendship and it is rumored that they had a love affair. Beaton later said that he even proposed marriage.

In April 1946 in New York’s Hotel Plaza, Garbo and Beaton made their first photo session together.

Cecil Beaton writes in his diary:

“Garbo arrived wearing a biscuit-colored suit and polo-collared sweater, her hair’s a lion’s mane. At first she stood stiffly to attention, facing my Rolleiflex full face as if it were a firing squad. But, by degrees, she started to assume all sorts of poses and many changes of mood. The artist in her suddenly came into flower. She was enjoying the return to an aspect of the métier that had been her life’s work. Could I believe my luck? By degrees I was emboldened enough to ask if she would take off her habitual sweater.

“Then I brought out some ‘prop’ clothes – a pierrot’s ruff and white pointed cap – that I had secreted just in case... Greta became Debureau. A man’s top hat was discarded on sight, though a Holbein tam-o’-shanter was approved once it was bashed into a Chinese mandarin’s hat.

“Every now and again Greta was saying: ‘That’s enough now – got to go.’ But by the time I took her word as gospel a vast number of pictures had been made. The result formed a prized collection.”

See more»

Marisa Solinas: The Golden Face of 1960s Italian Cinema and Song

Marisa Solinas (1939–2019) was an Italian actress and singer who became one of the bright faces of 1960s Italian entertainment.

Born in Genoa, Solinas rose to prominence after being cast by Mario Monicelli in the Renzo e Luciana episode of Boccaccio ’70, and the same year appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci’s debut film La commare secca. Over the decade, she starred in numerous films, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, while also pursuing a career as a singer.

With her striking looks and lively presence, Solinas embodied the vibrant spirit of Italian popular culture during the 1960s. These vintage photographs capture the beauty, charm, and golden-era presence of Marisa Solinas, a memorable face of 1960s Italian cinema and song.

See more»

30 Vintage Portraits of Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray From “True Confession” (1937)

These vintage portraits capture Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray during the making of the 1937 screwball comedy True Confession.

Shot on set and in promotional sessions, the photographs highlight Lombard’s sparkling charm and MacMurray’s easygoing presence as the pair worked together in one of the era’s lighthearted romantic comedies.

With their natural chemistry and classic 1930s style, the images offer a lively glimpse into the filming of a film that showcased two of Hollywood’s most appealing stars at the height of the screwball tradition.

See more»

Amazing Photographs of Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis Taken by Kevin Cummins in 1994

In 1994, legendary British music photographer Kevin Cummins captured a series of raw, intimate, and now-iconic photographs of Liam and Noel Gallagher. Taken just before and during the release of Oasis’s groundbreaking debut album, Definitely Maybe, these photos defined the visual mythos of the Gallagher brothers and the rise of Britpop. Rather than highlighting their infamous sibling rivalry, Cummins’s early archive emphasizes an unguarded brotherly bond, humor, and a shared, defiant confidence.

“I thought it would ne a nice idea to do their first year, which gives it a good narrative flow,” said Cummins, “I was commissioned by Creation to see how their visual identity would work best, but by the end of the year they were the property of the tabloids.

“Creation thought there wouldn’t be any antagonism if they brought in a photographer who was from Manchester and supported City.”

Shot in their hometown of Manchester right around the time Definitely Maybe hit the shelves, these street portraits capture the duo against everyday urban backdrops. Notable locations included standing outside the historic Peveril of the Peak pub and posing directly on Portland Street.

In one of the most culturally resonant shoots of the era, the Gallagher brothers proudly leaned into their Manchester roots by posing together wearing the official Manchester City 1993/1994 football kits.

“We did some shots inside in the studio, with one behind the other so that you’d have brother reading above theirs heads on the shirt. Then we did some other shots where Liam jumped on Noel's back as if we'd just scored a goal, which is quite rare in these days.

“Then we went outside and they played football in the street and then kicked the ball at Noel. Noel kicked it back at him and they tried to punch each other. We just waited for that to finish and then carried on doing pictures.

“I think it’s an era-defining session that because football wasn't fashionable at the time. Here’s these lads playing football and linking themselves to Man City with brother all over the shirt... everything fell into place really with that session and that picture where Liam is on Noel's back has been on about 200 magazine covers.”

Kevin Cummins (born 1953) is one of Britain’s most celebrated music and portrait photographers. He is best known for creating the definitive visual record of the Manchester music scene and the rise of Britpop. Over a career spanning five decades, his bleak, cinematic, and raw style helped establish the mythos of some of the world's biggest rock bands.

See more»

Two Studio Portraits of Katie Roubideaux, ca. 1898

Katie Roubideaux (1890–1991), also known later in life as Kate “Ta Sina Sapawin” Roubideaux Blue Thunder, was a Brulé Lakota (Rosebud Sioux) woman whose long life spans a profound era of Native American history.

Born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, she became widely recognized in historical records due to famous studio portraits taken by photographer John Alvin Anderson in 1898, when she was just eight years old. In the photographs, she is depicted wearing a traditional decorated and fringed skin dress, beaded leggings, and moccasins while holding a doll.

She was the daughter of Louis Roubideaux and Adelia Blunt Arrow. Her father was a notable figure on the reservation, serving as the official U.S. interpreter in the late 1880s and at one point acting as the captain of the Indian Police.

Katie lived to be 100 years old, passing away on May 13, 1991. Because her life spanned a full century, she witnessed an extraordinary transition in America and for her people.

Born just fourteen years after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, she grew up during the harsh boarding school era. At age 14, she attended the St. Francis Mission school. Despite living through times when Native languages and traditions were aggressively banned by the government, she held onto her Lakota heritage, keeping songs, stories, and ceremonies alive.

Over her lifetime, she saw the shift from horses to automobiles, lived through both World Wars and the Great Depression, and watched major events like the 1969 moon landing and the 1973 Wounded Knee Occupation.

In her adult life, she was known affectionately to her community as “Granny Kate.” She was married three times, to Henry Knocks Off Two, Phillip Marshall, and later David Blue Thunder, and dedicated much of her life to raising her six children and many grandchildren. She was remembered for living a simple, traditional life, sewing clothes from homemade patterns, and always maintaining a strong Lakota spirit.

40 Behind the Scenes Photographs of Anne Bancroft Preparing for Her Role in the 1962 Film “The Miracle Worker”

To prepare for her iconic, Academy Award-winning role as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker (1962), Anne Bancroft undertook a deeply immersive and physically grueling preparation process. Because she first originated the character in the 1959 Broadway stage production, much of her foundational research took place during that time and seamlessly transferred to her cinematic performance.

Bancroft was determined to authentically capture the psychological and physical realities of navigating the world with severe visual impairment, mirroring the history of Annie Sullivan herself. She spent extended periods completely depriving herself of sight by covering her eyes. She used these exercises to gain insight into how to move, react, and navigate spaces purely through touch, sound, and spatial awareness.

She visited a camp for blind individuals as well as the renowned Perkins School for the Blind, the exact institution where the real Annie Sullivan was educated. While there, she observed disabled children and studied their communication patterns. To communicate authentically with her co-star, she mastered the tactile manual alphabet used by deafblind individuals.

Director Arthur Penn and writer William Gibson decided to give the character an Irish brogue during early theater rehearsals. This vocal choice helped Bancroft mentally separate Annie Sullivan from her previous stage role in Two for the Seesaw, and it ultimately became a defining trait of her performance.

The role of Annie Sullivan was famously violent and exhausting. Bancroft and her 12-year-old co-star, Patty Duke (who played Helen Keller), had to engage in intense, un-choreographed choreography that required immense stamina. For the legendary, multi-minute dining room battle scene, where Annie attempts to teach Helen table manners, both actresses had to wear heavy concealment padding beneath their costumes to minimize severe bruising and injuries from all the slapping, wrestling, and falling.

Bancroft’s intense dedication to finding the “human truth” of the character was famously captured in a 1959 photo essay by Nina Leen for Life magazine, which documented her practicing daily tasks completely blindfolded. Her dedication paid off immensely; she won both a Tony Award for the stage play and the 1962 Academy Award for Best Actress for the film.

See more»