Charles Frederick Worth: the father of the fashion show
Turn to the left!
Paris
Fantastical Classism: Paris and the repugnant myth of “the court of miracles”
Don’t let the name fool you. It’s not cool.
‘Hope for Happiness’: The Soft Machine live in Paris, 1967
The Soft Machine line-up was always kinda fluid but didn’t fully set until Kevin Ayers (bass, vocals) joined Robert Wyatt (drums, vocals), Daevid Allen (guitar),…
Vintage violence and the ‘dance of death’: Wild images of the ‘Apache’ dancers of Paris
Two ‘Apache’ dancers hanging out in a cafe in Paris in 1938. I’m going to roll the clock back to my earliest recollection of seeing…
Territorial Pissing: The 19th century public urinals of Paris
A man entering a public urinal or ‘pissoir’ at Place Saint Germain l’Auxerrois, Paris, 1875. The photos in this post were taken by one of…
Sub Pop really nailed the retro packaging of Sleater-Kinney’s new ‘Live in Paris’ cassette
I’ve seen Sleater-Kinney play three times, and all three shows rank as highly memorable concertgoing experiences. It was in support of The Hot Rock that…
There’s a riot going on: Posters of resistance from Paris 1968
“Beauty is in the street” As the annus horribilis of 2016 draws to a close, my mind tilts towards predecessors of resistance. It is easy…
‘Alice Cooper à Paris’: His totally cracked-out 1982 French TV special
Poster for Alice Cooper’s 1982 French tour Though the man himself doesn’t remember much of it, heavy Alice fans of my acquaintance adore his new…
Prostitutes, mannequins and street traders: The flâneur who photographed Paris, 1890s-1920s
Prostitute, rue Asselin. Eugène Atget first tried his hand as sailor, actor and painter before discovering his true vocation as a documentary photographer on the…
Troublemaking toddlers harass half-naked pin-up girls in vintage French magazine ‘Paris Tabou’
The cover of the October 1951 issue of ‘Paris Tabou.’ Cheeky French magazine Paris Tabou (named for the famed Parisian nightclub “Le Tabou” once located…