Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli Wedding (1945)

In 1945, 23-year-old Judy Garland married director Vincente Minnelli, her second husband.

Garland and Minnelli entered into a relationship, during the filming of Meet Me in St. Louis, after some initial conflict between them. Having to cope with Judy Garland’s chaotic behavior, Vincente Minnelli had to adopt an authoritarian attitude that slowly turned into a protective affection towards a self-depreciating and vulnerable actress. The relationship also surprised their entourage who observed that strange couple made of an elder effeminate director and a young troubled star.

While they were married, Garland and Minnelli worked together on The Clock (1945) and The Pirate (1948). Their daughter, Liza, was born in 1946, and the marriage lasted until 1951.

The romance began to weaken with Judy Garland’s worsened problems due in part to the discovery of her husband’s homosexuality that only increased the lack of confidence she had in herself, a postpartum depression and struggles in her career while Vincente Minnelli found himself in an ambiguous situation:

‘As director, I should have insisted on her fulfilling her assignment As concerned husband, I couldn’t. So I made excuses.’

The couple divorced in 1950 incapable of making one another happy (source).

Judy Garland Vincente Minnelli on their wedding day. June, 1945 via

Judy Garland Vincente Minnelli on their wedding day. June, 1945 via

Judy Garland Vincente Minnelli on their wedding day. June, 1945 via

Judy Garland Vincente Minnelli on their wedding day. June, 1945 via

Vintage Photos of Rita Hayworth For “Film Noir” Gilda (1946)

Gilda is a 1946 American black-and-white film noir directed by Charles Vidor and starring Rita Hayworth in her signature role as the ultimate femme fatale who becomes locked in a passionate love/hate relationship with a former flame, played by Glenn Ford, who also happens to be in her husband’s employ.

The film was noted for cinematographer Rudolph Mate’s lush photography, costume designer Jean Louis’ wardrobe for Hayworth (particularly for the dance numbers), and choreographer Jack Cole’s staging of “Put the Blame on Mame” and “Amado Mio”, sung by Anita Ellis.

In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Rita Hayworth in Gilda, 1946 via

Rita Hayworth in Gilda, 1946 via

Rita Hayworth in Gilda, 1946 via

Wonderful Vintage photos of Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca (1942)

Portrait of Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz, 1942. Photo by Ernest Bachrach via

Portrait of Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz, 1942. Photo by Ernest Bachrach via

Portrait of Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz, 1942. Photo by Ernest Bachrach via

Dorian Leigh, Schiaparelli rhinestones, photograph by Richard Avedon, Paris (1949)

Dorian Leigh, Schiaparelli rhinestones, photograph by Richard Avedon,

Paris, 1949 via

Prima Ballerina Alexandra Danilova by Carl Van Vechten (1948)

Aleksandra Danilova (1903-July 13, 1997) was a Russian-born prima ballerina who became an American citizen. Here she is Fanny Cerrito in Pas de Quatre, photo by Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) via

Beautiful Moira Shearer Dancing in The Red Shoes (1948)

The Red Shoes is a 1948 British film about a ballet dancer, written, directed and produced by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, known collectively as The Archers.

The film employs the story within a story device, being about a young ballerina who joins an established ballet company and becomes the lead dancer in a new ballet called The Red Shoes, itself based on the fairy tale “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Andersen.

The film stars Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring and features Robert Helpmann, Léonide Massineand Ludmilla Tchérina, renowned dancers from the ballet world, as well as Esmond Knight and Albert Bassermann.

It has original music by Brian Easdale and cinematography by Jack Cardiff. Filmmakers such as Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese have named it one of their all-time favourite films.

Robert Helpmann and Moira Shearer in The red shoes, 1948 via

Moira Shearer and Leonide Massine in The red shoes, 1948 via

Moira Shearer and Leonide Massine in The red shoes, 1948 via

Moira Shearer and Leonide Massine in The red shoes, 1948 via

Moira Shearer in The red shoes, 1948 via

Moira Shearer in The red shoes, 1948 via

Moira Shearer in The red shoes, 1948 via

Wonderful Vintage Photos of Princess Elizabeth & Princess Margaret in Royal Pantomime (1941)

Princess Margaret plays Cinderella to Princess Elizabeth’s Prince Charming in a royal pantomime rehearsal at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, 21 December 1941

Princess Margaret plays Cinderella to Princess Elizabeth’s Prince Charming in a royal pantomime at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, 21 December 1941 via

 Princess Margaret plays Cinderella to Princess Elizabeth’s Prince Charming in a royal pantomime at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, 21 December 1941 via

Sabine Weiss Champs-Elysées (1949)

Sabine Weiss Champs-Elysées, 1949 via

Fantastic 1940s Photography by Carlotta Corpron

Carlotta Corpron was born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, but spent fifteen years of her youth in India. She returned to the United States in 1920 to earn degrees in art education at Michigan State Normal College and Columbia University, and was first introduced to photography in 1933.

Of particular note are Corpron’s early light drawings, made by tracking moving light at amusement parks–radiant images of wild edges and rhythmic lines–and her “space compositions,” which employed eggs and shells. Corpron also made “fluid light designs” examining reflections on plastic materials; “light follows form” studies of sculpture; abstractions of light flowing through glass; and solarizations of flowers and portraits.

Corpron’s experiments with light are among the most intriguing abstract photographic works from her day, sharing as they do the concerns of her predecessors Moholy-Nagy, Man Ray, and Alvin Langdon Coburn.

Her work is significant for its inventive and resolutely independent exploration of the aesthetic possibilities of light and space. Wrought from simple materials and the free play of imagination, Corpron’s light abstractions are increasingly admired (source).

Carlotta Corpron, Solarized Portrait of Ray Ann, 1949 via

Carlotta Corpron, Ray Ann with Amaryllis, 1945 via

Carlotta Corpron, Solarized Calla Lilies, 1948 via

Carlotta Corpron, Nature Dancer, 1943 via

Carlotta Corpon, Space Composition with Chambered Nautilus, 1948 via

Carlotta Corpron, Chambered Nautilus with Created Light and Shadow, 1948 via

Plant Still Lifes by Horst P. Horst (1945)

Horst P. Horst was a German-American fashion photographer. Horst is best known for his photographs of women and fashion, but is also recognized for his photographs of interior architecture, still lifes, especially ones including plants, and environmental portraits.

Horst P. Horst Cynara Scolymus (Artichoke), 1945 via

Horst P. Horst Victoria Regina Agave, 1945 via

Horst P. Horst Aednium Holochrrysum, 1945 via

Horst P. Horst Richardia Africana, New York, 1945 via