Vintage Kabo Corset Company Ad (1921)

Black and white 1921 print ad for “live model” brassieres and other women’s apparel that was made and sold by the Kabo Corset Company of New York, NY, Chicago, Illinois (IL), and San Francisco, California (CA) via

The Riva, Venice (1934)

Original 1934 halftone print of the Riva degli Schiavoni in Venice, Italy. The San Marco Campanile (bell tower) is pictured in the background and is the tallest structure in Venice via

Auguste Rodin & Jacques-Ernest Bulloz: Kate Simpson (1910-1913)

Auguste Rodin & Jacques-Ernest Bulloz, Kate Simpson, 1910-1913 via

Lady Carnarvon by Paul César Helleu (c.1901)

Paul César Helleu, Lady Carnarvon, ca. 1901.

Almina Victoria Marie Alexandra Wombell was the illegitimate child of Alfred de Rothschild, but grew up loved and pampered. She maintained a loving relationship with her father, who was exceptionally wealthy. The Carnarvon family needed an influx of money to maintain their estate at Highclere Castle. Almina, wealthy and accomplished, fell in love with George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, the future 5th Earl of Carnarvon. Later, he became famous for excavating Tutankhamon’s tomb. The two lived a glamorous life set against the increasing tensions of a pre-World War I. When it quickly became obvious England was entering the war, Almina used her influence and wealth to turn Highclere Castle into a hospital for wounded soldiers. Her approach of individual care, home cooked meals, and holistic ideas were revolutionary at that time, and she found a natural talent for nursing. For four years she worked at both Highclere and later in London, establishing another hospital and gathering the best equipment and talent to help heal the wounded soldiers via

“La Couseuse” by Jacques Villon (1905)

Jacques Villon, La Couseuse (The Seamstress), 1905 via

Ernest Borough Johnson (1930s)

Print entitled Moonlight, Venice by Ernest Borough Johnson, 1932 via

Print of the Pension Frollo in Venice, Italy by Ernest Borough Johnson, 1931 via

A Collection Of Portraits by Whistler

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834 – 1903) was an American artist, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He was averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, and was a leading proponent of the credo “art for art’s sake”. His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger for a tail. The symbol was apt, for it combined both aspects of his personality—his art was characterized by a subtle delicacy, while his public persona was combative.

Jo by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1861 via

Weary by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1863 via

Reading by Lamplight by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1858 via

Annie Haden by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1860 via

Count Burckhardt by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1862 via