Vintage Everyday

In 1947, long before the world knew her as Marilyn Monroe, a young Norma Jeane posed for a series of staged “babysitter” publicity photographs taken by David Cicero (often credited as Dave Cicero) at the Los Angeles home of Roy Metzler, a 20th Century Fox casting director.

In 2007, Louis Vuitton launched its celebrated “Core Values” advertising campaign, created by agency Ogilvy & Mather and shot by renowned portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz. One of the most arresting images in fashion and political advertising history featured Mikhail Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union.

When 26-year-old Wendy Hiller took on the role of Eliza Doolittle in the 1938 film adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, she was personally handpicked by Shaw himself. Shaw had seen her brilliant stage performance as Eliza at the Malvern Festival in 1936 and insisted that no one else play the Cockney flower girl on screen.

In 1969, legendary photographer Henry Diltz took a series of candid, iconic portraits of a young Steve Martin at his home in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. Long before he became known for his signature white hair and “Wild and Crazy Guy” comedy persona, the future superstar was working as a television writer and stand-up comic while living right up the hill from Diltz.

The photo session captures an intimate look at Martin’s early artistic passions, quirky humor, and life in the vibrant Laurel Canyon artistic community. Several famous shots from this shoot highlight Martin playing his acoustic guitar and banjo. He would later seamlessly weave his master-level banjo skills into his legendary comedy acts. One notable image showcases him focused at his desk, working away on a vintage typewriter, around the time he was writing Emmy-winning material for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Even in casual portraits, Martin’s distinct comedic sensibilities peeked through. Diltz captured deadpan, absurd setups, including a famous shot of Martin jokingly pretending to “iron” a kitten, as well as posing with binoculars.

Held on January 23, 1931, at the Hotel Astor in New York City, the masquerade gala was organized by the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects. The ball’s theme was Fête Moderne: A Fantasie in Flame and Silver. During the height of the Great Depression, and just as Manhattan’s skyline was undergoing a explosive Art Deco transformation, seven of New York’s most prominent architects arrived at the costume gala dressed literally as the iconic skyscrapers they designed.

Standing side by side in elaborate cardboard-and-fabric costumes, the lineup includes: Leonard Schultze as the Waldorf-Astoria; William Van Alen as the Chrysler Building, his costume featured detailed patent leather and a cape made to mimic the building's sunburst spire; Ely Jacques Khan as the Squibb Building; Ralph Walker as the Wall Street Building; Arthur J. Arwine as a low pressure heating boiler, A. Stewart as the Fuller Building; and Joseph Freelander as the Museum of the City of New York.

During the 1990s, Michael Jackson and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash formed one of the most iconic pop-rock partnerships in music history. Driven by Jackson’s desire for a more aggressive, hard-rock edge, their work seamlessly blended high-energy pop with blistering guitar solos.

On June 18, 1963, a 21-year-old Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) traveled to Wembley Stadium in London to fight British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper in front of 55,000 fans. It became one of the most famous non-title bouts in boxing history—featuring a dramatic knockdown, tactical controversy, and a precise prediction coming true.

In 1942, legendary photographer Gjon Mili captured a famous series of stroboscopic multiple-exposure photographs of director Alfred Hitchcock on the Hollywood set of his psychological thriller, Shadow of a Doubt.

Mili, a pioneer in using electronic flash and stroboscopic light to freeze rapid movement, photographed Hitchcock demonstrating various directorial actions, such as walking and pointing into the distance. The resulting images overlay multiple frames of Hitchcock’s silhouette into a single, fluid composition, perfectly mirroring the dramatic, suspenseful essence of the filmmaker’s work.

Mili utilized high-speed stroboscopic photography, a technique he heavily developed while working at MIT alongside Harold Edgerton. The photos were shot for LIFE Magazine to showcase Hitchcock’s highly animated and precise physical style of directing behind the scenes.