Traditional Dutch Dress
Not long ago clothing was based on local traditions and customs. There were no national brands or fashions. The clothing that one wore reflected the culture of the place: their village, their region.
While there may have been less individuality within any given group, there was more diversity between nations and regions; each area had its own costume.
The following is a collection of traditional Dutch costumes, showing the regional differences between different parts of this small country. The photos were taken in 1916 and the photographer pointed out that
The individuals pictured are not dressed extras, but the actual and usual wearers of their costumes, so these images, therefore offer an authentic impression of the national dress.
The first set of pictures document the national dress worn by the inhabitants of North Holland. There were three main areas of cultural dress. There were: Marken and Volendam, West Friesland, and the Gooi.
A woman from Marken Island, North Holland, wearing traditional costume. The elaborate breast plate is called "construction".
Woman in Full Costume
Wedding Dress
The picture above is of a wedding procession on Marken Island. Everyone is wearing traditional dress. This in itself is a sharp contrast to the modern Western practice of the bride wearing a white wedding dress and the groom wearing a tuxedo. It is hard to imagine but just over a hundred years ago, what we consider tradition was anything but.
Child's Costume from Marken
Girl's Costume
Sunday Best Clothes: A Man and Woman from Voldam in their Sunday Clothes
Boy and girl of Volendam.
Young Dutch Woman
The picture above is of a young Duct woman from the Voldam area. She is wearing her Sunday best.
West Friesian Costume: Young Woman Wearing aLace Cap
Older woman from West-Friesland in Holland Hull and boat hat.
The so called “boat hat” was named after its hull-like shape. Made from very fine straw, this hat was typically worn by peasants. On Sundays the peasants would wear a hat with a white side edge, and if they were in mourning, they would put on a black border.
Two women from the island of Terschelling.
A young man and woman wearing traditional Dutch costume.
Around the House
Man and woman in Laren, (in the Gooi).
Dutch Woman With Square Cap
Two Children in Traditional Dress
Ducth Bride and Groom in Traditional Dress. The top hat seems to be a foreign influence.
Ducth Fisherman and His Wife
Young Ducth girl waring a hat.
Man and Woman
Two young women from Soest wearing square hats.
I hope that these pictures have provided you with a vivid look into the past and a way of life that has been lost to modern consumerism and the global economy: a culture were clothes were unique, prized objects, that confirmed the wearer’s identity and pride in their culture and roots. Think about that the next time you buy a mass produced t-shirt sewn in a sweat shop in some third world country.
For more images like these visit http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20665/20665-h/20665-h.htm
The invention of the motion picture camera and projector soon led to the growth of a new industry: the movie industry. Early films were entirely silent and relied on visual depictions and sometimes printed text to tell the story; dialogue could not be reproduced because the first movie cameras and projectors were not capable of synchronizing sound recordings with the moving images. Movie theater owners often hired pianists and other musicians to play the screen’s music score live so as to add dramatic effect to key scenes. Many silent movies were published with music scores which would then be played the by the house musicians of the local movie theater.
Despite the primitive quality of the early films, their novelty captivated the American public and the world. Movies led to a common culture of fashion and behaviour across the United States as fans in different cities watched their favorite screen idols and then emulated their style of dress, makeup and mannerisms.
Although these silent movies were primitive by today’s standards, they nevertheless pioneered many movie making techniques which are still used today, including the use of camera angles and camera movement.
The photographs that follow offer a glimpse into the early movie studios was set up, and the techniques used by the actors and pioneer film makers.
The Lasky Studio of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, Hollywood, California
A movie scene being filmed in the open. The cameras and lights are mounted on a platform on the right of the picture. Note the large number of extras.
The Film Drying Room
The picture above shows workers feeding the newly printed copies of the film, which literally consisted of thousands of still photos arranged in sequence on a large roll of film, through equipment designed to dry the film so that it could be made ready for shipment and use in the movie projectors.
Building a Movie Set
Movie Actors Waiting on Set to Go On Stage
Print Frame Where Movie Scenery is Painted
Checking "Extras" Used in Rex Beach's Photodrama, "The Brand." Produced for Goldwyn at its Culver City Studios
Filiming a Movie on a Sound Stage
Wardrobe Room in a Movie Studio
Many of the first movies were based on historical incidents or characters. This made it easier for the studio writers to churn out movies quickly since the plot did not have to be created from scratch.
This picture depicts the same scene as above but viewed from a different angle. Here you can see the camera men and other technicians.
Film Makers
A Movie Director
Movie Lighting
A Dressing Room
Preparing to Shoot a Scene
Although a lot has changed since these early silent movies, it is interesting to see that a lot is still recognizable. In fact, many of the film making techniques developed at the beginning of the 20th century are still in use today.
Gondolas Near the Rialto Bridge, Venice
There is no city in the world quite like Venice. For centuries Venice’s unique architecture, canals, and rich history have drawn tourists and visitors from around the world.
Venice today is one of the top tourist destinations. It may be easy to believe that Venice is a sort of living museum that has not changed much since the Renaissance, but in fact the Venice of today with its motorized water buses, throngs of tourists, and souvenir shops is very different than the Venice of the 1800s.
These wonderful photos document beautiful Venice as it appeared in the 1870s. The first picture shows a gondola traffic jam on the Grand Canal. There must be hundreds of the little boats crowded into the waters around the Rialto bridge. Today, there are still Gondolas but they are only for the tourists; most Venetians get around by private boat or water taxis or most often water buses. There are only a few gondolas left, and only one shop where these beautiful craft are still made by hand.
Gondoliers Rowing A Gondola In Front of St. Mark's Square, Venice, Italy
St. Mark's Square. Venice, Italy
A Map of Amundsen's Journey to the South Pole
Antarctica is the coldest and most inhospitable continent on earth. There are no permanent human settlements; the entire population of Antarctica consists of several million penguins and a few hundred scientists.
But while the continent is still incredibly harsh and isolated, it is much closer to the rest of the world than it once was. Regular air links allow personnel to cycle in and out, without fear of being locked in by ice for months or even years. And cruise ships now bring tourists to this far off land.
It is perhaps difficult to imagine that only a few decades ago, most of Antarctica had not yet been explored, and any trip to the continent required explorers to be separated from their families for years, living off unhealthy diets of canned food, and facing the ever resent risk of death from cold and starvation.
Below is a collection of photographs of Antarctica taken by the Norwegian expedition to the South Pole in 1910-1912 led by Roald Amundsen. This expedition was better equipped and planned than its predecessors and succeeded in reaching the South Pole first; another expedition by the British explorer Scott also reached the Pole but did so a few days after the Norwegians. The Scott expedition perished attempting to return to its base camp.
The Antarctic Expedition
In his book about the expedition to the Antarctic, Roald Amundsen wrote that he had originally planned an expedition to the Arctic ocean aboard his ship the Fram. The preparations were already far advanced, even the date of departure was established in early 1910, when suddenly the news spread of the arrival of Peary to the North Pole.Amundsen wrote that “Immediately I understood that the future of my plan in danger. Only a quick decision could yet bring salvation, and so I immediately decided to change my plan to turn the South.”
Given the logistics of changing the expedition from the North Pole (which is not that far from Norway) to the South Pole which required an enormous journey from Norway to Antarctica and then an extremely long overland journey across the unmapped frozen fields of Antarctica, it is amazing that Amundsen would make such a decision on the spur of the moment; it is perhaps even more amazing that he succeeded in reaching his destination.
Members of the Antarctic Expedition: Human and Sled Dogs
Life on Board Ship
During the long journey south to Antarctica, the men and sled dogs of the expedition enjoyed a leisurely life, which would be in sharp contrast to the hardships that they would soon face. Amundsen spent encouraged his team members to learn about the conditions they would face by reading books about arctic exploration. He wrote
I consider it an urgent necessity, that each of us be aware of what has already worked in the parts where we go. That is the only means to become familiar in advance with the difficulties which we will have to fight. With that intention I brought a library of Antarctic travel consisting of the books of Cook and James Ross, of Commander Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton too. The different books are read avidly, especially the latter two. The book of Scott and Shackleton, who wrote fascinating accounts accompanied by beautiful plates are always required. So therefore the theoretical education of the employees started vigorously.
Members of the Antarctic Expedition With Their Sled Dogs
Amundsen's Ship Arrives in Antarctica
Above is a picture of the expedition’s sailing ship upon its arrival in Antarctica. In the background is the Great Barrier, a wall of sheer ice.
Offloading Supplies in Antarctica
Upon arrival the members of the Norwegian expedition began offloading their supplies. Dog sleds were used to move the heavier loads. The men put on skis.
Antarctica: The pack ice in the northern Ross Sea.
The Antarctic Base Camp
Amundsen’s expedition was highly organized, which would give him aan edge against the unforgiving elements. The explorer described the expedition’s system for organizing it’s supplies:
The 18th of January we will begin transporting the building material. … All pieces were numbered before the departure and stored in the order in which they should be used so that it will be easy to find it has everything at hand.
The Base Camp from a Distance
Amundsen had brought a number of Eskimo dogs with him because they were adapted to the harsh cold weather. He described the dogs as intelligent and capable of learning tricks and to some extent capable of bonding with their human masters, but also described them as wild, the products of an unforgiving fight for survival: “In their mutual relations, these animals know no other law than that of the strongest.
An Antarctic Seal
Life at the base camp was crowded:
Our common room has ten beds, but since we were nine of us, one bed was put away, and replaced by the crate of the chronometers. The meteorological instruments are hung in the kitchen, the only place we have available. In the attic were we stored the drugs, the syrups, the jams, pickles and sauces and the cream, and we also brought in the library
Antarctica: the tents for the dogs
Cape Manhue, the front of the Barrier to the Bay Walvisch.
Entrance to a Snow Hut
Antarctica: An Expedition Member on Skis
“Checking our equipment was a lot of work. The subject footwear should be thoroughly discussed. The majority is a model of rigid boots, where some changes will be made, others are flexible boots. For the moment it is not so important, and each was allowed to choose his own boots. I vote for my boots with heavy soles and soft upper pieces, which are wide enough to store several pairs of stockings.”
In a tent for the dogs.
The Antarctic Base Camp - the Huts Buried in Snow, with Chimneys Sticking Out
The Men Spent the Time Mending their Gear
The relative comfort of the base camp would not last forever. The men waited for the right weather to start their journey inland. While they waited the men spent the time getting their gear ready.
An Antarctic Winter: much like an Antarctic summer ony much much colder.
Antartica: The Ice Barrier Near the Base Camp
Wisting's workshop, dug into the Great Barrier.
The different models of snow goggles.
In the picture above the men show off their hand made snow goggles. Protecting their eyes from the relentless glare of the sun reflecting off of the snow and ice was essential; otherwise a man could become snow blind.
Minus 80 Degrees Celcius: Extreme Cold
Getting Ready to Leave: Our four runners, each with 13 dogs harnessed.
Finally, the weather allowed the expedition to start their journey to the South Pole. The men and the equipment were ready; the dogs in harness. It was time to go.
The San Francisco Earthquake: a view of the ruined city.
At 5:12 A.M. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906 a major earthquake struck the city of San Francisco and the surrounding area. The earthquake had a likely magnitude of about 7.8 on the richter scale, though some estimates suggest that the quake may have been as high as 8.2.
The earthquake struck near the center of the city, leading to the collapse of many buildings from the shock. Then fires started throughout the city which raged uncontrolled for days. The flames were fought by local citizens and the army, who often used dynamite to demolish homes and create a fire break in the path of the fire. About 3,000 people lost their lives, and the city was left in ruins.
To a world grown weary of natural disasters – Katrina, the Haiti Earthquake, the Indonesian Tsunami, the San Francisco earthquake may seem almost of no consequence. After all the loss of life was far less than many more recent disasters. However we must not underestimate the shock of the San Francisco earthquake on the psyche of the city or the nation. This earthquake was at the time an unprecedented disaster.
The Ruined Business District of San Francisco, After the EarthQuake
The picture above shows what is left of the once thriving business district of San Francisco. Even when the outer facade of the building did not collapse, the interior floors often fell into a heap of rubble. This picture was taken from Nob Hill which offered a good panoramic view of the earthquake.
The aftermath of the Earthquake, Looking East on Market Street
San Francisco Earthquake: The View from Fifth and Market Streets
The San Francisco Earthquake: The Ruins of Market Street
The above picture is an interesting snapshot of the aftermath of the earthquake. A bunch of men in suits and hats, probably businessmen, are standing nonchalantly on Market Street, surrounded by the ruins of their city. Lying in the gutter is a dead man, likely a looter shot by soldiers brought in to restore order.
Looking after the Dead
The above picture is of a mortuary set up by the National Guard in Jefferson Square to collect the dead of the San Francisco earthquake. The guardsman is cataloguing the dead by recording their description and names. There are supplies of embalming fluids and other funerary supplies set up nearby.
A contemporary account described the devastation:
It was 5:15 o’clock in the morning when the terrific earthquake shook San Francisco and the surrounding country. One shock apparently lasted two minutes and there was an almost immediate collapse of flimsy structures all over the former city. The water supply was cut off and when fires broke out in various sections there was nothing to do but to let the buildings burn. Telegraphic and telephone communication was shut off. Electric light and gas plants were rendered useless and the city was left without water, light or power. Street car tracks were twisted out of shape and even the ferry-boats ceased to run.
The dreadful earthquake shock came without warning, its motion apparently being from east to west. At first the upheaval of the earth was gradual, but in a few seconds it increased in intensity. Chimneys began to fall and buildings to crack, tottering on their foundations.
People became panic stricken and rushed into the streets, most of them in their night attire. They were met by showers of falling buildings, bricks, cornices and walls. Many were instantly crushed to death, while others were dreadfully mangled. Those who remained indoors generally escaped with their lives, though scores were hit by detached plaster, pictures and articles thrown to the floor by the shock.
Scarcely had the earth ceased to shake when fires broke out simultaneously in many places.
Streets Buckled by the San Francisco Earthquake
This photograph gives an idea of just how much the earth heaved during the quake: the trolley car tracks have been bent upwards from the ground.
San Francisco Earthquake: The Ruins of Stockton Street
San Francisco Earthquake: Grant Avenue Seen from Market Street
San Francisco Earthquake: Mission Street
San Francisco Earthquake: O'Farrell Street
On the right can be seen the girders of a modern building which have remained standing while all around it the brick and mortar building shave crumbled completely. However the strong metal frame of the new building did not save it from damage: all of its outer walls have collapsed.
Looking North from Sixth and Market Streets, San Francisco
The Ruined Shell of the Orpheum Theater on O'Farrell Street
The fire quickly engulfed the city, despite the efforts of the firefighters. The center was quickly gone; what had not been destroyed by the tremor now was a blackened cinder. A contemporary account described the panic and desparation:
After sucking dry even the sewers the fire engines were either abandoned or moved to the outlying districts.
There was no help. Water was gone, powder was gone, hope even was a fiction. The fair city by the Golden Gate was doomed to be blotted from the sight of man.
The stricken people who wandered through the streets in pathetic helplessness and sat upon their scattered belongings in cooling ruins reached the stage of dumb, uncaring despair, the city dissolving before their eyes had no significance longer.
There was no business quarter; it was gone. There was no longer a hotel district, a theater route, a place where Night beckoned to Pleasure. Everything was gone.
San Francisco on Fire After the Earthquake
A Photograph of the Devastation in the Wholesale District. A Horse Lies Dead in the Middle of the Street, Surrounded by Rubble
Cracks in the Pavement
The Ruins of the Emporium: before the earthquake this was the largest department store west of Chicago
A Rubble Filled Street
The Call Building in the Distance
San Francisco Earthquake - Looking Toward the Ferry from Vallejo Street
There were so many dead that in many cases immediate cremation was deemed necessary to prevent the spread of disease. Many bodies were never identified.
Mark Hopkins Institute on Nob Hill, Before the Earthquake
The landscape of the city was changed forever. The palatial homes on Nob Hill were destroyed by the flames.
San Francisco Hotel - Destroyed by the Fire that Followed the Earthquake
Thousands were left homeless; refugees fled the city by ferry to Oakland and other points. Below is a picture of the ferry terminal, from which many of the injured were evacuated.
Those that remained in the city faced many hardships. With the infrastructure destroyed, exposure and lack of food and water became the enemy. The armed forces organized a relief operation.
A Water Truck Delivering Free Water to the Victims of the Quake
San Francisco Ferry Terminal
Relief Workers Hand Out Clothes for the Homeless
Aftermath of the San Francisco Earthquake: Pulled Down Telegraph and Telephone Wires
Soldiers quickly erected tent cities where the suddenly homeless could find shelter. Below is a picture of the tent city erected in Golden Gate Park.
Refugee Tent City
Even where buildings remained standing they were too structurally damaged to reoccupy. Many San Franciscans had to move into the streets in front of their homes. Below is a photograph of a street with dozens of cooking stoves on the sidewalk, a scene that became very common after the earthquake.
Cooking in the Street
The Wreck of City Hall
St. John's Church
Camp Kitchen in a Refugee Camp After the Earthquake
A Shanty Town Built by Survivors of the San Francisco Quake
Refugees from the fire that destroyed their homes huddle amid what few possessions they were able to carry away to the safety of Telegraph Hill.
The Clock Tower of the Ferry Terminal - the Clock Stopped at 5:15 the Exact Moment that the Earthquake Struck
St. Dominici Church
One of the hardest hit sections was San Francisco’s famous China Town, which was almost completely destroyed by fire.
The picture below shows several thousand Chinese Americans who fled from China Town to the safety of a park.
Refugees from San Francisco's China Town
Personal Belongings Gathered on the Front Lawn of a Destroyed House
People Living in Tents in a Public Square
Refugees in Alameda Park
Survivors of the quake look for the names of loved ones.
In the picture above survivors are scanning a wall on which the names and contact information of other survivors have been placed. With communications destroyed and thousands of people scattered by teh devastation, it many friends and families were separated. This wall served as a collection point. It was a scene that would become painfully familiar again during teh 9-11 disaster.
Empty Shells of Buildings
After the earthquake the city of San Francisco was left in ruins. The city resembled the devastated what would become commonplace in a mere 34 years: the bombed out cities of World War 2 such as Coventry or Nurenburg.
Contemporary writers tried to put a positive spin on the disaster. In The Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror, the authors wrote:
Unexampled as was the loss of property in San Francisco the disaster in that respect alone was converted into a permanent benefit.
No other city with the exception of Chicago ever had such a grand opportunity of rebuilding upon a basis of permanency and beauty.
To a certain extent, they were right. San Francisco was rebuilt and remains today a vibrant beautiful city.
