The Photographic Past, Part V

A rare and bizarre photograph of the unfinished Golden Gate Bridge, back when San Francisco—like much of the world—was black and white (Seriously, folks—where would we be without color television?). After four years of construction, the world-famous bridge hosted "Pedestrian Day" on May 27, 1937, and opened to vehicular traffic the very next day ("Bridge History and Construction"). (ca. 1935)

Princess Diana photographed alone at the Taj Mahal during a state visit to India with Prince Charles. Whether or not this particular picture shows the aftermath of royal lover’s quarrel, Diana and Charles would go on to divorce in August of 1996- twelve months before the Princess’s fatal car accident in Paris ("Biography of Diana, Princess of Wales"). (ca. 1992)

Maria Ginest—a 17-year-old girl, communist, and militant in the Spanish Civil War—takes a moment to pose while overlooking Barcelona. La Guerra Civil Española, which involved a great number of foreign participants from Germany, Italy, and elsewhere, resulted in the establishment of General Francisco Franco's 36-year fascist regime in Spain. (ca. 1936)

Louis Armstrong serenades his wife in perhaps the most romantic of settings: in front of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza (note: This is a colorized version of the original photograph). Next to the 4500-year-old ancient Egyptian wonders, "Satchmo" was actually quite young at 60 years old. Three years later, when Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" knocked The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" off the top of the charts, he became the oldest artist to ever hold the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Chart Beat Chat"). A true legend indeed. (ca. 1961)

A gorgeous New York Central Mercury train departing Cleveland’s Union Station in the mid-1930's. The Mercury train series was designed by Henry Dreyfuss, the industrial designer responsible for the Western Electric 302 Telephone and the iconic John Deere Model A Tractor ("Henry Dreyfuss"). Cleveland... was not so fortunate in its design. (ca. 1936)

Poetry in Motion: The 1966 NBA Finals, which pitted the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers, as shot by Walter Iooss. Perhaps even more striking than Bill Russell's imposing defensive posturing is the lack of corporate advertisement that dominates today's arenas (and tomorrow's uniforms…). (ca. 1966)

The earliest-known photograph of Jerusalem, taken by French photographer Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey in 1844. The photograph, which was was unknown to the general public until the 1920's, shows The Temple Mount as it was more than 150 years ago. The sacred site, which has been in use for thousands of years, is associated with at least four religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Roman-era Paganism. (ca. 1844)

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"Biography of Diana, Princess of Wales." BiographyOnline.net. Biography Online, Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://www.biographyonline.net/people/biography_princess_diana.html>.

"Bridge History and Construction."  GoldenGateBridge.org. Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District, Web. 27 Feb. 2014 <http://goldengatebridge.org/research/facts.php#HowLongtoBuild>.

Bronson, Fred. "Chart Beat Chat." Billboard.com. Billboard, Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046517/chart-beat-chat>.

"Henry Dreyfuss." CooperHewitt.org. Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://www.cooperhewitt.org/tagged/henry-dreyfuss>.