Category:
Photography and Photographers

Pigeon Drones

Read all about the wartime practice of mounting cameras on pigeons.

At Wikipedia.

And at Public Domain Review, where there are more pictures.



Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 17, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Animals, Inventions, Photography and Photographers, War, Twentieth Century

Vector Portraits by Andrew Bush

"Photographs made while travelling 50 to 70 mph in Los Angeles and other parts of the Southwestern United States." 1989-1997.

More info: andrewbush.net







via Vintage Annals Archive

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 11, 2024 - Comments (6)
Category: Photography and Photographers, Cars

Finnish Floating Trees

A bizarre image, but not an optical illusion or some kind of darkroom trick. It shows trees in Finland strung by a cable over a road as camouflage during World War II. As explained by PetaPixel:

Pine trees were hung from cables which were connected to poles on the right-hand side of the road. The trees were strategically installed there to obscure the view from the nearby enemy Russian tower... the erected trees would not conceal the road from aircraft. But if Russian forces were looking at the area from a watchtower, all they would be able to see was an uninterrupted line of trees.



More info: Finnish Defence Force's photographic archive

Posted By: Alex - Sun May 14, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Photography and Photographers, War, 1940s

A comparison of teflon and plastic

From the Hagley Archive's collection of DuPont Product information photographs.

Definite industrial chemist as dominatrix vibe.

source (1945)


An explanation:

From a boiling bath of hot sulfuric acid, a laboratory technician lifts two rods of plastic. One has charred and deteriorated. The other-a rod of DuPont's new Teflon tetrafluoroethylene resin-is not affected at all by the highly corrosive hot acid. Teflon resists the most corrosive acids and solvents to a degree unequaled by any other plastic. It is not attacked even by aqua regia which dissolves gold and platinum.

A photo of another chemist doing the same thing, but it doesn't have the same vibe to it:

source (1945)

Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 26, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Mad Scientists, Evil Geniuses, Insane Villains, Photography and Photographers, Science, 1940s

A third leg

Back in the nineteenth century, Alexander Robinson operated a photographic studio on the Isle of Man. In 1885 he applied for a British patent (British Patent Specification 15,376) for an unusual invention — a fake third leg, which he envisioned using as a prop in his studio.



From his patent application:

a light artificial leg made to any required size, bent or straight, or with adjustable joint or joints, and to be attached to the person so as to appear to be a third leg. The end next the body is provided with straps, and a joint close to the body or soft air cushion or both so as to fit it in any required position to the body. It must be dressed with trousers, knickerockers, stocking, sock, legging, shoe or boot to correspond with the dress of the wearer, and can be fitted with spurs or not as desired. It is preferaly made of papier-mâché, cork, tin, pasteboard or inflated rubber cloth. To enable two of the legs to rest clear of the ground I prefer to let the real leg at least, or both, to rest on fine wire suspended from above.

His invention makes more sense once you know that the Isle of Man's heraldic coat of arms consists of three legs. I imagine that tourists would come to his studio to get a photograph of themselves with three legs, just like the Isle of Man.



I don't know if Robinson was ever granted a patent for this. The British patent office, unlike the American one, is not fully searchable online. More info: History of Photography journal

Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 14, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Photography and Photographers, Patents, Nineteenth Century

Miss Yashica Gold Venus



20 year old Lova Moor, Cabaret performer at the Paris ''Crazy Horse Saloon'' was elected ''Miss Yashica Gold Venus'' under the sponsorship of the well launching on the French market of the new Electro 35 Mecanicor Camera produced by Yashica.


Source.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Feb 12, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Photography and Photographers, 1960s

Color photographs to fight crime

Use color film so you can see the blood better.

Time - May 19, 1952

Posted By: Alex - Wed Nov 16, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Photography and Photographers, Advertising, 1950s, Blood

Carol Stream Fire Department Group Photo

Now that's how to do a group photo!

"It's a rare occasion when the paid firemen and the volunteers of the Carol Stream, Ill., fire departments get together. So the chief decided there should be a group picture. Other matters could wait, for a big fire, after all, is a real challenge. Actually, they set the fire themselves in an abandoned farm house, just for the practice in putting it out."
Calgary Herald - Apr 22, 1984

Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 18, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Photography and Photographers, Firefighting, Arson, Wildfires, Infernos and Other Conflagrations

Unlikely Reasons for Murder No. 9

These two were "lucky" enough to be immortalized by Weegee.

Article source: The Grand Island Daily Independent (Grand Island, Nebraska) 03 Aug 1936,
Mon Page 1





Posted By: Paul - Tue May 10, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Crime, Scary Criminals, Stupid Criminals, Family, Photography and Photographers, 1930s

Reading Position For A Second Degree Burn

For somewhere between $15,000 to $20,000 you can buy a photograph showing the sunburn that artist Dennis Oppenheim got on Long Island beach in 1970.

According to wikipedia:

Oppenheim describes the piece as a corporeal enactment of painting, going on to state "I could feel the act of becoming red."

Posted By: Alex - Sun Nov 21, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Art, Photography and Photographers, 1970s, Skin and Skin Conditions

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Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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