The Circus Girls, 1949

There’s something about this photo story that I dug out of the LIFE archives that makes me want to pack up my website and join the circus. Shot by the acclaimed photographer Nina Leen in 1949, we find our sassy subculture of circus girls in Sarasota, Florida, dubbed “the home of the American circus”. You…

The Chelsea Arts Ball, 1947: The Most Scandalous Party of New Year’s Eve

Some of you might have understandably sworn off parties this New Year’s Eve and plan to slink away for a low-key night in, but before the countdown begins, I thought I might tempt you to join me on my time machine to take a tour of the most scandalous New Year’s party of them all, the Chelsea Arts…

Santa School Circa. 1961

With Christmas being so close you can almost taste the eggnog, I thought I’d better step up my Yuletide game here at MessyNessyChic. So let’s hop on our sleigh and travel back in time to 1961 Albion, New York, and take a tour inside Santa School … (it’s basically better than Lapland). Established in 1937,…

Why don’t they bring back Ice-Skating Cocktail Waiters?

Winter is coming, and while I do enjoy having an excuse to quote Game of Thrones at any given moment, you know what would be really fun? Skating cocktail waiters delivering whisky and wine at our beck and call, pirouetting in their coat tails as they skate off to fetch our 3rd round. That, my soon-to-be frost-bitten friends, would be a…

The First Miss Universe Pageant, 1952

Beauty pageants are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. We all know they’re silly and superficial but does anyone else here count Drop Dead Gorgeous as one of their favourite comedies from the 90s? What I like about this photo series that I pulled out of the trusty LIFE archives, is the behind-the-scenes element…

Take a Tour of a 1964 Underground Fallout Home

I found this little gem of a photo series on my weekly fish through the LIFE archives, accompanied by just a few clues to the full story behind it. Filed under “Underground House in Denver, photographed in 1964 by Robert W Kelley”, I did a quick Google search of underground homes built or exhibited in 1964. The most…

Mystery Flight to Paradise, 1950

It’s a summer Friday afternoon at the office and all you can think about is: “anywhere but here”! Really, anywhere? In that case, hop aboard the Mystery Flight with Capital Airlines circa 1950… You might end up in the Alps, you might find yourself sipping mojitos on the beach, so pack accordingly. This lady has the right…

Kangaroo Bathtime at a New York City Madhouse

Anyone who has a pet knows that bathtime can be a rather tricky affair. But after discovering this photo story deep in the LIFE archives, giving a thorough scrub to my oversized pup now seems like a breeze, in fact, I’m rather looking forward to it! I found these photographs without any accompanying information other than…

The Shoreditch Live Animal Market, 1946

Once upon a time, you could purchase a lion cub on the streets of Shoreditch. At the Club Row Animal Market, just north of Bethnal Green Road, every Sunday the cobblestone road would transform into a theatrical scene where the whoop of monkeys, the howling of dogs, the singing of exotic birds and the hissing…

Beauty School Dropout

Today, the internet bus driver is dropping us off at the Helena Rubinstein beauty school, circa 1940-something. This might sound like a lovely, pink and fluffy sort of place, but as you’ll soon realise, beauty school is anything but. Photographs by Nina Leen, fished out from one of my favourite places on the net, the…