 French cover model earns her stripes. 
This is the first issue of the Parisian art deco magazine Vénus we’ve had on the site. There’s a reason for that—they’re rare. And there’s a reason for that—they’re amazing. We think it’s the prettiest mid-century French art magazine ever made, and that’s really saying something, because plenty were published. This one survives from January 1937 and when we saw it at one of bouquinistes adjacent to the Seine it seemed to leap out from all the publications on offer. And no wonder—the cover photo-illustration of a woman dressed as a sort of theatre usher riding a carousel zebra is an instant classic. We’ve already made a high resolution scan of it and are thinking of having it framed. Our website (and other vintage websites) implicitly ask whether we are today living in a less artful age. Vénus answers that question definitively, especially when you consider that it was only one (but the best in our opinion) of a dozen or more French magazines of similar stripe (heh, because of the zebra). For a refresher on what was going on in Paris during the mid-century era check here, here, here, here, and here, but only after you scroll down and enjoy the interior of Páris, including a stunning overleaf, a great rear cover, and photography from Schostal, Caillaus, and others.                     
 Bonjour ma chérie, je vais vous manger les os et tout. 
She may look like she’s going to kill and eat the next person she sees, but to French readers of the 1930s this was apparently a come hither look. We’ve seen many issues of Seduction on auction sites but haven’t bought any. Not sure if we will at some point, simply because the magazine’s contents are similar to those of others we already own from the time period. However, the covers are a different story—they’re unusual, and consist solely of photos or photo-illustrations of faces by lensmen such as Schostal or Roye, or sometimes drawings by artists like Davanzo. Above is the work of Horace Roye, who was in his late twenties and just establishing himself when he did this cover, but would go on to international fame, sometimes doing considerably edgier work, like his infamous crucified nude wearing a gas mask. This is a beautiful image, even with the model’s psycho smile. Luckily the other covers aren’t quite so weird. Below are eleven your pleasure, 1934 to 1939. And if you want to see another humorously phony smile, look here.           
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The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
2011—Elizabeth Taylor Dies
American actress Elizabeth Taylor, whose career began at age 12 when she starred in National Velvet, and who would eventually be nominated for five Academy Awards as best actress and win for Butterfield 8 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, dies of congestive heart failure in Los Angeles. During her life she had been hospitalized more than 70 times. 1963—Profumo Denies Affair
In England, the Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, denies any impropriety with showgirl Christine Keeler and threatens to sue anyone repeating the allegations. The accusations involve not just infidelity, but the possibility acquaintances of Keeler might be trying to ply Profumo for nuclear secrets. In June, Profumo finally resigns from the government after confessing his sexual involvement with Keeler and admitting he lied to parliament. 1978—Karl Wallenda Falls to His Death
World famous German daredevil and high-wire walker Karl Wallenda, founder of the acrobatic troupe The Flying Wallendas, falls to his death attempting to walk on a cable strung between the two towers of the Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Wallenda is seventy-three years old at the time, but it is a 30 mph wind, rather than age, that is generally blamed for sending him from the wire. 2006—Swedish Spy Stig Wennerstrom Dies
Swedish air force colonel Stig Wennerström, who had been convicted in the 1970s of passing Swedish, U.S. and NATO secrets to the Soviet Union over the course of fifteen years, dies in an old age home at the age of ninety-nine. The Wennerström affair, as some called it, was at the time one of the biggest scandals of the Cold War. 1963—Alcatraz Closes
The federal penitentiary located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay closes. The island had been home to a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison over the years. In 1972, it would become a national recreation area open to tourists, and it would receive national landmark designations in 1976 and 1986.
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