Latest news with #archive
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Who is 'Miss Atomic Bomb'? A historian searched for 25 years for the answer
LAS VEGAS — It wasn't going to be easy to track down the woman who came to be known as 'Miss Atomic Bomb.' All Robert Friedrichs had to go on was a stage name he found printed under an archival newspaper photo that showed her posing with other Las Vegas showgirls.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Tape letters: The cassettes that capture Bradford's migration stories
When sound artist Wajid Yaseen discovered a collection of old cassette tapes at his mother's home it wasn't the sound of his father's singing that intrigued him but a collection of recorded messages exchanged between his mum and her sister after they emigrated from quickly learned that so-called "tape letters" were a popular means of keeping in touch with relatives in the 1960s and the tapes - and the stories they contain - are featured in a new exhibition at Bradford's Loading Bay arts space, chronicling the experiences of 12 families who left Pakistan to find a new home in the city. "What we have here is the Bradford testimonies," Mr Yaseen said."We've got Bradford experiences. What is was like when they first arrived here and the whole thing of what it was like to send tapes back."Two of the people have since died since we interviewed them. So it's a nice way of honouring their contribution to the archive." Mr Yaseen said his mother moved from Gujar Khan in Pakistan to join her husband in Bradford in the 1960s, while her sister migrated to of writing to each other, the two women used tapes to send messages across the seas as well as other Yaseen's interest in the recordings led him to create an archive of tape letters from families living in Bradford, Leeds and Halifax, as well as Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Warwick, Glasgow and Edinburgh, which has been nationally his work, the 56-year-old discovered a rich seam of oral histories, painting a picture of what life was like for Pakistani-heritage families living in Britain at the time."I thought it was just our family that did it. It turns out there are thousands of families right across the UK," he said."The language on the tapes isn't Urdu and for the most part isn't Punjabi either."It's a language called Pothwari and something like 70% of the Pakistani-heritage families in the UK speak this language. It's an oral-only language."Tapes were used by people like my mum in the 60s, 70s and 80s, we've got some stories that go up to the 90s." The stories on the tapes range from describing the mundanities of everyday life to one Bradford couple who conducted a four-year courtship before committing to an arranged Yaseen, who was born in Manchester but now lives in London, said many of those who used this type of communication were women. He said: "People like my mum couldn't read or write Urdu. "And the reason they couldn' because they didn't go to school, and the reason they didn't go to school was because she was a girl."[There were] instances where my mum needed to reconcile something, issues with families in Pakistan."It got to the point where she was just 'right, okay, I'm actually going to have my own voice heard in my own way' and she'd use these tapes." Tape Letters: Migration on Tape is part of the Bradford City of Culture programme and runs from 22 May until 15 June at the to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Graziadaily
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Graziadaily
Carrie Bradshaw's Best Shoes Have Been Re-Released – And They're Selling Fast
'i lost my choo!' Four words, one simple line, but an iconic catchphrase that catapulted Jimmy Choo from a glamorous shoe brand into a cult label. Uttered by Carrie Bradshaw, while running for the Staten Island ferry (spoiler: she missed the boat), Jimmy Choo remains synonymous with Sex And The City even now. ' Sex And The City was all about four girls living it up in the city, falling in love, finding love – with a massive dose of fashion,' says creative director Sandra Choi. Bradshaw's now-iconic violet velvet, feather-trimmed strappy sandal – the 72138 – is just one of the eight styles from the luxury shoe label's first five years to be reissued by the brand as part of its new collection, The Archive 1997-2001. 'We looked at three decades of work and dialled back to the first five years. Why? Because those years truly represent the heart and soul of Jimmy Choo – they're our roots, where it all began. And in looking at these styles, I saw ideas that are still essential to Jimmy Choo today – eternal values of glamour, of femininity, combined with make and craft,' says Choi. The new collection – available globally now – heroes the style signifiers that have shaped the Jimmy Choo shoe-verse across the past three decades, from animal print to a humorous design detail (see the corsage thong toe detail, reissued from a 2001 best-seller) to the perfect 'taxi shoe'. 'I wanted the strap to be as thin as possible – not spaghetti, but spaghettini .' When shifting through the vast archive, Choi called on two fashion experts for their takes on what makes Jimmy Choo Jimmy Choo. Enter journalist and historian Alex Fury and fashion designer and frequent JC collaborator Connor Ives. 'I think a surprising element [of the collaboration] was the sheer breadth of the collections – they were super-expansive, right from the very start, and full of so many ideas, which Jimmy Choo has never really revisited before,' says Fury. 'I think people often think the brand was just about high heels, just about a very specific type of glamour – which is a reason we wanted to include the Slide style from 1999, which just feels so modern and right. There's a timelessness to all these pieces – they felt right then, they feel right now, they'll feel right tomorrow. That was really exciting.' Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw wearing Jimmy Choo's Leo shoes The pistachio square-toe backless loafer certainly doesn't feel 26 years old – in fact, it could easily be designed now and worn by any number of today's minimalist-living, quiet luxury influencers. 'Think Christy Turlington at the airport,' says Choi. For Ives, who grew up raiding his mum's wardrobe, Jimmy Choo remains the go-to for a perennial party shoe. 'It's sexy, flirty, and fun,' he says, when asked to describe the brand. 'From Princess Diana being an early client and supporter, all the way up to Carrie in Sex And The City , I couldn't think of a more immaculate trajectory. Which brings us to today and the Chloë Sevigny of it all, it's always been donned by the coolest girls.' Fury agrees. 'There are such good vibes around Jimmy Choo – they're shoes that lift your spirits. And that's an incredible legacy and identity to have – it's also that idea of glamour as being not so much about how you look, but how you feel; about confidence and positivity.' For Choi, leaning into its organic megawatt appeal has been crucial to the brand's success. 'We had SATC , then the Spice Girls, then Ab Fab and Friends . It's pure girl power.' Coupling great design while recognising the importance of pop culture, Jimmy Choo was the first brand to dress celebrities on the red carpet. 'Deep down there's always an entrepreneurial spirit,' she says. 'Some of those original stylists are still friends. That red carpet circuit helped make Jimmy Choo.' SJP as Carrie in Jimmy Choo boots As for your own shoedrobe? Those heading to Ibiza this summer might be persuaded to add the Thong to their carry-on: a high-heeled thong sandal with silvered chain mail ('the inspiration came from those famous handkerchief tops. The heel height is 85cm – which is reasonable,' says Choi). The mid-calf boot, remade in python-print leather, feels perfect for summer nights transitioning from office to bar, while the dotty Bow, a style from 2000, ties up the foot in a ladylike court-style shoe. Reimagined in mustard and black, it's prim – with plenty of sass. 'It's been great to step back and acknowledge just how rich the brand's heritage is. Thirty years is a long time and, for me, it's not a new chapter; it's one volume of the book. The material science is different, the way that we live and wear is different. At the very least, what we continue to do is make someone happy,' says Choi. Jimmy Choo 72318 Lilac Suede Sandal with Feather Embellishment The shoes worn by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City series 3 episode 1, this is your new ultimate party sandal. Wear with your favourite dress and always feel fabulous. Jimmy Choo Slide Mint Nubuck Leather Mule Super chic and in the most delicious shade of mint green, wear these with slouchy trousers and crisp white shirts. Jimmy Choo Thong Metallic Nappa Leather Sandal with Metal Mesh Made for Ibiza nights, wear these for drinks, dancing and watching the sun rise. Jimmy Choo Python-Printed Leather Knee-High Boot Imagine these boots with midi dresses and sumptuous coats come autumn/winter. Perfection. Jimmy Choo Bow Spotted Elaphe-Printed Leather Sandal with Knot Detail Swap your classic courts for these chic heels, which will look just as good with jeans as they do tailoring and smart dresses. Jimmy Choo Leo Leopard-Print Grosgrain Sandal For the animal print lovers, this high-octane heel will add glamour to just about any outfit. Jimmy Choo Strappy Black Satin Sandal Timeless, super-chic and with plenty of sex appeal, these strappy black shoes will go with everything you own. Jane McFarland is Grazia's associate editor, overseeing fashion, beauty and luxury content. A fashion journalist for over ten years and previously The Sunday Times Style's Wardrobe Mistress, Jane loves dissecting trends, discovering new brands and writing about personal style. Follow Jane on Instagram here @Jane_McFarland. Hannah Banks-Walker is Grazia's head of fashion commerce. She has previously written for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, The Financial Times, Glamour, Stylist, The Telegraph, Red, i-D and The Pool on everything from fashion to curly hair (hi!) to the patriarchy. Not necessarily in that order. Find her on Instagram and Twitter . But please don't look for her MySpace profile, which until now was the last time she wrote about herself in the third person.
Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Gertrude Stein — self-declared literary genius and ‘Mrs Cuddle-Wuddle'
For the literary biographer, an archive can be as unreliable and secretive as her subject. The American writer Gertrude Stein began submitting boxes of her papers to Yale University ten years before her death, intoxicated by the idea of an afterlife. Stein had always sought fame — or gloire, as she called it; upon her death, she wanted nothing short of immortality. But while she was happy for boxes of her papers to be sent indiscriminately to Yale, and stipulated in her will that any unpublished manuscripts be printed, her life partner and creative collaborator, Alice Toklas, was determined for some secrets to be kept. In her impressive biography of Stein, Francesca Wade is part researcher, part sleuth. Her book is a story of
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dutch-led Suriname team digitizes 100,000 documents to preserve Jewish history in the Caribbean
AMSTERDAM (AP) — The fire that caused significant damage in April to historic buildings in Suriname's capital city was not the only threat facing the nearby Neveh Shalom Synagogue. As firefighters battled to save the historic city center of Paramaribo — a UNESCO World Heritage site — the synagogue's volunteers were busy scanning thousands of archival documents in an effort to preserve the history of the thousands of Jews who have called the Surinamese capital home since the 1700s. The blaze was contained before reaching the synagogue, but at the mercy of other threats, including the tropical climate, insects and time, it was a reminder of how fragile the 100,000 historic documents, kept on pages stored in filing cabinets for decades, were and how vital the preservation project was. The operation to digitize the birth records, land sales and correspondence has been overseen by Dutch academic Rosa de Jong, who had used the archive as part of a PhD study on how Jewish refugees fled the horrors of World War II to the Caribbean, including the tiny South American country of Suriname. 'I felt that my work comes with an obligation to preserve the past that I'm building my career on,' De Jong told The Associated Press. When she finished her academic research, at the University of Amsterdam, last year, De Jong saw an opportunity to return to Suriname and safeguard the files that had been crucial to her work. She raised the financing for cameras, hard drives and travel expenses and returned to Suriname with the aim of making high-quality scans of the hundreds of folios held by the synagogue. The result is more than 600 gigabytes of data stored on multiple hard drives. One will be donated to the National Archives of Suriname to be included in their digital collections. The archived documents show how Suriname was a hub of Jewish life for the Americas. The British who colonized the region gave Jews political and religious autonomy when they first moved to Suriname in 1639 to manage tobacco and sugar cane plantations. When the Dutch took control of the colony, they continued this practice. When Jewish people were forced out of other places in the Americas, they often fled to Suriname. On Christmas Eve in 1942, more than 100 Dutch Jewish refugees, fleeing the horrors of the Holocaust, arrived in Paramaribo. Liny Pajgin Yollick, then 18, was among them. In an oral history project for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, she described the relief she felt when she arrived in Suriname to the sound of a familiar song. 'I remember it was morning and they played Dutch National Anthem for us when we arrived, and everybody was crying. We were very emotional when we heard that because many of us never thought we would ever hear it again,' she said. When the Netherlands was freed from Nazi German occupation three years later, Teroenga, the magazine published for the Jewish congregations in Suriname, ran with the headline 'Bevrijding' ('Liberation'). The archive at Neveh Shalom has a copy of every edition of Teroenga. Key to De Jong's preservation project has been 78-year-old Lilly Duijm, who was responsible for the archive's folders of documents for more than two decades. Born in Suriname, when she was 14 she moved to the Netherlands where she eventually became a nurse. But she returned to her homeland in 1973, just before the colony got its independence, and her four children grew up in Paramaribo. More than anyone, she knows how precious the archive was. 'I told the congregation, as long as the archive is still here, I will not die. Even if I live to be 200 years old,' she tearfully told AP. 'This is keeping the history of my people.'
