Rare Vintage Photos of Old Hollywood Stars at Home

There’s a major difference between the celebrities of today versus the stars of old Hollywood: social media. Today, fans have direct access to their favorite actors and musicians, and nothing is off-limits. They share what they had for breakfast, where they’re vacationing, and what the inside of their closets look like. But the same can’t truly be said for old Hollywood stars, like Marylin Monroe, Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, Vincent Price, and Elizabeth Taylor, right? Well, yes and no.

While it was a little easier for the stars of yesteryear to carry an air of mystery about themselves, these film and radio legends still managed to share a bit of their personal lives with adoring fans around the world, reminding everyone that behind the flashing bulbs of glamorous red carpet premieres, someone still needs to iron the clothes, cook meals, and sort through the mail.

These rare pictures of old Hollywood stars at home capture what their lives were like off set, from their hobbies to their baking and doing housekeeping tasks just like everyone else.

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Vintage photos of home delivery in NJ

Greg Hatala/For NJ Advance Media

Vintage photos of home delivery in NJ

Home delivery is one of those things that was taken for granted and then disappeared, for the most part.

In recent years, the service has made a resurgence. And now, with stay-at-home orders in place, the need is great, indeed.

I would say there’s one major difference between home deliveries made now and those completed in days-gone-by.

Today, home delivery of goods and food comes after an order is placed online or by telephone. A courier brings exactly what was ordered — nothing more, nothing less (hopefully).

In days not too long ago, businesses stayed competitive by bringing the store – or as much of it as they could – to people’s doors.

Vendors — at first with horse-drawn wagons and later with trucks — would certainly deliver what was requested from brick-and-mortar locations, but in many cases drivers would arrive on a regular schedule with an array of additional items from which to choose.

In “the old days,” salesmen would visit neighborhoods with varieties of produce, baked goods, sewing items, seafood — just to name a handful.

Who knows? Maybe the trend will return.

Here’s a gallery

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Recreating Shanghai of yesteryear with vintage portrait photos

Shot by Hu Jun. Edited by Hu Jun. Subtitles by Yang Yang.

The former Renmin Photo Studio, now the Shanghai New People’s Photography Company, offers the opportunity to recreate vintage photos in the 1940s Shanghai style.

Although the cameras have changed, the traditions of studio photography in Shanghai continue, but most of the state-owned photo studios have been closed or privatized. Shanghai New People is the only state-owned photo studio still operating in the city.

Hu Jun / SHINE

Fiona Li takes a photo at the former Renmin Photo Studio.

During the 1950s, the photo studio was popular with local celebrities such as film stars Bai Yang and Zhao Dan, artists Liu Haisu and Zhu Qizhan and popular writer Ba Jin. In the 1980s, the Renmin Studio introduced a new approach to studio portraits, becoming the most popular photo studio in the city, especially for weddings and family pictures.

Hu Jun / SHINE

A small exhibition on the first floor features old photos of local celebrities.

The studio on Hefei Road displays its history with a small exhibition on the first floor, featuring old photos of local celebrities between 1930 and 1980, as well as photographic equipment used by the

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