Lord_k's Article – October 2009 Archive (31)

Saturday Fashion Show

I believe the beauty and fashion are as important to our Engine as cars and trains, dystopian books and horror movies, airships and submarines.

So let me present the works of talented Mr. Eisenstaedt:

Yes, the same Alfred Eisenstaedt who is widely known as a master of candid photography. Working for the LIFE magazine since 1936, he shot at least three cycles of fashion shots (1938 and 1939). Here are some of these - enjoy the…

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Added by lord_k on October 31, 2009 at 4:00am — No Comments

Lord K's Garage - 9th Issue. TRUCKS GO TO WAR

Some of them are ugly or even scary. But it's not a question of aesthetics. They worked. They fought. They won.

1943 Dodge T207

Enjoy the slideshow:

Find more photos like this on Dieselpunks

Or browse the… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 30, 2009 at 5:00am — 2 Comments

Dieselpunk Era Liners

Modern cruise ships are incredibly large, luxurious and comfortable, but charm is not their strong side. Interwar era liners are charming. Here's a short review. Let us begin with the German advertisement for the Norddeutscher Lloyd (c. 1930):

In the middle there is S.S. Columbus, originally named Hindenburg. Launched in 1914, she made her maiden voyage only in 1924:

Her sister ship was ceded to to Great…

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Added by lord_k on October 29, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

World War 2 Biplanes

We use to think that WW2 was a monoplanes' war. But a considerable number of biplanes took their part in air combat.

They were very different - obsolete like the Finnish (British-built) Gloster Gauntlets and brand-new Soviet Polikarpov I-153s. Most of them were fighters, but there were also bombers and attackers - like the German Henschel Hs 123. Some were carrier-based like the British Gloster Gladiator fighter and… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 28, 2009 at 8:00am — 5 Comments

The 1930s by Margaret Bourke-White

Margaret Bourke-White is a woman of many firsts. Her work covers all the aspects of the Dieselpunk Age: industry and politics, war and fashion, life of the common people and of the rulers.

She was a forerunner in the newly emerging field of photojournalism, and was the first female to be hired as such. She was the first photographer for Fortune magazine, in 1929. She was the premiere female industrial photographer, getting her start… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 27, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

Dieselpunk Icon: Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004) was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism, an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography.

He helped develop the "street photography" or "real life reportage" style that has influenced generations of photographers that followed.

In 1931 he acquired the Leica camera with 50 mm lens that would accompany him for many years. He… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 26, 2009 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

One Airship, Some Blimps

Here are the photos of USS Macon, a flying aircraft carrier, plus some US Navy Blimps, taken on different locations in 1934 and 1942:

USS Macon (ZRS-5) was a rigid airship built and operated by the United States Navy for scouting. It served as a flying aircraft carrier, launching Sparrowhawk biplanes. In service for less than two years,… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 25, 2009 at 6:30am — 2 Comments

Cornerstone of the Genre: Huxley's 'Brave New World'

Ridley Scott is going back to the futurism, Reuters tells us. The "Blade Runner" director is joining forces with Leonardo DiCaprio to take on one of the most highly regarded dystopian works of literature:

While Sir Ridley is making all the necessary preparations let us refresh the info on Huxley's novel. It was written in 1931 and published in… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 24, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Lord K's Garage - 8th Issue. HUMBLE WORKHORSES

It is a perfect day to pay the tribute to the American trucks - full-size and pick-ups, so beautiful even in their ugliness, so cool, almost human. Like this 1940 Dodge Half-Ton Pick-up:

Or this 1938 Studebaker Coupe Express:

Or these 1939 International Harvester D-300s (beer, anybody?):

Humble workhorses of the Great… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 23, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

London Art Deco

London is rarely considered an 'Art Deco Mecca'. But actually there is a place for all styles in the British capital - with a rather good deal of Deco and the 30s Modernism. Just a few examples:

Adelphi House

By Mister Peter! @ Flickr…

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Added by lord_k on October 22, 2009 at 7:30am — 6 Comments

Inside the Zeppelin

Just a few photos of the magnificent LZ127 Graf Zeppelin. Interior photos:

Now the kitchen (equipped with double electric stove and other useful appliances) without the cooks:

Passenger compartment

Deck plan

Ladies' bathroom

Dinner hall

Radio room

The… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 21, 2009 at 6:30am — 3 Comments

What if?.. An Indirect Contribution

Among the books that ignited interest for 'a future that never was' this novel is probably the most significant.

Fatherland, written by Robert Harris, appeared in 1992 in the midst of political debate around European integration and German re-unification. Part of this debate (first and foremost, the fear of German-dominated Europe) helped to sell over 3 million copies. From the point of pure literature, the book is far from… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 20, 2009 at 6:30am — 4 Comments

Galloping Geese

Galloping Goose is the name given to a series of seven railcars (also known as "motors") built in the 1930s by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) and operated until the end of service on the line in the early 1950s.

Originally running steam locomotives on narrow gauge railways, the perpetually-struggling RGS developed the first of the "geese" as a way to stave off bankruptcy and keep its contract to run mail to towns in the Rocky Mountains in… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 19, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

Practical Futurism: Fortunato Depero

Ordering a Campari, do we ever wonder who designed the Campari glass? No, we don't. We use to think that the glass always existed, as if it appeared from nowhere. So let's honor its designer - Fortunato Depero!

Born in Fondo (in the Italian Trentino region), Depero grew up in Rovereto and it was here he first began exhibiting his works, while serving as an apprentice to a marble worker. It was on a 1913 trip to Florence that he discovered… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 18, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

The Largest Land Plane in the World!

The Junkers G.38 was a large German four-engined transport aircraft which first flew in 1929. Two prototypes were constructed in Germany. Both aircraft flew as a commercial transport within Europe in the years leading up to World War II.

The G.38 carried a crew of seven. On board mechanics were able to service the engines in flight due to the G.38's blended wing design which provided access to all four diesel powerplants. Its wingspan…

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Added by lord_k on October 17, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

Lord K's Garage - 7th Issue. TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES

Triumph automobiles are gone, but Triumph motorcycles are still here. Today, just a brief look at their glorious past - the 40s and early 50s:

And eleven more, representing the first postwar years: 3T de Luxe, Tiger 85 & 100, glorious Speed Twin - the pride of Triumph:…

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Added by lord_k on October 16, 2009 at 4:00am — 2 Comments

Icons of Dieselpunk: Hugh Ferriss

It's hard to find an artist with more influence upon the genre. From Metropolis to Equilibrium, from the dark 1920s imagery to even darker cyberpunk fantasies, the hand of Ferriss is visible. The brave new world he created emerged as Gotham.

Hugh Ferriss (1889 – 1962) was an American delineator (one who creates perspective drawings of buildings) and architect. According to Daniel Okrent, Ferriss never designed a single… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 15, 2009 at 7:00am — 1 Comment

World War 2 in Color

Today, let me present the artwork of Gleb Vasilyev, a Ukrainian artist. For example, a pair of Allied fighter planes:

All pictures have captions. Two of them refer to the days of pre-dreadnought navy, all the rest - to the WWII. Enjoy the slideshow:

Find more photos like this on Dieselpunks

or browse… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 14, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Marinetti in His Own Words

Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti (December 22, 1876 – December 2, 1944) was an Italian ideologue, poet, editor, and founding father of the Futurist movement. Here's his historic Manifesto.

Fine arts' bad boy, a true revolutionary, he ended his days as a Member of Academy and an ally of the most reactionary regime. But he was always… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 13, 2009 at 7:00am — 1 Comment

Flying Hamburger

The DRG Class SVT 877 Hamburg Flyer – sometimes also сalled "Flying Hamburger" (in German Fliegender Hamburger) – was Germany's first fast diesel train, and is credited with establishing the fastest regular railway connection in the world in its time.

Fliegender Hamburger

Correctly named the "Baureihe SVT 877" (later "DB Baureihe VT 04 000 a/b"), the diesel-electric powered train was used to carry passengers between Berlin and Hamburg. It entered… Continue

Added by lord_k on October 12, 2009 at 5:30am — 1 Comment