Now that I've ditched the wedding band, I'm gonna go out first thing and get properly laid.
A few days ago we commented that mid-century photo-journalists documented many sad moments that took place in police stations and courthouses, so we thought we’d flip the script and share some happy shots. Above you see a woman who’s just been granted a divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Note the smile. That’ll happen when you drop two-hundred pounds of dead weight. She has a name. It’s Vicki Richards, according to the photo data, and she’s got great expectations today in 1958. She’s nobody famous, but newspaper photographers, those parasites (that we love for having documented all this, but still parasites) routinely made shots of women who’d just severed the matrimonial bonds. We have some examples below, mostly from 1957 and 1958, with a couple from 1951, all culled from the University of Southern California’s digital archive. At the very bottom we also have, accessible via links, more divorce shots, including several featuring celebrities.
“I’m going to find a man who’ll make an absolute rat’s nest of my hair when we fuck.”
“I feel like an animal on the prowl suddenly. I feel like… I dunno, like a cougar! Hey, that’s pretty catchy.”
“I just want to be happy. Happy in a very public way that I can shove in my ex-husband’s ugly face.”
“It’s nice to be single again. And it’s self evident, wouldn’t you agree, that I’ll have a date before I even get out of the courthouse?”
“So, I’ve heard that what men really like is a lady in the street but a freak in the bed. I’m going to give that duality a whirl.”
The petitioner will please stop eye-fucking the bailiff!
“I know I look nervous, but it’s because there’s so much I don’t know. For example, during the ménage à trois I’ve set up for later do we start with sixplay?”
“That’s it? It’s over? I’m free? I might cry tears of joy with my vagina.”
“Trust me—underneath this demure white doily beats the heart of an unrepentant sex degenerate.”
“Heh. One of the other divorcées just told me that there are penises considerably larger than five inches. Women exaggerate so.”
“Who, me? I’m sorry, I can’t—I’m a married woman. But ask me again in about forty minutes.”
“I’ve been unfulfilled for a long time. I plan to become filled.”
“Maybe at home I’ll make some mint tea, run a bath and— Whoa! Look at the bulge on that hunk of man meat! Evening plans—ka-ching—changed!”
“My friends here have convincingly argued that I don’t need a man at all.”
American lawyer Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury in connection with an investigation by the House unAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC), at which he was questioned about being a Soviet spy. Hiss served forty-four months in prison. Hiss maintained his innocence and fought his perjury conviction until his death in 1996 at age 92.
1977—Carter Pardons War Fugitives
U.S. President Jimmy Carter pardons nearly all of the country’s Vietnam War draft evaders, many of whom had emigrated to Canada. He had made the pardon pledge during his election campaign, and he fulfilled his promise the day after he took office.
1915—Claude Patents Neon Tube
French inventor Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube, in which an inert gas is made to glow various colors through the introduction of an electrical current. His invention is immediately seized upon as a way to create eye catching advertising, and the neon sign comes into existence to forever change the visual landscape of cities.
1937—Hughes Sets Air Record
Millionaire industrialist, film producer and aviator Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles, California to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds. During his life he set multiple world air-speed records, for which he won many awards, including America’s Congressional Gold Medal.
1967—Boston Strangler Convicted
Albert DeSalvo, the serial killer who became known as the Boston Strangler, is convicted of murder and other crimes and sentenced to life in prison. He serves initially in Bridgewater State Hospital, but he escapes and is recaptured. Afterward he is transferred to federal prison where six years later he is killed by an inmate or inmates unknown.
Giovanni Benvenuti was one of Italy's most prolific paperback cover artists. His unique style is on display in multiple collections within our website.
