The Echo of a Distant Time: September 2026

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

The dream before the river

A softly luminous black-and-white portrait depicts a dark-haired woman seated before sheer curtains, enveloped in an ethereal, translucent gown whose diaphanous fabric pools around her. Small blossoms adorn her long, softly waved hair, while flowering branches descend from above, reinforcing the image’s romantic, dreamlike character. She raises one hand delicately to her lips and gazes upwards with a wistful, almost entranced expression. Diffused backlighting, pale furnishings and gentle tonal contrasts create an atmosphere of fragile, theatrical melancholy reminiscent of Ophelia.

Fay Wray, in the guise of Shakespeare’s tragic beauty Ophelia; photographed for Vanity Fair magazine by Edward Steichen, August 1930. The original ‘scream queen’ was born upon this day, 15 September, in Cardston, Alberta, in 1907.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Saturday, September 12, 2026

The gift of goodbye

I no longer speak a great deal about my personal life upon social media — it was always something of a dead end — and yet I shall say this much: the past several months, I have been attending therapy. Probably long overdue, yeah? Actually, it is not my first go-around, but no matter. In any case, I have had a therapist I genuinely came to appreciate, a kind and estimable young woman. Unfortunately, she is now obliged to leave the practice owing to life circumstances, and the change came about rather suddenly. This morning marked my final appointment with her, which I almost did not make due to my car not starting; thankfully, I had a ride and did manage to say ‘goodbye’ to her.

I share this only to say that it served as a profound reminder to me to cherish always the rare few good people who grace one’s life, because one never knows when a given parting shall prove the last. In brutal honesty, I do not miss the vast majority of my erstwhile friends and acquaintances — as I have always maintained, from hard-earned experience, most people are decidedly NOT good people — yet there remain a select few with whom I wish I had either parted on more amicable terms or who might yet remain in my life. I am grateful that, for one such individual at least, I was afforded the opportunity to say a proper farewell — and ‘thank you’.

— Arthur Newhook, 12 September 2026

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Sunday, September 6, 2026

The last star of the silents ★: Anita Page

A sophisticated black-and-white Hollywood portrait depicts Anita Page standing within a sleek Art Deco interior, leaning lightly against a geometric wall. Her short blonde hair is arranged in soft Marcel waves, while layered pearls accentuate the elegance of her dark satin playsuit, elaborately decorated with floral appliqué and beadwork. She gazes downwards with a serene, introspective expression while holding an ornate hand mirror before her. Her crossed legs, pale stockings and pointed shoes create an elongated, graceful silhouette. Dramatic directional lighting isolates her against deep architectural shadows, giving the composition the polished glamour and sculptural luminosity characteristic of George Hurrell’s studio photography.

George Hurrell

Celebrating the silver-screen goddess from Flushing, Queens: Anita Page; 4 August 1910 to 6 September 2008. A luminary at MGM during the industry’s transition from silent films to ‘talkies’, particularly between 1928 and 1933, with only occasional returns to acting thereafter, this ‘blonde, blue-eyed Latin’ was equally renowned as a frequent muse for some of the era’s most celebrated photographers, foremost among them George Hurrell, Ruth Harriet-Louise, and Clarence Sinclair-Bull.

Legend hath it that the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini proposed marriage unto her from afar, yet by age twenty-three she had essentially retired from full-time work; by 1937, she was wed to a Navy pilot, with whom she bore two daughters. In her later years, she came to be known as ‘the last star of the silents’, remembered both as the final surviving attendee of the inaugural Academy Awards ceremony in 1929 and for lending her presence to a succession of direct-to-video horror films well into her tenth decade of life.

A striking black-and-white studio portrait depicts Anita Page posing against a plain wall while holding an unusually long, banjo-like stringed instrument diagonally across her body. Her blonde hair falls in softly sculpted waves, framing a playful yet self-assured expression directed towards the camera. She wears a dark satin brassiere and high-waisted shorts beneath a loose patterned sleeveless garment, with dark pumps completing the theatrical ensemble. One leg crosses casually before the other, while stark directional lighting projects dramatic shadows of both woman and instrument onto the wall. The unconventional prop, abbreviated costume and stylised illumination give the portrait a mischievous, avant-garde quality characteristic of late-1920s Hollywood glamour photography.

Ruth Harriet-Louise

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

A provocative black-and-white studio portrait depicts Anita Page standing barefoot against an almost completely black background, her body turned partly sideways as she gazes towards the camera with an intense, apprehensive expression. Her blonde hair falls in long, sculpted waves over her shoulders, while an abbreviated dark costume leaves much of her figure exposed. She grips an enormous pair of theatrical scissors with both hands, their elongated blades extending dramatically towards the floor. Stark illumination isolates her pale figure and the gleaming blades from the surrounding darkness, giving the composition a surreal, faintly menacing sensuality characteristic of adventurous late-1920s Hollywood publicity photography.

Clarence Sinclair-Bull

Before the Autumn came

A softly illuminated colour photograph depicts Christina Lindberg standing amid tall, sunlit grass, her body turned partly away while she looks back towards the camera with a quiet, searching expression. Her long brown hair falls loosely over her shoulders as she lifts a pale green top across her chest, revealing her bare midriff above delicate white briefs. The surrounding field dissolves into a luminous blur of cream and gold, while darker woodland forms a subdued backdrop in the distance. Natural backlighting traces her hair and figure with a warm glow, lending the composition a pastoral, dreamlike sensuality characteristic of early-1970s glamour photography.

source unknown, possibly via Playboy

Praying for brighter days upon this Sunday morning in early September, in the company of the Swedish goddess Christina Lindberg. Here seen in her early-1970s glory, during the period in which she reigned as one of the pre-eminent erotic models and stars of the ‘sexploitation’ genre — a curious corner of cinema not wanting in its own peculiar audacity. A brilliant woman who studied Latin as a schoolgirl, Ms Lindberg eventually established herself as a magazine editor and journalist, yet hath continued to grace the screen through occasional acting appearances as recently as 2020.

A softly lit colour photograph depicts Christina Lindberg reclining languidly upon a bed, her eyes closed and dark hair spread across the pillow. She wears a white camisole edged with delicate lace, while her bare legs extend diagonally across rumpled white bedding. One arm rests above her head as the other hand lies loosely against her upper thigh, giving the pose an unguarded, dreamlike quality. Pink and white flowers beside her provide the composition’s principal accent of colour. Diffused daylight filtering through pale curtains creates a warm, hazy atmosphere, lending the intimate scene the gentle, romantic sensuality characteristic of early-1970s glamour photography.

source unknown, possibly via Penthouse

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

source unknown, possibly via Playboy

Friday, September 4, 2026

Grace without end

Universal publicity photo

The First Lady of Hollywood: Irene Dunne, 20 December 1898 to 4 September 1990. Elegance, intelligence, and warmth personified. Best remembered as the reigning queen of screwball comedy, she was likewise an exceptionally versatile actress, earning five Academy Award nominations for Best Actress across three distinct genres — a Western, three comedies, and a drama. Beyond the screen, she distinguished herself as a noted philanthropist, serving as a delegate to the United Nations during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower, whilst also holding senior positions with the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society. During the Second World War, she co-founded the Hollywood Victory Committee alongside Clark Gable. It is impossible to encapsulate so remarkable a lady’s career in a single paragraph, yet Irene Dunne was, and shall forever remain, a quintessential Hollywood exemplar — no questions asked.

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Portrait in smoke: remembering Cassandra Wilson

A black-and-white portrait depicts Cassandra Wilson gazing steadily towards the camera against a plain, softly illuminated background. Her long locs cascade over her shoulders and frame her composed, contemplative expression. She wears a dark, low-cut off-the-shoulder garment with a delicate pearl necklace, creating an understated elegance heightened by the monochrome treatment. One hand is raised loosely beside her face, holding a slender cigarette, while the other rests near her waist. The restrained composition, subtle tonal contrasts and direct gaze give the photograph an intimate, sophisticated character, balancing quiet self-possession with an air of smoky, bohemian glamour.

Blue Note Records

A tad late in posting this, but fare thee well, Cassandra Wilson: the great jazz vocalist departs this ungrateful world, aged 70. {NPR 2 September}

https://www.npr.org/2026/09/02/nx-s1-5954558/cassandra-wilson-grammy-winning-jazz-vocalist-dies-at-70

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🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈