national geoFANTASTIC (yes? no? i'll stop.)

IMG_0253
Life is so lovely sometimes. My art teacher has a BUNCH of old National Geographics from the 70's-now and, probably upon hearing my gasping/screeching and then silence for 15 minutes straight as I was flipping through them, let me keep a few issues! National Geographic's pictures now are already amazing but the 70's ones are grainy and some have rounded corners and the covers have flower borders and it's all just so CUTE. And being the impractical nerd I am, I much prefer this to good quality, detailed, updated pictures. Meh meh meh meh.
My favorites are the features on different cultures. That's already interesting in the new issues but to see pictures of and read about really unknown ones from 35 years ago is enough to keep me up all night (party animal, I KNOW.)
So speaking of quality, I'm sorry these suck so much - I REALLY wish we had a scanner - but you get the jist and such, ya? More here.
IMG_0312
IMG_0310
IMG_0309
IMG_0308
IMG_0307
IMG_0302
IMG_0301
Total granny inspiration.
IMG_0299
IMG_0298
IMG_0296
IMG_0292
IMG_0282
IMG_0279
Reminds me of Ryan McGinley's Moonmilk.
IMG_0278
IMG_0277
IMG_0275
IMG_0274
IMG_0271
IMG_0270
IMG_0266
IMG_0261
IMG_0260
This chick reminds me of Margot Tenenbaum.
IMG_0258
More granny steez.
IMG_0257
IMG_0256
IMG_0255
And an article on Yves Saint Laurent from a 1989 issue. Fairly readable when you click on them and click "all sizes" on their flickr pages.
IMG_0283
IMG_0284
IMG_0285
IMG_0286
IMG_0287
IMG_0288
Oh scheduled posts, you are so efficient. By the time this is published I am probably searching for food in the hotel and dumping all my luggage on the bed.

112 comments:

Meghan said...

I love those pictures :)
Looking great <3

Sofie Marie said...

oh wowza,I never knew national geographic could be so interesting.

Soren Lorensen said...

hey I bet that sheep one inspired that ad where the model is holding a lamb in a field and is fake naked or something

the model not the lamb

English Rose ♥ said...

lovee these pictures they are incredibly beautiful - there is something quite magical about them - really makes you realise there's a whole wide world out there...

http://iamanenglishrose.blogspot.com

Peanut Leigh said...

i always loved looking through these during art class as well! fantastic inspiration!

www.maisondepeanutleigh.com
{uninhibited fashion}

Mademoiselle Chloe said...

I like old books which surprise you with their beautiful content :)

C A said...

Did you know that Yves didn't die because of cancer? ...

@ MaisonChaplin.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

My dentist keeps a stack of early 1980s National Geographics in his waiting room. So now I always wish my wait for the half yearly check up was a little bit longer :-)

FutureLint said...

Old National Geographics are the best! Go to a Half Price Books or similar used book store and stock up on them for a quarter (or you can be like me and jump into their paper only recycling dumpster after hours and get them for freees!)

Unknown said...

OK, now i'm just plain jealous ;P

Lucy said...

You're right, these are fantastic. Great post.

simonesays said...

You really are the cutest little nerd ever, you know. These photos rock.

annie cat said...

Thanks for sharing these, ms party animal.

Flora Márquez said...

National Geographic is amazing, and I really loved that selection that you made. The pictures are great!

talia&lilyrose said...

I love NG and you chose some great pics ! Just love the total grany inspirations images !!!
talia

Amy said...

I read about you on another blog and wanted to stop by and say hello. Great blog and mind you have.. Have a great weekend.

emsydo said...

i love natgeo too! so much that i call it natgeo! photos are always full of life.
damn you are so lucky to get ones from the 70's. i think the oldest ones i've read were like, 1995. >.<

Isabel said...

I love old National Geographics! They're really easy to collect, you should do it!

eloise said...

haha wow my art teacher has really old national geographic magazines too!
she's got them dumped in a box in the back of the room for us to use for collages and stuff.
one time i found an issue from 1958 and snuck it into my bag when no one was looking...mwuahaha

bobb said...

These are great:). The "Granny Inspiration" one is my favorite.

all dressed up with nowhere to go said...

i love that you said the word "Steez" because my nerdbrother says that all the time & in the words of my brother


"your steez meter is off the charts!"

JULIA said...

that pretty much happened to me a few months ago... now one patch of my wall is filled with 70's natgeos like yours probably will be too :P

Anonymous said...

sooo cooooooolllllll

Katy said...

I love these pictures and I love hotels.

Grand Pooba said...

I love good photography (which is probably why I like your site) Actually, I'm a newbie to your site but I'm loving it already!

(Are there really naked people swimming in the middle of winter! Holy crap)

Wendy said...

The old magazines are the best! I found 2 boxes of vintage Rolling Stone magazines from the late 70's and early 80's at a garage sale. The cover art/ photos are amazing and the articles are a million times more intersting then what they publish today.

Enjoy your new treasures. :)

L!MEgreen said...

the same thing happened to me! my teacher brought in all these old nat geo's and i stole SO many of the old ones. the photography is amazing

mitsuzuki said...

bravo Tavi, you have a sharp eye on the world...but truly; if you really are the person writing this blog, then it's cool but definitely sad...
******

Anonymous said...

psst... PSSSSST! I saw your section in TeenVogue today (spending the time I was SUPPOSED to do my homework to pour over the magazine like the fashion-crazed grub that I am), and i loved it, but it was weird how your humor was obviously missing while the article was mainly talking about Rodarte's line for Target. But I laughed how they mentioned at least five times that you were.. ahem... "pint-sized" and the "tiny master of today". Awesome.

Sheik-Chan said...

I use to always look at those in school! My Art teacher had like every copy...ever. Okay maybe not EVERY but he sure had a lot! I looove leaning about foreign countries and their culture. :3 Especially the Asian culture. They're so..visual.

Tadhg said...

I'd love to get my hands on some of them. They look great!

Roksana LAos. said...

I live in Russia.
National Geographic showed up at our recent.
I unreadable this magazine.
But I always paid attention to it.
Who knows ...
Maybe next time I'll buy it.
I think it is very interesting.

SO. said...

hahah yeah they have the most amazing picture. it really feels like its another world that we've just entered. its a very good magazine. i wish i had some right now...

Anonymous said...

omg i loveeee old national geographics! i have a whole stack of them in my room, i love making collages with the gorgeous pictures too (:

Rachel said...

I loveeeee National Geographic! I have a whole bunch of the new issues, but the old ones would be so cool to have! I had them in my HANDS once, but my geography teacher made the whole class cut them up for a project. Poo poo poo...

zoomslow said...

Thanks again, Tavi! And can I just say what a lovely left hand you have :-))

Emily Cato said...

I remember in school when we had free time and everyone else was talking or doing puzzles, I was looking at the very old National Geographics we had in the back of the library. Seriously it was what I looked forward to in school. AMAZING doesn't even fit it.

And ooo Scheduled posts are great!

I love all of these pictures!

lili sumner said...

The photo of the dirty child with the grapes is just by where i LIVE!!
Crazy stuff.

And what a rad collection of images!

Wonderful.

x

sd said...

i have no idea what it is but i think that every art teacher is required to have a shitload of National Geographic laying around.
my art teacher has 4 shelves filled with National Geographic. great for inspiration...or just passing the time on one of our long periods.

A said...

my parents house the most ridiculous room of old magazines... they are both straight out of the summer of love (and have not left apparently... they still dont have internet... seriously), and whenever I go home to visit these characters, I spend hours in that room going through old images and old news that truly is new news to me.
thank you for this post... enjoyed it very much.

xxx love from San Francisco.

alex and amy
come say "ohh heeey" when you get a second.
http://refusestolabel.blogspot.com

WendyB said...

Oh, come on, we all know you're just looking for photos of topless native women! Every teenager's first porn ;-)

Perma-Fried Culture said...

I love the one with the grumpy old lady in the chair, I actually had it(from my art teacher as well) but as always, I lost it.

carlos said...

my aunt has a lot of those too, and i read it always :)

Daisy said...

I love this magazine and their wondrous photos ! But the older ones look that little bit more fantastic...but thats always the way in my eyes!

emsydo said...

ahhh this is the second time my comment has 'failed to deliver'. so weird. it's not like i'm sending an email or anything but everytime i try to comment on your blog i get an email telling me the comment has failed to send.

anyway, original comment:

national geoFANTASTIC
(yes? no? i'll stop.)":

i love natgeo too! so much that i call it natgeo! photos are always
full of life.
damn you are so lucky to get ones from the 70's. i think the oldest
ones i've read were like, 1995. >.<

cr said...

when we travelled through ontario, canada, we slept at a B&B (cosy as hell, the house itself could be in a photo of a NG mag) that had a sick amount of NG's from various years. I did not sleep that night, only bussy reading. and beeing mad frightend by a bat. I see what you going through now! Have it awsome in LA.

tah tah'
C
www.bymyalterego.blogspot.com

Intrinsically Florrie said...

I love National Geographic, the photos are always amazing.
At my old school their were hundreds of them! Which was a very nice discovery indeed, but lucky you getting to keep some!

Florrie x

Chloe Tweeny said...

oh how I wish I could take pictures like that... they all look really amazing, but I love the one with the girl (the dirty one)

Unknown said...

Yves Saint Laurent in the National Geographic! J'adore!

xoxo

www.chicsetera.com

--CHIC news from Paris--

Robyn said...

The photo os the old woman in the flower fields, I used that exact photo in a project in my art class!
Strange!

-Robyn

px said...

yess I collect older national geographics. I try to only keep the ones that have something of interest to me inside but it's hard because they all have such great photography. I intend to someday have a blog with scans from them (and all of the other old magazines/books I've collected)

Jillian Hobbs said...

scheduled posts are WONDERFUL i never knew the exsisted until Laurel showed me and now i'm using them all the time!

Hope you have a safe and lovely trip!
And I am really inspired that you've found inspiration in a National Geographic!

ps. my art teacher in H.S. had a ton of old National Geographics as well, is that some kind of art teacher thing or what?

Heini said...

The girl with a lamb is SO cute.

Great post!

OUI OUI

Anonymous said...

I heart the granny-in-a-shack pic.

IRIS and PIETER said...

national geopgraphic photographs are the best!!

Anonymous said...

at a local $1 book store i found some AMAZING national geograhics and i bought two from the 20s! they're both in black and white and so inspirational!

♥Oni said...

The YSL reminded me of this post with him on a 50's b&w show. he's absolutely adorable:

http://lovedanniel.tumblr.com/post/225002251/whats-my-line-with-yves-saint-laurent-the

Kitty said...

tavi: you're the best. you'd make a great fashion anthropologist! oodles of toodles, kitty.

Molly<3 said...

Tavi you are so awesome. I'm 12 and i have to say that everyone our age wears crappy abercrombie stuff and hollister. blechhh. you've inspired me to wear anything and not care what other people think. not many people are as creative as you && you rock, girl! I love your style !!! You will def run the hottest, epic fashion line ever when you are older!!

Alice said...

oh my gosh! just found your blog (I can't believe I've never been here before) and i freaking ADORE you girl!!!! your style is impeccable and you're a great inspiration. Stay true to yourself! Peace :)

Becky said...

My parents had piles of National Geographics lying around the house when I was growing up. I remember making collages out of the butterfly migration issue as a kid. Great visual stimuli!

Mew Mew said...

i like that you don't have a scanner and you took the photos the way you did. It just seems to go with your description of the magazine pictures as "grainy and some have rounded corners and the covers have flower borders."

loaf. said...

LUCKY.

christie! said...

LOVE Nat Geo.... I have to get a subscription sometime... or a teacher with a million old rotting copies to give me :)

Emily said...

National Geographic is the best! And congrats on your Teen Vogue feature! The photo is awesome :)
xx
neutraltuesday.blogspot.com

Clara said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Crls Ortz said...

i really like the pictures. you are a nice girl tavi be good and be safe. ps. i like your fashion sense.

Anonymous said...

i adore moonmilk!! The Kids Are Alright is fabbo by Ryan McGingley too, he is such an artist.

Molly Gertenbach said...

i love vintage photographs, they're so much more interesting than recent ones.

Nikita said...

Just stumbled upon this, instantly thought of you:

http://instantbueller.com/

Dikaios Logos said...

Wow, you are amazing! And 13!???!

I just came here after reading about you in The Financial Times. You sounded thoughtful, but this really did it for me.

I was RAISED on those exact same magazines and used to read them obsessively. About 90% of the photos above were ones I remembered from growing up. They are more powerful now than when I first combed over them--the memories mean so much. In particular remembering China as so different than today really give me a wave of emotion.

-Middle aged man in tears at the memories..

Lara said...

cool! a couple of years ago my dad bought a enormous stack of Nat Geo's from the 20's all the way to the 70's...they are awesome.

Naomi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Naomi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Samantha said...

i've always loved national geographic, the photography is beautiful.
copies from the 70s?! they must be very inspiring :]
peace&love

Ross said...

Great, now all I can think of is "The Consequence of Sonds" by Regina Spektor.
......The national Geographic was being to graphic and the possibl........
Thanks.

khdz said...

aren't they great? at my cabin we have a whole bookshelf full of ng's from that era and when it's cold outside i just sit inside and read about whales or peru or egyptian mummies.

sirena said...

i used to have so much national geographic. like shelves stacked with nothing but NG.
but we gave them away to a private shool.
:(

Unknown said...

that's amazing to see how good photos look all the same besides the area... fashion, life, comercial etc. with a good photographer is art and point. love that.

www.spotmag.blogspot.com

DameRouge said...

My art teach has a TON of these too! i love old fashioned things

ayan said...

National Geographic has always paid for world-class photography. Just because the medium is mass distribution doesn't mean the originals themselves weren't, in many cases, enduring pieces of art. I love that you can see beyond the age to the art. :-)

steffi elina said...

so nice your blog! there's all time something new :D btw if you want you can visit my blog, it's www.furkills.blogspot.com !

ayan said...

Oh, and check out the online gallery for NG photo'pher Steve McCurry: http://www.stevemccurry.com/main.php

Unknown said...

Tavi, you make us realize how cool things really are, thanks! I just started shooting 35mm film again and had a blast hanging out in Houston shooting last weekend... there really isn't anything like film shots.

I LOOOOVE the smell of the ink that permeates the nat geo... I used to spend rainy days just flipping through my dad's collection as a kid. They are epic. Michael O'Brien's portraits of Australians changed my life. And Steve McCurry's portrait work in Afghanistan made me realize what a wide variety of people are there. I think once I fell in love with a young Sheik with long lashes and the most amazing eyes.

mustownmore said...

You have just taken me way back. Growing up in the 80's my Grandad had a whole room for his NG's - from the 1950's onwards.

My brother and I would spend hours going through them - no wonder we ended up doing archaeology (me) and anthropology (him) after a childhood spent reading about cool places.

Next time I go round to my Aunts (she inherited them) I'll search for any good really old ones to scan x

P.s. love that the outfit posts are back.

Annalicia Montgomery said...

tavi, you really should sign up for a bloglovin' account! it would make it so much easier for people to follow your blog and everything!!! xx

Elements of Style said...

Tavi, did you see that article in Teen Vogue that pretty much fried Balmain and people who dress like Balmain clones?
Im sure you did because YOU WERE IN THE MAGAZINE. but I just thought maybe you'd appreciate it.

Betty Lou said...

Oh *_* 70's < 333
Pictures are great !

victoria said...

i'm in love with ypur blog tavi.

Anonymous said...

hahaha the girl with the grapes made me laugh so much

Teenage (ariel) Dirtbag said...

thats cool. I have been collecting natgeos for a while. My room started to smell like an old library so I quit. I have the ones you posted! I love make collages out of them you should try it.

likeariot said...

my social studies teacher had some from the 60s and 70s too. they are so fun to read! i love how magazines looked back then too,

and the ads are fun to read, there are so many words compared to ads nowadays! the old fashioned camera ads were my favorite (although the cameras obviously were brand new then)

Anonymous said...

I luv these pix... They r realy intertainin n reminds me of d past.

Anonymous said...

http://margs4i.blogspot.com

Maki said...

I grew up flipping through these!! never thought they were cool until now that you bring it up... they must be somewhere in my house. Luv luv luv you Tavi!

Angeles Almuna said...

These are a really treasure magazines,lucky you, learn and learn with them , it's the best things to do it!
Kisses little Lady :)

Unknown said...

When I was a little kid our neighbor gave us boxes and boxes of old National Geographics. I perused them but never really appreciated them for everything they had in them. Being a lover of world travel now, I find myself frustrated that I didn't read them closer. I guess I will just have to spend my time seeing the real thing.

Anonymous said...

Love the pictures. I read about you in Teen Vogue. Very inspiring. I wish I was as fashion forward as you. I'm kind of a wallflower though. Not that I don't love it. x)
Anyways, thanks for the great picture posts. c:

Nina_Schepp said...

My art teacher has hundreds of old National Geographics. It's pretty awesome. I tear out pictures and attempt to redo them. There was this sweet old Coca Cola ad from the 50s or 60s I think, I love it. And anyways, Tavi you are freaking awesome. I wish I was as cool and self-knowing and such when I was your age. I loved the Teen Vogue article too. Pretty neattttt. Keep it up. :) -Nauny!

Tavi said...

Ok I think it's official, owning old NatGeos is definitely a trait of an art teacher...

Glad these could bring some of you so many memories...~

Ann-That sounds AMAZING! Ok, officially on the lookout for old RS's...

elements of style-Yeah, I need to post on that! The article on Balmainettes made me so happy.

zoomslow-Oh yeah, I'm totally just waiting for my hand modeling contract!!

a and a-That's so cool..I need to see if my parents have any.

WendyB-Aw man, busted!

meatsmurder3-Scansplz? Amazing.

Rosie Dawson-Hewes said...

The pic of the wee kid with the grapes, covered in mud? That's from a vineyard right by where my Husband is from!!! That is SO cool! Totally made my day. Thanks! Will have to show him... and his parents (who still live there!)

Ilana said...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Same!!! My art teacher even has doubles!! So I randomly go in there and get side tracked by them; although I do finish my assingnements in advance ;) And I read them all for hours and hours... O and about the doubles...I cut them up and add them to my scrapbook and create collages and read like a MAD WOMEN...Yea I know what you mean ;)

By the way..LOVE your blog you little genius :D

http://lavieenroseetmimosa.blogspot.com/

Megan V said...

Awesome that you got to keep some!!

My grandmother used to have a huge glass windowed armoire that was FULL of National Geographic issues! From the 60's - 90's! They were AMAZING. My cousins and I would sit on the floor and pour through them for hours. There is such an endless amount of inspiration between their pages!!

Megan V said...

Awesome that you got to keep some!!

My grandmother used to have a huge glass windowed armoire that was FULL of National Geographic issues! From the 60's - 90's! They were AMAZING. My cousins and I would sit on the floor and pour through them for hours. There is such an endless amount of inspiration between their pages!!

Ari said...

Hey Tavi,
I saw you at the Maria Cornejo show in New York and I really like your site. As far as granny style goes check out my blog if you can Advancedstyle.blogspot.com, its street fashion for elders.

theceelist said...

Whats UP Tavi!
I read about your blog on NY mag site. NICE

http://www.theceelist.com/

SophieGrace said...

Hayy
Love your blog
You get up to some pretty cool stuff
:D

www.SophiesWorldOfWonder.blogspot.com

Komal said...

I wen to my dentist's office for a filing a few weeks ago and I found an American Vogue from 1987. Mint condition. WHAT.
I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR EXCITEMENT.

http://sewagefarmoftheages.blogspot.com/

sisters in black frocks said...

great national geographic post...sometimes the most interesting and innovative fashions are seen in this magazine. I always look through it for inspiration

v. cool
www.sistersinblackfrocks.blogspot.com

Haley Anne said...

Oh gosh! I have a TON of old National Geographics... also from my art teacher! And a few really old ones from the 30s with black and white and fake colored photographs! I love them, especially the grainy pictures of ballet dancers! Your blog is fantastic, by the way!
:o)

Donna K. said...

...I have an unhealthy obsession with those old school Nat Geos! glossless paper! muted tones! maps!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnak/207381413/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnak/358637962/
;)

C.M. Jamieson said...

I take a bunch of anthropology classes, and there are hundreds of Nat Geo's in the archives....I love going there and just reading them for hours. And I agree, the older photos are so much better :)