babes of yesterday: jake ryan

a few nights ago i had a big and lovely dinner at my mom's. afterward i had gathered my chihuahua, my boots and the mountain of leftovers that my mom loves to send home with me, and was about to say my goodbyes when i heard the first chords of "i know this much is true" drifting out of the living room. i knew it could only mean one thing, and sure enough, when i turned to the television, there was jake ryan's heavenly face and bod slow dancing with caroline mulford. just like that, regardless of the fact that i've seen "sixteen candles" approximately 72 trillion times, i sank down onto the couch and stayed there for the next 90 minutes. i had things waiting for me at home! i was going to begin a new sewing project, take a bubble bath, make tea... but here's the thing: once you catch a glimpse of jake ryan you can't look away. you just can't. jake was the third crush of my life (preceded by jordan knight and then devon sawa), and he, in all his ripened good looks made the first two seem a bit purile. i mean, he's the most popular guy in school... devastatingly handsome, athletic, with a smile that could make you die instantly. every girl at school wanted him, every last one. when you add this stuff together the result should be a total cad, but no. jake ryan was disinterested in all that surface bullshit.. he was bored and brooding at parties while everyone else was sloppy and wasted, he wanted something deep. how is that even possible? you're a miracle, jake ryan.

THE LIP BITE.

of course you do jake! i'll be your serious girlfriend. real serious. SO SO SERIOUS.

and that personal style! a preppy sweater with those rough and tumble boots and cuffed jeans?!? total insouciance.

and let's not forget those legs.

babes of yesterday: lewis thornton powell

lewis thornton powell a.k.a lewis payne/paine, or doc if you were among his closest pals, was without a doubt the dreamiest of the lincoln conspirators. he attempted unsuccessfully to assassinate william h. seward on april 14, 1865. as unbabely as the whole attempt on the secretary of state's life was... his face... those eyes.. that deeply furrowed brow that plucks at your heart strings as he sits in wrist irons, gazing fervently into the camera... phew! ok, moving on. keep in mind that lew had experienced much turmoil in the years just before he went all conspirator. he became a soldier at the ripe old age of 17, fought at gettysburg and was deeply stricken by the death of his brother in the battle of murfreesboro. he paid for his crimes dearly, too, when he was tried by a military tribunal and sentenced to die. on july 7, 1865, he fell from the gallows at fort mcnair and struggled for over 5 minutes before death came. ouch, doc.

aboard the monitor uss saugus. source.

shortly after his arrest, in the coat he wore when he attempted seward's assasination. source.

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and a colorized one, because good god. source.



babes of yesterday: anais nin

prolific author, part time psychoanalyst, flamenco dancer, world traveler, muse of countless great artists, writers and thinkers, possessor of gorgeous and unusual taste in clothing, furnishings and dwellings (remember when she lived on a houseboat??), feminist and enfant terrible. no one can outbabe anais.

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