Click or tap a question to reveal the answer.
Aenigma is a showcase for images from the worlds of film and fashion in the decades that followed World War II. It is also an opportunity to discover the stories behind them.
Aenigma offers in-depth coverage of the material it deals with. It has lots of images and its articles typically are longer than you’ll find elsewhere on the Internet. It’s a serious undertaking.
The images and stories will appeal to anyone with an interest in the subjects covered by aenigma. More specifically, it is a resource for academics, students and collectors who want to know more about this aspect of our cultural heritage.
Aenigma comprises a wide range of articles, each illustrated with images and, in many cases, video clips. All are accessible from the home page. There you will find a gallery of images. Mouseover or tap one to reveal the title of the article to which it’s linked. Click or tap again to go to the article itself.
Within the articles are more galleries. Click or tap an image in one of these galleries to reveal a panel with basic information (date and subject of the image). Click or tap the More information link to visit a page with the full-size image and, in most cases, further details. Think of these pages as appendices to the article you’re reading.
Aenigma’s menu bar contains a magnifying glass icon. Click or tap it to open a Search field. Your search will yield up to 12 results, listed by relevance. Click or tap the headline of a result to go to the relevant article, within which the search term will be highlighted.
Aenigma is designed to be mobile-responsive so should work fine on your phone. However, for the best experience, use a computer or tablet, which provide ample space for its rich content.
Yes. I’ve taken a lot of care in selecting, preparing and researching the images, finding quotes that bring the characters to life, and presenting them in a way that I hope you’ll find engaging. At the end of each article, you’ll find a list of key sources. You may also come across more links to sources elsewhere in the articles.
All the images you’ll come across here are scans of original vintage prints. In preparing them for publication I’ve done some minor cropping, retouching and colour-balancing but nothing that significantly changes the images themselves.
The photos on aenigma are scans of original, vintage prints in my collection. I don’t own the copyright for them. In many cases I don’t know who does, in others the images are out there on other websites and effectively in the public domain.
On some pages I quote from books, magazines and other websites. In these cases I provide credits and, where possible, links to the originals.
If you have any copyright issues with the content of aenigma, please get in touch and I will remove the disputed material should you wish me to do so.