Planet Observer, a geospatial data and imagery company based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, provides UIG with accurate and detailed satellite imagery of the world’s cities, regions and geographic features.  From its early days in 1989 Planet Observer’s collection has grown to include tens of thousands of high-quality, color satellite images as the company continues to achieve its […]

Water is the mother of tea, a teapot its father, and fire the teacher. -Chinese proverb While teapots are believed to have been used in China for nearly one thousand years, production of this essential item began in earnest during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644).  Potteries in Yixing at the time were known for their […]

All images: Circa/Glasshouse Images Grand Central Terminal (commonly referred to as Grand Central Station) opened on February 2, 1913.  Leaving at midnight, a Boston Express train was the first departure from the new terminal, and minutes later the first arrival entered the station.  It is estimated that within 16 hours of opening, more than 150,000 visitors moved […]

Beginning as early as the 8th century and continuing for nearly 1000 years, woodblock printing was used primarily to communicate and disseminate text, especially Buddhist scriptures.  Technical advancements in 1765 allowed for the production of single-sheet woodblocks in a range of colors.  Printmakers previously used to monochrome printing now could produce polychrome painted woodblock art, which led to […]

Sojourner Truth’s life journey saw her rise from slavery to become a powerful and revered abolitionist and suffragist.  Born in 1797 in Ulster County, New York, Sojourner was the daughter of slaves.  James Baumfree, her father, had been captured in Ghana before being transferred and sold in the United States.  Her mother, Mau- Mau Bett was the daughter […]

Photographs by Abu Ala / Drik from the Majority World collection.  To license these images or story, please contact us at info@universalimagesgroup.com One hundred years on from the Armenian genocide, 75 years since the height of the Holocaust, and less than 25 years removed from the slaughter of the Tutsi in Rwanda, is the world ignoring […]

(Title image: Bluered/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group) February is Carnival Season in Italy From the solemnity of Christmas to the raucousness of New Year’s, revelers of tradition and colorful festivals turn their attention to carnival season.  While the ancient origins of carnival celebrations suggest they were timed as New Year’s festivals, the modern-day carnival evolved to be more […]

Colombia – The Birdwatcher’s Paradise Photographs by Juan Jose Arango \ VW Pics.  To view more of the birdwatching in Colombia collection from VW Pics, please visit http://vwpics.com/. To license this story or individual images, please contact us at info@universalimagesgrtoup.com The South American nation of Colombia, with its long coastline, tropical rainforests, arid interior and Amazon and mountainous […]

Vintage travel posters evoke feelings of adventure and looking forward to trips and time spent with family and friends.  In a year of cancelled or postponed holidays, here’s a gallery of vintage travel posters to get us in the mood for traveling again, hopefully in the near future! Bon voyage… We hope you had a good […]

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