“George Stubbs (25 August 1724 – 10 July 1806) was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses”. – Wikipedia

Photo: LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 06: Christie's employees stand beside a painting entitled “Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, a Stable-Lad, and a Jockey” by George Stubbs on April 6, 2011 in London, England. The painting is expected to sell for in excess of £20M GBP, making it one of the most expensive Old Master paintings ever sold at auction when it goes on sale at the 'Old Masters and British paintings evening sale' at Christie's auction house on July 5, 2011. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Four-year-old Chinese boy Huang Yang plays with five-year-old beluga whale Xiao Xin at the Qingdao Ocean World on November 3, 2007 in Qingdao of Shandong Province, China. Huang Yang began swimming as a baby and fell in love with the whale after watching its performance. On the International Children's Day, June 1 this year, the Qingdao Ocean World has made the boy's dream come true when they allowed Huang Yang to swim with the beluga whale. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

With temperatures soaring and summer well underway, countless Americans will be spending their Independence Day weekend at the beach. Here we revisit some classic images from the turn-of-the-century to the 1930's of vacations by the sea, from Coney Island to Santa Monica.

The “Naked Cowboy” plays his guitar in Times Square on March 23, 2012 in New York City. A recent study found that the Times Square district contributes up to 10% of all jobs in the city and is responsible for approximately 11% of economic activity. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Munzin Chowdhury (C) and other enthusiasts perform yoga in Times Square during an event marking the summer solstice on June 21, 2011 in New York City. Thousands of yogis will attend the free day-long event in Manhattan on the longest day of the year. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

In one of the best collaborations this blog has seen in ages, professional illustrator Mica Angela Hendricks has been collaborating with her 4-year-old daughter on a series of wonderful drawings that pass back and forther between mother and daugher until reaching an always unexpected final form. Each drawing begins with Hendricks drawing a detailed retro-ish head, after which her daughter snatches away the sketchbook to create rudimentary body (or animal!) parts as well as other random details. Afterward Hendricks goes back in to polish things up a bit and behold: dinosaur women, slug ladies, and beaver astronauts are born.

A Japanese twenty-year-old woman enjoys a cigarette during the annual Coming-of-Age Day ceremony at Toshimaen Amusement Park on January 11, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. 1.27 million young people celebrate their passage into adulthood on the day while they become eligible to drink alcohol, smoke and vote at the age of 20. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)

On July 7, Chinese archaeologists from the Academy of Social Sciences announced that they have reconstituted a 5,300-year-old Mongolion pottery statue found at a relic site in North China, according to Xinhua news agency.