In Windows they are “Wallpaper.” On the Mac “Desktop Pictures.”
Currently, my favorite place to go for desktop pictures is the fabulous APOD or Astronomy Picture of the Day. Most of my desktops are Science Fiction or space related. But some girlie pics sneak in on my Macs at home from time to time, ahem…
Listed below are a selection of desktop pictures that I have mangled into a form suitable for one of my monitors. The original artwork in all cases was found elsewhere on the web, scanned in from printed media or captured from DVDs. If any copyright holder desires either removal or identification please email me.
Each thumbnail leads to a full size version. right-click or (on the Mac) option-click on a thumbnail to download it. Click on it to view in your browser window. Some pictures have multiple resolutions, those will be listed directly below the thumbnail with their size. All pictures are in JPEG format. Most desktop pictures can be used at any resolution. If it looks funny try changing how it is displayed, stretched, centered, fill screen, etc.
Christina Hendrix from Russian Esquire. 1680 x 1050, 426KB
I originally discovered this image on Digg or Reddit. There was no context just a link to this image on an image sharing site, so I am only assuming it came from a Russian Edition of Esquire magazine. But since it looked authentic and had Real Russian Words, I am going with it. Don’t look too close at the hair or the edges of the dress as you will discover that I was out the day they taught photo retouching. But then that is not where my eye is drawn to, so it works for me.
Four Space Pics, 1280 x 1024, 548KB
In case you hadn’t noticed (from below) I have this thing for the old style pinup girl illustrations. I ran across a book in the bargain bin at my local Barnes and Noble the other day: Gil Elvgren, The complete pin-ups. At $14.95 it was quite a bargain. And I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t provide the modern day pin-up equivalent. The top one is called “Riding High” from 1958. In the book, inset in the illustration is a picture of the model dressed like the broom-riding witch he painted this from, pretty cool. Go buy the damn book, it’s worth every penny even if you have to pay full price.
Riding High, 1680 x 1050, 504KB
Ice Cream, 1680 x 1050, 823KB
In my opinion one of the the best Science Fiction shows evar!! Battlestar Galactica has set the bar exceptionally high. It makes the original Battlestar Galactica look like Plan Nine from Outer Space.
This pinup was on a trading card included in the box set from the BSG season one DVD set. Highly recommended, go buy it.
Battlestar Galactica Volume 3 Tricia Helfer as “Six,” 1600 x 1024, 592KB
Available in 1280 x 1024 resolution too.
The Grand Canyon (Pennsylvania), 1536 x 1024, 536KB
Yes Pennsylvania has a Grand Canyon too. Having never been to the one in Arizona I can’t comment on their comparative grandness. However the one in Pennsylvania is really quite beautiful. Worth a trip for you outdoorsey types. Took this one myself a couple years back.
Uma Thurman, 1280 x 1024, 540KB
Available in 1024 x 768 resolution too.
Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear once said, referring to the BMW “Zed-4”, “…Uma Thurman-ish. Perfect but you can’t really explain why. Exactly my feelings. Just about any movie she is in, I have to see.
Julianne Moore, 1280 x 1024, 628KB
When I first found this (online, where, I don’t recall) It had a big ugly Apple logo on it. It spoiled the look of the picture. So I removed it and added her name.
Pinup Girls, 1280 x 1024, Approx. 660KB ea.
I found these originally on Uncle Melon (Some NSFW) I selected six postcards for each desktop pic with some sort of “color theme” so that the original postcard colors go with the background wash. Not to be outdone by the mangler of the previous Julianne Moore picture I have tried (you decide with how much success) to make the Apple logo under the girls fairly unobtrusive.
Claudia Christian, 1600 x 1024, 504KB
A desktop for all you Claudia Christian fans out there. Perhaps best recognizable from her portrayal of Commander Susan Ivanova in Babylon 5 from 1994 thru 1989.
In 1987, seven years before Babylon 5 she was in a B movie called The Hidden. While onscreen for only about ten minutes, it was an eye catching ten minutes. She played a stripper. She was one of the people taken over by some rampaging alien life form. The scene inside the strip club, with Claudia on stage is a wonder to behold. this desktop was inspired by her appearance in The Hidden.
Available in 1280 x 1024 and 1024 x 768 resolutions too.
