I know I usually steer clear of posting other people’s work on my blog, but I just couldn’t help myself. In the form of some Monday morning inspiration, I give you the Living with a Lion editorial. They just don’t make them like this anymore! I have no idea what the background is on these images (if anyone one does, please do share) but they appeared in an issue of Life Magazine in the 1970′s.

While I can’t vouch for the conditions the lion(s) were treated to during this shoot, I can at least be left with a sense of wonder upon seeing the pictures. Most of the time I feel a little gross looking at wild animals in editorials because of how they’re being portrayed and/or used.

But the idea of a giant animal – the king of the jungle! – taking up with your average american family, is just completely spellbinding to me, and it evokes more than a few of my own childhood fantasies. Blame it on C.S Lewis (or the t.v adaptation of his book The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe,) but at nine years old I could wholeheartedly imagine myself being bff’s with Aslan. Sharing secrets, having sleepovers… The whole deal.

What can I say. All kids are strange and weird in their own way. Happy Monday.