When you look at the best-selling photos in the LIFE print store, you find that a couple sports have representation that far outstrips their popularity with today’s fans.

One is boxing—and that owes to the continuing popularity of Muhammad Ali, one of the true icons not just of sports but of popular culture.

The other is surfing. That one stands out because it is more about a pastime than a competition. There are many quotes that sum up the appeal of surfing. Here’s one from noted surfer Frosty Hesson: “If you’re having a bad day, catch a wave.” Hesson made his name as a big-wave surfer, but the sentiment can be understood by anyone who has taken a refreshing dip in the ocean.

The sense of freedom and joy is what makes these surf pictures come alive. Many LIFE photographers took their turns having a day at the beach. Some of the most wonderful photos were taken by Allan Grant, more noted as a chronicler of Hollywood. But he also swung out to nearby Malibu and captured the surf culture there. This overhead shot of riders catching a wave is LIFE’s best-selling surf print.

LIFE photographers such as Ralph Crane, Loomis Dean and Frank Scherschel turned up gems as well. All these photos are wonderful. Enjoy,

Surfing, Malibu, California 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, California, 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfers, Malibu, California 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, California, 1950.

Loomis Dean/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Lima, Peru, 1959.

Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Hawaii, 1959.

Ralph Crane/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Manhattan Beach, Calif., 1965.

Ralph Crane/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Australia, 1958.

John Dominis/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Australia, 1958.

John Dominis/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Hawaii, 1963.

George Silk/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Lima, Peru, 1959.

Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, Calif., 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Hawaii, 1959.

Ralph Crane/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, Calif., 1961.

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, California, 1961.

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Sixteen-year-old Kathy Kohner (the real-life inspiration for the character of Gidget) rode a wave, Malibu, Calif., 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, California, 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, San Onofre, California, 1950.

Loomis Dean/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, San Onofre, California, 1950.

Loomis Dean/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Lima, Peru, 1959.

Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Lima, Peru, 1959.

Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, California, 1957

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, San Onofre, California, 1950

Loomis Dean/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, San Onofre, California, 1950.

Loomis Dean/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

The post LIFE’s Favorite Surfing Photos appeared first on LIFE.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Madonna was such a big star that people started comparing her to Marilyn Monroe. Madonna had the hit songs, of course—such as Like a Prayer and Vogue, to name a couple. But as the reigning sex symbol of the MTV generation, she had a a cultural influence that went beyond her album sales.

This collection of photos from the height of her fame shows her on stage but also highlights the company she kept. Here she is pictured with, among others, Warren Beatty (her costar in the movie Dick Tracy and also a one-time flame), Sean Penn (her husband from 1985 to 1989), Rosanna Arquette (her costar in the movie Desperately Seeking Susan), Jellybean Benitez (the DJ who produced Madonna’s early music) and actors Joe Mantegna and Ron Silver (her costars in the 1988 Broadway production of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow).

This collection also includes a photo of Madonna with Michael Jackson, the rare pop star who could meet her on equal footing. The two attended the 1991 Academy Awards together, which led to breathless speculation that they might actually be a couple. Madonna later told VH1 that their Oscar night date came about in a casual way: “Michael was like, ‘Well, who are you going to go with? I looked at him and said, ‘I don’t know. You want to go?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, that’d be great.’” While their relationship seems to have been mostly friendly and professional, Madonna did say that they kissed at one point, with her playing the initiator.

But even if the reality is that there wasn’t all that much to their relationship—they never made any music together either, despite apparently discussing the possibility—it’s not hard to see why the mere idea of their union gripped the imagination. A relationship could have led to an American version of a royal wedding. Thus does the photo of these two icons attending the Academy Awards remain the best-selling image of Madonna in the LIFE print store.

It is one of many wonderful photos of Madonna in the LIFE archives, and here is a sampling of some favorites. Especially when she was on stage, she could strike a pose like there was nothing to it.

Madonna and Michael Jackson (left) arrived at the Shrine Civic Auditorium for the 63rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony, March 25, 1991.

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Madonna performed at the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Hall in New York, 1984.

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Singer Madonna with record producer Jellybean Benitez at tge opening of the club Private Eyes, 1984.

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Madonna with Rosanna Arquette, the costar of her 1985 film “Desperately Seeking Susan.”

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Madonna with singer David Lee Roth in the mid 1980s.

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Madonna out for a run with a trainer, 1987.

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Madonna in concert, 1987.

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Madonna with actor Sean Penn, her husband from 1985 to 1989.

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Madonna in concert, 1987.

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Madonna in concert, 1987.

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Madonna with Ron Silver (left) and Joe Mantegna (right), her costars in the Broadway production of the David Mamet play Speed-the-Plow, 1988.

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Madonna in concert, 1988.

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Madonna performed in Los Angeles during her Blonde Ambition tour, 1990.

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Madonna in concert, 1990.

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Madonna with her boyfriend, model Tony Ward, at the premiere of the 1990 film Goodfellas at the Museum of Modern Art; Ward appeared in videos for the Madonna songs “Cherish” and “Justify My Love.”

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Madonna with Rosie O’Donnell, her costar in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own.

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Madonna performed at Madison Square Garden, 1993.

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Former flames Warren Beatty and Madonna at the nightspot Moomba for the premiere party of the 1997 motion picture Two Girls and a Guy.

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Bob Dylan and Madonna in the late 1990s.

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Madonna in concert, 1990.

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The post Madonna (and Friends) Striking Poses appeared first on LIFE.

In his wonderful 2010 autobiography Life—hey, nice title—Keith Richards wrote that “We age not by holding on to youth, but by letting ourselves grow and embracing whatever youthful parts remain.”

His philosophy seems to be working, because Keith Richards has moved through the decades with a spirit that remains remarkably untouched by time. He is first and foremost known as a member of The Rolling Stones and for his guitar work on classics such as Sympathy for the Devil. But the unapologetic and unrepentant way he has lived his life has come to be appreciated as its own work of art. It’s why the most popular photo of Richards in the LIFE print store shows him holding not a guitar but a bottle of whiskey.

This collection of performance and paparazzi shots from the 1980s and 1990s captures Richards showing his mastery on stage, and also living the life of a beloved rock star. Included are photos of the breathtaking all-star jam at the 1992 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, in which he shreds on classics such as All Along the Watchtower and Green Onions with the likes of Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Jimmy Page, Little Richard and The Edge, among others.

While offstage, Richards posed for photos with, among others, action star Tom Cruise, fellow rock legend Bruce Springsteen, and President of the United States Donald Trump. When you are as cool as Keith Richards is, everyone wants to be in the frame with you.

Keith Richards took center stage during the Rolling Stones’ ‘Voodoo Lounge’ tour, 1994.

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Rolling Stone band members Mick Jagger (left) and Keith Richards shared a laugh.

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Keith Richards and his father, 1983.

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Keith Richards outside New York’s Danceteria night club, 1980.

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Keith Richards.

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Keith Richards in concert.

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The Rolling Stones, with Bill Wyman, Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts, basked in the cheers.

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Bruce Springsteen and Keith Richards.

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Keith Richards

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Keith Richards

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Actor Tom Cruise (right) chatted with Keith Richards (right) and Ron Wood backstage before a Rolling Stones concert in Las Vegas.

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Keith Richards (right) with (left to right) The Edge, Carlos Santana and John Fogerty at the 1992 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

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Keith Richards, with (left to right) Neil Young, The Edge and Jimmy Page at the 1992 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

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Keith Richards with Johnny Cash, John Fogerty, Little Richard and others at the 1992 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

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Actress Elizabeth Hurley with rock musician Keith Richards and his wife, Patti Hansen, at the premiere of the 1999 film Mickey Blue Eyes, which Ms. Hurley co-produced.

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Keith Richards and wife Patti Hansen with Donald and Melania Trump.

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The post There’s Cool, and Then There’s Keith appeared first on LIFE.

In the 1950s the April in Paris Ball was one of the main events of the New York social season. The 1957 edition took place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, and it attracted 1,300 guests who each paid $100—more than $1,100 in today’s dollars—to attend, with the money going to French and American charities. Women wore dresses specially designed for the event. The 1957 ball featured a reenactment of Marquis du Lafayette’s reception in New York in 1824—he was the last surviving general of the Revolutionary War—complete with two horses pulling a carriage through the hotel ballroom.

LIFE’s coverage focused on the spectacle, the charity and the famous guests, which included Marilyn Monroe and her husband of nearly a year at that point, playwright Arthur Miller (see photos of their wedding day here). John F. Kennedy, who was at that time a U.S. senator, also came to the gala, with wife Jackie. In hindsight Marilyn and JFK being in the same room is notable because the two reportedly had an affair when Kennedy was president.

But at the time of the ball Monroe’s presence stirred intrigue because the actress may have been an unwitting pawn in a high-society feud.

The organizer of the April in Paris Ball was Elsa Maxwell, who had a well-developed grudge with the Duchess of Windsor, another one of the attendees. As reported by the Times-Standard newspaper, Maxwell invited Monroe with the idea of upstaging the Duchess of Windsor, who was the honorary chair of the event and the supposed star of the evening. That star status apparently dimmed when Monroe showed up fashionably late and immediately became the center of attention. “More than 30 photographers abandoned the Duchess’ table in a body,” the newspaper reported. “They were followed at a pace only slightly more sedate by some of New York’s upper crust society dowagers, waving programs for autographs.”

Among those photographers with their lens on Monroe was LIFE’s Peter Stackpole, who captured the actress chatting and dancing with Miller and also talking to Winthop Aldrich, a banker who was coming off a four-year stint as ambassador the United Kingdom. Monroe looked both glamorous and delighted with her company.

While it is entirely unfair to read too much into a single still photo taken during an hours-long party, the one photo of Stackpole’s which included the Duchess of Windsor was not nearly as festive.

The April in Paris Ball continued as a major New York social event until its last edition in 1979. After that the American Friends of the Louvre picked up the mantle, staging its own April in Paris Ball and keeping the tradition alive.

During the 1957 April in Paris Ball held at the Waldorf Astoria, Lafayette’s visit to New York in 1824 was recreated with horse and buggy.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

About 1,300 people attended the April in Paris Ball, which celebrated French-American relations and raised money for charity, New York City, 1957.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marilyn Monroe and her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, shared a laugh at the April in Paris Ball at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, 1957.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marilyn Monroe with Winthrop Aldrich, a banker who had just completed a four-year term as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, during the April in Paris ball at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 1957. At the far right is playwright Arthur Miller, who was Monroe’s husband.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marilyn Monroe spoke with Winthrop Aldrich, a banker who had just completed a four-year term as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, during the April in Paris ball at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 1957.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The head table at the April in Paris Ball, held at the Waldorf Astoria, included (from left) American socialite Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, French Ambassador to the United States Herve Alphand, Chairman of the Ball Rosemary Warburton Gaynor, Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor, and Mrs George Baker, 1957.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marilyn Monroe and her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, were centers of attention at the April in Paris Ball at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, 1957.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marilyn Monroe and her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, were centers of attention at the April in Paris Ball at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, 1957.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marilyn Monroe danced with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, at the April in Paris Ball held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City, 1957.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The post Marilyn Monroe: Intrigue at the Gala appeared first on LIFE.