They are photographs that show just how much has changed in less than 50 years.

Women wearing short skirts and figure-hugging dresses; families shopping in department stores; skiers enjoying themselves on the slopes.

This was the lighter side of life in Iran before the 1979 revolution ushered in the repressive regime that is now threatening all-out war with America after the US bombing of its nuclear facilities.

Under the rule of King Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was an ally of Britain and the US, the hijab was even banned because it was argued it suppressed women.

In the 1960s and 1970s, many women in Iran joined the work force and mixed freely with men.