Category Archives: 1960s

Regina Anderson Andrews and the Power of Libraries

As a lover of both libraries and theater, it perhaps inevitable that I discovered Regina Anderson Andrews, playwright, actress, salon holder, and librarian in New York City from the 1920s to the 1960s.  Anderson (1901-1993) was born in Chicago and … Continue reading

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Eunice Johnson–Black Power Fashion

It is hard to overestimate the contribution of Eunice Johnson (1916-2010) to African American fashion in the United States.  She and her husband were the founders of Ebony and Jet.  Although she worked as secretary and treasurer for the Johnson … Continue reading

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Meet Bricktop, International Star

Born in West Virginia in 1894, Ada “Bricktop” Smith gained her nickname because of her red hair. Her family soon moved to Chicago, a center of African American culture, where she started performing full time at age sixteen.  She didn’t … Continue reading

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Christmas Tamales, 1960

If you are lucky enough to live in an area where people have come from Mexico or Central America, you might know about the Christmas tamale tradition.  Although this sweet or savory confection is made for many different holidays, it … Continue reading

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Dottie Quinn–A Life in Pants

I love being able to follow a woman’s clothing choices from youth to age, sometimes possible when I stumble upon a family photo collection online.  That was the case for Sylvia Dorothy Quinn, known to all as Dottie.  Her husband, … Continue reading

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Dress-Up Party, 1960s

This isn’t really much of a dress-up party, since the hostess isn’t wearing a costume and her guest only has on a Groucho Marx mask.  (You can still buy one!) Still, it shows older women having a lot of fun.  … Continue reading

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A Late Sixties Wedding

A sixties wedding!  The puzzle is to figure out who is marrying whom. The tall couple on the right might be the best choice, since the woman’s tiara is the biggest.  Would that make the shorter couple in the middle … Continue reading

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Ann Bonfoey Taylor—Life as a Sportswoman

Although Ann Bonfoey Taylor was interested in fashion all of her life, and even designed her own line of ski clothes in the 1940s, it was only in the 1960s that she achieved national status as fashion tastemaker. Vogue, Life, … Continue reading

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Phyllis Diller, Happy Eccentric

There are many reasons to remember the comedian Phyllis Diller (1917-2012).  She was the first well-known female standup comic in America; she had a long career in television and film; and she was an enthusiastic advocate of plastic surgery—theme for … Continue reading

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Big Hair, Big Shoes 1960s

This wonderful photo was sent to me by Nann Hilyard, who has made several contributions to the blog.  Although the Silver Slipper has now relocated to Missouri, in the 1960s it was a major attraction on the Los Vegas strip.  … Continue reading

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