Home for the Holidays, 1962

This trio of photos come from collector extraordinaire Lizzie Bramlett.  They document a Christmas celebration on a family farm in 1962, complete with red barns and grandchildren. The flat empty fields in the background give no clue to the location.  It could be just about anywhere in the United States or Canada.  It certainly evokes memories of visits to my grandparents who retired to farm country in central Illinois.

In this first photo is the grandmother wearing pants outdoors or just very thick leggings?  There is no snow on the ground, but it looks plenty cold. She made sure her legs were warm.

Once indoors, she clearly thought that dresses were the correct attire.  Although fashion was shifting to a slimmer cut, she was comfortable in full skirts. We see below that she favored sheer stockings as well.

And here she is with her two grandsons, looking as happy as can be.  Perhaps this was a special occasion dress, with a shiny looking fabric.  The skirt appears to have many gores.  Did she choose the reddish sweater with the green dress to evoke a Christmas theme?

I am guessing that she was a knitter and made her two cardigans.  Maybe she even knit the sweaters for her grandsons.

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4 Responses to Home for the Holidays, 1962

  1. Rhoda K says:

    If the boots she’s wearing zip up the front, we called them stadium boots (I had a pair) – no clue where that name came from though.

  2. Lizzie says:

    I really like Grandma’s color-combining skills. I’m glad these photos ended up in your hands.

  3. Norah Willett says:

    Those boots may have been the kind that went over her shoes. In 1962, at least where I lived in Michigan, it seemed like we all had those. They did zip up the front, as Rhoda K mentioned, but I forget what we called them.

  4. Robert Moeller says:

    I know your focus is older women, not men, but what’s with the guy’s lime green shirt?

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