Tag Archives: Michigan

Aging in Color: Ruth Adler Schnee

Famous textile designer Ruth Adler Schnee (1923-2023) died this month at the age of 99.  She is credited with bringing textile design into the world of midcentury modernism.  The daughter of an antiquarian bookseller and a Bauhaus graduate, her family … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990, 2000s, 2010s | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Burning the Mortgage, 1915

Photographs often document big moments in life—the wedding, the baby, the new house.  A tradition in Black churches is to mark the end of mortgage payments, the moment when property finally belongs to the residents, with a mortgage burning ceremony.  … Continue reading

Posted in 1910s | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Turbans and the Older Woman

Do you associate certain kinds of hats with certain age groups?  At the beginning of the twenty century, the bonnet tied under the chin was linked to older women.  For me, it is the turban that I associate with this … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990 | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Rosa Parks–A Lady and a Rebel

The common school book story of Rosa Parks (1913-2005) is incorrect. She was not an unassuming, weary seamstress who one day got mad and refused to move to the back of the bus. Instead, she was a longtime activist in … Continue reading

Posted in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments