Tag Archives: suit

An Old Woman Meets the President, 1976

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Lynn

I’m glad that I didn’t pay a lot of money on eBay for this photo, which was listed as “artist Grandma Moses and President Ford.”  Just a minute’s research after it arrived revealed that the famous artist had been dead … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Avon Calling, 1940

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Lynn

As someone who started historical research with a card catalog and a pencil, I am continually amazed at how much is available on line. Although it is surely not complete, a good bit of the Avon Company archive is available … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Group Portrait at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Harlem

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Lynn

Although this photo was taken in Harlem in the 1950s, for a London reader it evoked memories of her Jamaican born grandmother. “Their tailored suits reminded me of how my grandmother, a Jamaican woman who moved to London in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Three Generations, 1910s

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Lynn

This family configuration, an older mother living with one of her children, is fairly common in old American photos. In his moving book Being Mortal, Atul Gawande states that over sixty percent of people over the age of sixty-five lived … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910s | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Mrs. Exeter Sews Again

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Lynn

In 1961, Mrs. Exeter was fading from the pages Vogue magazine, where she had first been introduced in 1948. She only appeared three times that year, once to explain why she needed two long evening dresses, once to show off … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960s, General | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Vera in Blue

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Lynn

My friend Jen Orsini, who wears a lot of hats (fashion historian, blogger, vintage clothing dealer, costumer designer), sent me these photos of her paternal grandmother, Vera Thompson Waldo. She and her husband moved to the LA area from Wisconsin … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments