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Category Archives: 1950s
Holiday Greetings from Ida Arneson, 1957
Is anyone named Ida anymore? It might be due for a comeback. This card was a lucky eBay find combing two favorite elements—an unlikely Christmas greeting and a sewing theme. I suspect Mrs. Ida Arneson is a widow, since there … Continue reading
Say It With Flowers, 1958
Standing out like a canary among the pigeons, the woman in the yellow dress catches our eye. With her light colored hair, bare arms, and fit and flair dress, she looks a lot younger than her companions to the left. … Continue reading
Hiking in Pearls, Late Fifties or Early Sixties
From the recent showing of The Crown, I know that some older women (Queen Elizabeth, for example) hiked wearing skirts well into the 1980s. However, Elizabeth’s outdoor outfits looked considerably more rough and ready than the sheath dress worn by … Continue reading
Getting Out the Vote, 1956
The current election has reminded us once again that African American women are the bedrock of the Democratic Party. They also did a lot of the hard work of turning California from red (as it was when I was growing … Continue reading
Posted in 1950s
Tagged African American, California, resources, sheath dress, shirtwaist, shoes
1 Comment
Down Mexico Way, 1956
What do you with your travel souvenirs after you get home? For me the trick is finding something that I will actually use, something that will remind me in a glance that I had been away. This couple (Grace and … Continue reading
Two Sisters, Two Styles
A reader from Colorado sent this wonderful photo along with a story, my favorite kind of contribution. Center and right are two sisters, with facial shapes, hair styles and eye glasses looking very much the same. However, the similarity ends … Continue reading
Sewing for a Cause, 1959
Celebrity endorsements are nothing new. Here’s a photo of Eleanor Roosevelt, then in her mid seventies, with a needle in her hand. She is meant to be sewing in the new label for the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union. It … Continue reading
Sewing Classes in Chicago, ca. 1960
September is National Sewing Month, and I’m happily turning my attention away from our fraught political climate to find photos of older women practicing this craft. The American Sewing Guild, of which I’m a member, calls sewing “an art and … Continue reading
Posted in 1950s, 1960s
Tagged African American, aprons, Illinois, sewing, textile patterns
2 Comments
A May Gathering, 1953
The stamp on the back of this photo says May 1953, although sometimes people get their pictures developed long after the fact. However, the trees indicate that it could be May. The clothing also points to a transitional season. The … Continue reading
Mismatched Pair, 1958
Before the summer passes us by, I thought it was high time for some bathing suits. At first I guessed this might be a Mother-Daughter snap shot, but someone has helpfully written on the back, “Mother and Etta Doey at … Continue reading