Category Archives: 1950s

A Very Colorful Kitchen

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Lynn

For those fond of pattern mixing, here is one for you!  We have plaids and geometrics on the walls and floors, flowers on the table and apron, a paisley dress, and a figurative drawing on the curtains.  In short, there … Continue reading →

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The Navy Blue Suit

Posted on March 18, 2022 by Lynn

Reader and contributor Nann Hilyard recently sent me a page from the humorous book Going, Going, Gone: Vanishing Americana by Susan Jonas and Marilyn Nissenson.  Among their list of things gone the way of the milkman is the navy blue … Continue reading →

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Domestic Scene, 1954

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Lynn

This snapshot evokes happy childhood memories for me.  Some of my fondest recollections of my grandmother are when she was at her sewing machine.  One Easter she made matching dresses for me, my sister, and my four cousins.  For an … Continue reading →

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What to Wear to a Cold War Summit, 1959

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Lynn

During the late 1950s, when Nikita Khrushchev came to power in the Soviet Union, there was a brief thaw in the Cold War between that country and the United States.  One sign of the shift was a big exhibit of … Continue reading →

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A Stylish Stout Woman at the Beach, 1953

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Lynn

In the 1920s, makers of plus size clothing, what was then called “stoutwear,” invented different names and sizes for different kinds of larger bodies.  A big breasted figure with a relatively small waist was named a “stylish stout.”  It was … Continue reading →

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A Navajo Fourth of July, 1953

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Lynn

Whatever you wore for the Fourth of July celebration, it was probably not nearly as beautiful as this Navajo woman’s outfit.  The shirt is most likely velvet, the traditional fabric for Navajo women’s festive clothing.  It is adorned with silver … Continue reading →

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Window Shopping in Mobile, Alabama, 1956

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Lynn

If the Facebook page “Mid Century in Color” is any indication, most amateur photographers using color film in the US in the mid twentieth century were white—and they created an image of an all-white America.  Luckily, professional photographers of color … Continue reading →

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Learning from the Facebook Group “Mid Century in Color”

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Lynn

Sometimes I wonder just who Facebook thinks I am, sending me links to sites about farms and baby animals.  But recently the mysterious algorithm provided something I treasure—a link to the wonderful resource Mid Century in Color: Amateur Photographic Slides … Continue reading →

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Maree’s Fashion Cycle

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Lynn

Many sociologists who study fashion try to determine when and for what reason people buy clothes. For a long time, the assumption was that older people tended to slow down consumption as they aged. Why? Often they have a smaller … Continue reading →

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Summer at Martha’s Vineyard, 1950s

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Lynn

It is the wrong season for this picture, but I couldn’t resist since it contains some of my favorite elements—the many kinds of pants and shorts worn in the 1950s and a stark generational contrast between the old and young. … Continue reading →

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