Category Archives: 1940s

Native Daughters of the Golden West

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Lynn

I am always amazed by the number of women’s organizations that I have never heard of.  While looking through Calisphere, I discovered this photo of a 1948 meeting of the Native Daughters of the Golden West, a group that celebrates … Continue reading →

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Flemmie Kittrell, Pioneer in Nutrition

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Lynn

Born in North Carolina, Flemmie Kittrell (1904-1980) has an inspiring story.  Read about her long career here.  She was eighth child of share croppers and had to earn her own money for her education.  After getting a BS at Hampton … Continue reading →

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Regina Anderson Andrews and the Power of Libraries

Posted on March 6, 2024 by Lynn

As a lover of both libraries and theater, it perhaps inevitable that I discovered Regina Anderson Andrews, playwright, actress, salon holder, and librarian in New York City from the 1920s to the 1960s.  Anderson (1901-1993) was born in Chicago and … Continue reading →

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Meet Bricktop, International Star

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Lynn

Born in West Virginia in 1894, Ada “Bricktop” Smith gained her nickname because of her red hair. Her family soon moved to Chicago, a center of African American culture, where she started performing full time at age sixteen.  She didn’t … Continue reading →

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Dottie Quinn–A Life in Pants

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Lynn

I love being able to follow a woman’s clothing choices from youth to age, sometimes possible when I stumble upon a family photo collection online.  That was the case for Sylvia Dorothy Quinn, known to all as Dottie.  Her husband, … Continue reading →

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Hats of Different Nations, 1946

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Lynn

More hats! Featured in the Chicago Sun Times in November 1946, this photo shows an election polling site at a hat shop on Rush St. in downtown Chicago. The owner, Mrs. Annette Conkey, took advantage of the occasion to show … Continue reading →

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At the Beach, 1940s

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Lynn

Since Labor Day is fast approaching, the official end to summer in the US, I thought I needed at least one more beach photo.  This couple certainly looks to be enjoying the sun, especially the man with his sun glasses … Continue reading →

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In the Chicago Bus Station, 1943

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Lynn

In 1943, the Office of War Information sent the young photographer Esther Bubley on a six week bus tour of the United States to document how people were living in wartime. Many of her photos show soldiers on the move, … Continue reading →

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My Family, Post War

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Lynn

I discovered this treasure while cleaning out my mother’s house in preparation for her move to a board and care home. It features my mother’s family on the steps of their house in South Chicago. If asked, I think I … Continue reading →

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Aging in Color: Ruth Adler Schnee

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Lynn

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 →

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