Category Archives: 1960s

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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The Full Fancy at the Airport, 1963

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Lynn

This dressed up woman has inspired me to coin a phrase—“the full fancy.”  By that I mean adding every possible fancy element to your outfit, even when the situation doesn’t necessarily call for it.  Is she going on a trip … Continue reading →

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Gramie and Grampi Cut the Cake, 1960

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Lynn

“Gramie and Grampi with the cake Annie made for you,” reads the message on the back of this photo.  At first I thought this might be an anniversary celebration cake for the older couple, but the caption tells a different … Continue reading →

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Easter Bonnet Luncheon, 1961

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Lynn

This photo comes from a very large archive of work by Charles “Teenie” Harris, housed at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburg.  Harris was a staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier, a major African American newspaper in the mid … Continue reading →

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Mae Reeves, Queen of Hats

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Lynn

You might know the names of famous black fashion designers—Ann Lowe is having a moment on sewing sites right now.  But how about black milliners?  One the biggest names in that field is Mae Reeves (1912-2016), who ran an extremely … Continue reading →

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Big Birthday, Big Cake–1961

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Lynn

When this photo appeared in the Valley Times in 1961, the accompanying text read, “Five generations of the Prince family were on hand to help celebrate the 90th birthday of Mrs. Emma E. Prince, a woman who honeymooned to the … Continue reading →

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Hiking in Pearls, Late Fifties or Early Sixties

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Lynn

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 →

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Chic Trio, 1960

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Lynn

These three women have captured the look of polished sportswear.  Thanks to some sainted family historian, I have a lot of details about the snapshot. It was taken in Belmar, New Jersey in July 1960.  Although the handwriting isn’t entirely … Continue reading →

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Sewing Classes in Chicago, ca. 1960

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Lynn

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 →

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Home Economics in North Carolina, 1967

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Lynn

Ever since I discovered the amazing Home Economics Archive from Cornell University, I have changed my view of this field of inquiry.  Like many young women who came of age in the 1960s, I felt that Home Ec was a … Continue reading →

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