This isn’t really much of a dress-up party, since the hostess isn’t wearing a costume and her guest only has on a Groucho Marx mask. (You can still buy one!) Still, it shows older women having a lot of fun. Who is happier–the silly guest or the wide-eyed hostess? Unlike most of my “found photos,” which I actually own, this one comes from the dark recesses of the internet. A poster on the Facebook site Mid-Century in Color found it somewhere in his feed and thought it was too good not to share. Origins unknown.
We can tell it’s the sixties because of the mask-wearing woman’s dress. That beautiful neckline is a feature of the era, as is the cut of the dress.
The black trim around the neck and arms and the spaced beads on shiny fabric mark it as a special occasion outfit. The beads look three dimensional. If they went all the way around, wouldn’t it be uncomfortable to sit down?
The hostess’s outfit is less impressive. Not only does she not wear a mask, but her dress appears to be a very ordinary shirtwaist. However, her generous drink and her gleeful expression make clear that she is ready for a good time. Obviously so is “Groucho.”
I wonder what the photographer was wearing!