The Hester Love Nest, mid 1920s

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This photo is off topic for my blog, since none of the women look anywhere near fifty. However, I was so fascinated by the 1920s styles and the setting that I bought it anyway.  If you enlarge it, you can barely read the sign on the little house that says “The Hester Love Nest.”  Does this document a school play? Perhaps it was an imaginative staging of The Scarlett Letter, featuring the fallen woman Hester Prynne?  A love nest of any kind seems an odd choice for a school filled with adolescents.

My guess is that the picture was taken in the mid 1920s.  Waist lines have dropped and the styles are simple.  Skirts still cover the knees. Most of the young women have cropped their hair and many are aiming for the popular marcel wave.  A few with straight hair perhaps decided it wasn’t worth the bother.

The teachers sit in front, although the female staff doesn’t look all that old.  My favorite is the woman on the left, with her straight hair, dark suit, and tie.  Although she appears out of place among all the dresses and curls, her look was not unusual in the twenties. You could get a similar outfit for $12.98 from Sears.

What do you think is going on here? I would love to hear your stories.

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4 Responses to The Hester Love Nest, mid 1920s

  1. There is a lot of style here for sure, and there seems to be a mix of ages-It does have the look of am-dram? I know that Am-Dram (Amateur Dramatic) was incredibly popular in Ireland up until tv took hold – and these troupes would also tour a relatively wide area considering.

  2. There are many more women than men, but they are not young teens — more in their late teens or early twenties. This could be an office instead of a school. There is a stork on the chimney of the house, and a heart in the center — perhaps this is a going away party for a woman who is about to get married? Or perhaps an engagement party for the couple in the center? He’s smiling, but he looks a little embarrassed — she doesn’t look like she’s enjoying it, though. Also, there’s a lot of confetti on the tables in front. The song “The Love Nest” dates to 1920, from the musical “Mary.” George Burns and Gracie Allen used it as their TV theme song in the fifties. P.S. As someone who worked in professional, school, and community theatre, this group doesn’t say “drama” to me. The house would look tiny with people standing in front of it.

  3. Abbey s says:

    I thought the samovar and toaster behind the folks in the front row is interesting. Would support the idea of an engagement or wedding announcement at work.

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