Tag Archives: comparative

Great Grandmother Caro Visits America

Reader Davrie Caro sent photos of a special family gathering in San Diego.  His great grandmother, second from right in the photo above, visited the United States for several months in 1992-93.  The photo above shows a surprise birthday party … Continue reading

Posted in 1990 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

What to Wear to a Cold War Summit, 1959

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

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Filipino and American Styles, 1922

The two women standing face to face above had one thing in common–they were both passionate advocates of women’s suffrage. On the right is Sofia de Veyra (1876-1953), renowned advocate of Philippine independence. On the left is First Lady Florence … Continue reading

Posted in 1920s | Tagged | 1 Comment

Colors in India

You don’t see much black in India.  Women’s clothes vibrate with beautiful colors.  The combinations and pattern mixes can be surprising and inspiring. You get the idea from this photo of an older and a younger woman taken from the … Continue reading

Posted in 2010s | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

On the Street in Chinatown, ca. 1900

When did women in the United States start wearing pants on the street?  It depends on where you look.  This picture from San Francisco’s Chinatown shows that pants were common attire for women of Chinese descent at the turn of … Continue reading

Posted in 1900s | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Eleanor Lambert in Moscow

In 1959, the US government opened a big event in Moscow—a huge exhibition designed to showcase the consumer marvels of America.  Along with kitchen appliances and a prototype computer, US fashion was on display daily.  This photo shows two controversial … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s | Tagged | 1 Comment

Group Portrait at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Harlem

Although this photo was taken in Harlem in the 1950s, for a London reader it evoked memories of her Jamaican born grandmother. “Their tailored suits reminded me of how my grandmother, a Jamaican woman who moved to London in the … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: Dressed for War by Nina Edwards

If you compare a map of Europe map in 1913 to one made after the First World War, it is easy to see the explosive power of that conflict. Old empires disappeared and new countries took their place. In her … Continue reading

Posted in 1910s | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Sonia Delaunay—In Living Color

This summer I have been reading a lot about the Russian born French artist and textile designer Sonia Delaunay, mainly to console myself for missing a big exhibit of her work in London. Born in Ukraine in 1885, she was … Continue reading

Posted in 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, General | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Mema’s Grandmother, 1954

A German reader and sewing blogger, Mema, sent me a photo of three generations of her family taken in 1954. She is in her eighty year old grandmother’s arms, with her laughing mother in the background. They lived in a … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments