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Tag Archives: jewelry
Graduation Day
As I continue thinking about things we can’t do now, I bring you this photo of what must be a college graduation day. My guess is that it comes from the mid to late 1950s. The photo is an old … Continue reading
Posted in 1950s
Tagged African American, hats/headcoverings, jewelry, lace, special occasion
1 Comment
Women and War Bonds, 1917
When women are depicted in political posters, they are most often young and appealing or heavily idealized, like Liberty herself. I’ve looked at a lot of war posters in my day—they are a convenient teaching tool—and the older woman in … Continue reading
Vintage Caturday
In honor of the social media phenomenon of “Caturday,” I am contributing this wonderful vintage photo from 1963. I know for a fact, however, that the photo was taken on a Sunday. There is a short, short story written on … Continue reading
Miss Preckle of Denver 1923
As much as I love the spontaneity of family snap shots, the quality of professional work can really be astounding. This luminous photograph comes from the estate of a Denver studio photographer. You can almost count each sequin on her … Continue reading
Older Women in Shorts–Helen Hokinson’s View
After my last post on the proper etiquette of shorts, I thought I would reprise this satirical drawing by cartoonist Helen Hokinson. She had a keen eye for the missteps of women of a certain class (and post-menopausal heft). One … Continue reading
Do You Have a Signature Piece?
Georgia O’Keeffe did. Part of her self styling for photographs was a whimsical pin made for her by Alexander Calder in 1934. It spelled out her initials, “OK.” However, she usually wore it vertically so that looked more abstract. Unless … Continue reading
The Cheerful Granny Takes Flight, 1953
The cheerful granny, an enduring image in American advertising, gets to take a trip on an airplane in the Saturday Evening Post in June 1953. Since she was often used to introduce technological innovations to the middle class, like high … Continue reading
The Panama-Pacific Exhibition, Part Two: The Shirtwaist
While some women dressed for the Panama Exhibit as if going to a party, others chose everyday wear. To the left of the fancy matrons in the middle of the photo are three older women wearing shirtwaist and skirt … Continue reading
Florida Flapper, 1924
This woman isn’t really a flapper, a term most accurately applied only to very young women. However, she has certainly embraced key elements of the 1920s style. She wears a dropped waist dress decorated with pleats and pintucks to add … Continue reading