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Tag Archives: shoes
Portrait with Yucca, 1928
I puzzled over this photo for a long time. Is she an older woman or not? Her cropped hair is certainly a style favored by the young in 1928, and it looks like she might be pregnant. However, elements of … Continue reading
“Five Babushkas,” 1970s. A Photo by Rod Bradley
I’m slowly forgetting all the Russian I learned in my career as a historian of the Soviet Union. However, I do remember that the proper plural of the word babushka (grandmother) is babushki. I suppose I should be glad that … Continue reading
Considering Mrs. Claus
A recent viewing of Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street made me consider the fate of Mrs. Claus (or Kringel), the often forgotten partner of Santa. Her history stretches back to the nineteenth century, but she is almost always left out of … Continue reading
Phyllis Diller, Happy Eccentric
There are many reasons to remember the comedian Phyllis Diller (1917-2012). She was the first well-known female standup comic in America; she had a long career in television and film; and she was an enthusiastic advocate of plastic surgery—theme for … Continue reading
Labor Day Race, 1917
I thought it might be hard to find photos of women on Labor Day doing anything but dishing up potato salad, but I was wrong. The Digital Pubic Library of America, one of my favorite sources, had many pictures of … Continue reading
Considering Sportswear–Golfing, 1937
By 1937, some young women were wearing pants to play golf—but not these two. It looks like their mother had brought for a day on the course. Did she play as well? If so, she has on the wrong shoes. … Continue reading
Posted in 1930s
Tagged generations, hats/headcoverings, Massachusetts, shoes, sportswear
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What to Wear to a Picnic, 1969
So much information on this snapshot—enough to make any historian’s heart beat faster! We have not only the names of the picnickers and the place they were meeting, but also the exact date. If I’m not mistaken, this is an … Continue reading
“It’s Fine for Us,” Rural Electrification Poster
Graphic artist Lester Beall made a series of posters in the 1930s and 1940s advertising the goals of the Rural Electrification Administration. As the name implies, the New Deal Era program aimed to bring electricity to the countryside, which was … Continue reading
Grand Opening at the Waffle Shop, 1931
I chanced upon this wonderful photo in a search for polka dresses—a favorite theme of mine. You never know what you will find! There isn’t much of a backstory to the photo, but I imagine it was opening day at … Continue reading
Gertrude Stein’s Philosophy of Dress
Not long ago I picked up a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, a memoir of his early years in Paris. It includes long accounts of his contact with Gertrude Stein, who helped him establish himself during the 1920s. … Continue reading