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1930s
Old photos in cool old cardboard frames
Green 1930s cape
What a lovely cape! I am sure the woman who originally wore this in the 1930s must have loved it. It was wool and extra large. I posed the retro model outdoors in a variety of settings, because it was so pretty! I especially love the pictures of the green cape against the green brick. I think these photos make for a timeless fashion editorial spread.
Old Hollywood Glamour Portraits
Photos from our Classic Car Photography Workshop – 2013
This was such a fun photography workshop to organize with Joann of Clean Cut Creations Vintage Auto Repair. I have always wanted to put together a “shoot out” event, after having attended several on the coasts. The fact that we chose a vintage theme and were able to round up some classic cars, made things extra awesome.
I provided all the authentic vintage dresses, hats and wardrobe, I applied all the period styled makeup on the models, and guided their hair styles.
1880s going away dress outside
Once I had the model in this 1880s bustle dress, I didn’t want to let her out! The weather was SO pretty outside that we decided to go take some fashion photos at Carondelet Park. The boathouse at Carondelet Park, although originally built in 1918, and the concrete pergolas (built in the 1930s), made for perfect a perfect set to go with this 150+ year old dress.
Busieks Baseball team and the Central Rowing Team
Pictures of the 1911 Central Rowing Club and the Busiek’s BaseBall team of St. Louis! How fun. I think the picture of the Busieks Baseball team is probably from the early 30s, looking at it closer…
Old Sinclair Gas Station Photos
I think that these photos of a Sinclair Gas Station are from the late 1930s. Gas was only 18 cents! There are signs on the shop for “tire vulcanizing”, Sinclair Gasoline, auto storage (cost $1 for a week), and inside I can make out an ad for Ponds skin cream. It appears that there was a car wash behind the building, or maybe that’s a picture of a different building.
History of Women’s Swimwear and Sports Fashions
This article claims that Annette Kellerman was groundbreaking in making more practical swimwear acceptable… and did you know that shorts for women were invented in the 1930s?
Lyrics to 1930s songs pt 2
This page features a sexy photo of contralto singer and 1930s San Francisco radio personality Nola Day, a native of Iceland.
According to The Magic Key of RCA Radio Program: “NOLA DAY, NBC contralto, who has appeared as a Magic Key guest, is a native of Iceland but was brought to the United States when she was a baby. She grew up in Tacoma. When she was still in her teens she joined a touring organization that gave entertainments in the logging camps in the Northwest. At the end of a two-years’ tour Nola went to Portland, Oregon, and after a year’s vocal training she was selected as a soloist with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Later she went to Seattle where she sang in “The Vagabond King,” and later proved her vocal versatility by singing with a dance orchestra. When KOMO, Seattle, put on its first transcontinental over NBC, Nola took part. This was her radio debut. She later became a member of the NSC staff in San Francisco. At present she is with NBC in New York.”
Enjoy the song lyrics on this page below. I’ve tried to find audio/video to go with each song, but without much success.
Lyrics to 1930s songs pt 1
I wish that I could find more audio recordings to go with these 1930s song lyrics, but no luck 🙁 This page of lyrics, in particular, I wonder how the music to them went. How quickly culture is lost!
Lyrics to 1930s popular songs pt 3
Here is another page of 1930s lyrics from the October 1935 edition of Popular Music Magazine. Unfortunately, I can only find audio to the song “A Little Bit Later On”. It’s so sad to lose voices of the past. Literally. The singer pictured in a swimsuit is Maxine Gray.
Lyrics to popular 1930s songs pt1
These next 4 pages from the October 1935 Popular Songs Magazine contain lyrics to the popular songs of the mid-30s, along with pictures of well known singers. This page includes lyrics to Empty Saddles, Juanita, The Franklin D. Roosevelt March, Dancing Til Dawn, and the Beautiful Danube Waltz.
Popular Songs Magazine: October 1935
Ginger Rogers graced the front cover of the October 1935 edition of Popular Songs Magazine. It advertised the lyrics to over 30 popular songs of the mid-1930s!
On the inner cover was a full page illustrated advertisement for diamond engagement rings, wedding rings, watches, and other jewelry for men and women wanting great values by Royal Diamond and Watch of 170 Broadway, NYC. You could could get a diamond engagement and wedding ring set for only $29.75 (approximately $525.12 in 2016 dollars).
The Perfolastic shapewear had a money back guarantee if it did not reduce your waist and hips by 3 inches, and an offer to send a free sample of the perforated elastic material that the girdles were made from. This illustrates the ideal 1930s silhouette of narrow waist and hips, with a small to medium bust.
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Hollywood Steps Out – 1930s celebrity charicature cartoon
Hollywood Steps Out is the first old film I’m featuring in this ephemera blog. I found a discussion about 1930s Old Hollywood celebrity caricatures on FaceBook a month ago, and decided to research further.
Bustlines and Derriers in Pinup History
“It’s the inevitable cycle…. in 1910 it was the bust, and cleavage went down to the limit. In the 1920s the sex emphasis was on the legs. In the 1930s it veered to the back and posterior. In the 1940s it concentrated on the bust again. And now we are back to the bottom.”
Last pages of The Language of Fashion
What a cool treasure, to find a fashion book published at the dawn of World War II. It’s been interesting to expand my fashion vocabulary, and to learn so many new things about the history of fashion.
Twill Weave to Yarns
Almost at the end of this fashion dictionary! I’m a bit relieved but also a little sad. I’ve learned SO much about vintage clothing identification and fashion terminology, but this is one of the most boring things ever to scan, because it’s like… reading and scanning a dictionary 😛 When I finish with this self imposed project, feel free to call me a total weirdo.
Types of Stitches thru Tunics & Turbans
Ever wonder how to name or identify the stitching that you might find on pieces of vintage clothing? Here are some excellent definitions, descriptions, and illustrations for types of stitches used in clothing construction and decoration. Referring to these drawings and definitions has helped me to identify and describe vintage clothing.
Skirts thru sportswear – definitions and illustrations for vintage clothing identification
It’s interesting to see the types of skirts, sleeves, and sportswear illustrated and defined! Hopefully this helps you in identifying and describing vintage clothing… I can’t help but read thru this fashion dictionary and learn as I scan and post these pages!
timeline of Historical Fashion silhouettes thru the ages – Types of Satin continued
I find this fashion dictionary’s timeline of silhouettes thru the ages to be interesting, because people in certain eras interpret describe history differently than at other times. History is subjective, to a degree, if only because of the process of curating and deciding what to include or exclude in a synopsis. It’s interesting to see what a fashion expert writing this dictionary thought was important, and the descriptions they used, as compared to more modern historical perspectives.