I love vintage photos of everyday women’s hairstyles. They are real, attainable and not movie star quality. I think it’s just so wonderful to see that not everything was perfect but still looked lovely.

For those of us who like to do vintage hairstyles, I think it’s easy to get caught up in thinking you have to have a perfect style, but these women are proof that perfection was not always attainable (and they still look great).

I have also decided to do this post because I have been noticing that lots of people are searching for ‘1950s women’s hairstyles’ and coming to my website. I don’t have loads of content on this specific era and this is because I absolutely love 1 940s hairstyles. So today’s post is a bevy of wonderful 1950s photos of women and their 1950s hairstyles.

Enjoy!

1950s vintage photo of a young woman posing in a photo booth with a 1950s hairstyle, red lips, 1950s accessories.

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

1950s Photos of Everyday Women’s Hairstyles

“A smile and a squint”, May 1955. What a super example of curled hairstyle pulled back with a curl left in the front. Our young lady looks adorable.

1950s vintage photo of a young woman with a 1950s hairstyles and pearl necklace smiling at the camera. Super 1950s vintage hairstyle inspiration

Source: Etsy-therescuedphoto

1950s vintage photo of a beautiful young women named Dorothy Wallace. She is wearing a short 1950s hairstyle (very popular during the 50s).

1950s vintage photo of a beautiful young Black Women named Dorothy Wallace. She is wearing a cute short 1950s hairstyle. Fantastic vintage hair inspiration.

Source: Etsy-therescuedphoto

Cute short pageboy 50s hairstyle in this image of a young woman with the BEST glasses on! This feels like a yearbook photo to me.

Further Reading: Vintage Photos of Women who wear Eyeglasses

1950s vintage photo of a young woman with red lips, short 1950s hairstyle and 1950s eyeglasses on with pearls around her neck

Source: Etsy-therescuedphoto

Photo booth images are a super resource for vintage hairstyle inspiration. You can usually see the style really well, like on our serious faced young women (Rose Morrison) with the plaid vest and a bobbed curl hairstyle.

1950s vintage photo of a pretty young Black Women in a photobooth with a 1950s hairstyle and plaid vest

Source: Etsy-therescuedphoto

Two women in Japan in 1950s fashions and short 1950s hairstyles smile for the camera.

1950s vintage photo of two Japanese women in 1950s fashions and 1950s hairstyles in Japan

Girls night! Pick your fav hairstyle from this group of young ladies having a great time together.

1950s vintage photo of a group of girls in 1950s hairstyles and 1950s fashion posing for the camera at a girls night

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

HAZARD! Ada has something she is thinking about in this photo booth image. Maybe it’s about her fantastic hair? HA!

1950s vintage photo of a Black woman with a 1950s hairstyle and plaid dress on posing in front of a sign that says hazard

Source: Etsy-therescuedphoto

A head full of curls and some doggy time on the porch swing.

1950s vintage photo of a young woman with a 1950s hairstyle holding a dog on her porch swing.

Source: Etsy-therescuedphoto

November 1955-This photo makes me happy, and it’s because of the big smile on our adorable woman in the big chair. Her hair is perfectly curled and she has a great 1950s outfit on.

Further Reading: Vintage Photos of Wallpaper Designs in Mid Century Homes

1950s vintage photo (November 1955) of an older woman in a 1950s dress sitting in chair in her living room with a 1950s hairstyle. Love the big smile on her face.

Source: Etsy-AlaskaVintage

“The Dixie Cups”. 4 women with short hairstyles posing together at a party.

1950s vintage photo of 4 Black Women drinking out of dixie cups posing together in 1950s fashions and 1950s hairstyles

Source: Etsy-JakeRoebucks

Teenage girls in a 1950s fashion show. Another group photo with lots of 50s hairstyle inspirations.

1950s vintage photo of Teenage girls at a fashion show. They are all wearing 1950s fashions and 1950s hairstyles.

Source: eBay

My last photo of this post, is of Ruth Shoemake who has let her natural curls just do their own thing (the cut is still very 50s though). Another great photo for inspiration.

1950s vintage photo of a young woman wearing a 1950s hairstyle and a parl necklace. No makeup.

Source: Etsy-therescuedphoto

I hope you enjoyed the photos I chose for this post, even if your not a vintage hairstyle fan. I will be doing a more detailed post later on down the line, so stay tuned for that.

Question time: Do you like 1950s hairstyles? What was your favourite photo from above?

Further Reading:

On May 26th, Lindy Hoppers from all over the world will be celebrating Swing dancer extraordinaire Frankie Manning (and coined by dancers all over as the “Ambassador of the Lindy Hop”). Frankie was a leading dancer at Harlem’s legendary Savoy Ballroom where, in the mid-1930s, he revolutionized the course of the lindy hop with his innovations, including the lindy air step and synchronized ensemble lindy routine.

Frankie also lived to be 94 which is what allowed him to reach newer generations later in life (I even got to meet him. Picture at the end).

Frankie Manning's Favourite Big Band Swing Music

He also was a HUGE lover of Swing Era Big Band Music, maybe it’s because he lived to see so many of those band perform live (Frankie was born May 26th, 1914). I too love this music and that is one of the reasons why I love the Lindy Hop.

So for today’s post in honour of May 26th, I thought it would be fun to share some of Frankie’s favourite swing music from a 2007 album I found online. I will even try to share any videos with him dancing to any of the matching songs if they exist.

If you are a fan of big band music, this post is for you! If you are looking to dance to Frankie’s favourite songs? This post is for you! Enjoy!

The Album: Really Swingin’: Frankie Manning’s Big Band Favorites – various artists. An Essential. One of the best ways to start your collection, this album contains 16 tracks of big band swing music picked out by the man himself, Frankie Manning.

Frankie Manning and Ann Johnson Vintage Dance Photo — Frankie Manning and Ann Johnson Source: Pinterest

The Swing Era Big Band Songs

==> Playlist: Listen on Spotify Here

1. Shiny Stockings – Count Basie & His Orchestra

Frankie Manning and Norma Miller Dancing to Shiny Stockings at Frankie 85 at Roseland Ballroom, NYC 1999 (Video link).

Who was Norma aka the Queen of Swing? Take a read here: Women of the Big Band Era Everyone Should Know Part 1

2. Swingin’ At Newport – Count Basie & His Orchestra

Swingin At Newport (Live (1957/Newport)) · Count Basie (video link).

3. Jersey Bounce – Benny Goodman

“Jersey Bounce” was far-and-away Goodman’s most popular instrumental hit of the 1940s, spending twenty weeks in the national top-10, six of them peaked at #2 (video link).

4. T’aint What You Do – Jimmie Lunceford AKA THE SHIM SHAM (video link)

About the Shim Sham:

The Shim Sham was originally a tap routine that become a popular routine for finale’s where the entire cast of a show would do this routine. Leonard Reed was said to have choreographed the Goofus which was a tap routine that sparked it all. From the Vaudeville finale it made it’s was to New York. It got changed and simplified and eventually you end up with this version of the Shim Sham for Lindy Hoppers.

Then during the Swing Dance revival, Frankie Manning taught it around the world and it has been whole heartedly adopted by lindy hoppers. When this songs plays at a swing event, anywhere in the world, you will get a bunch or people dancing this routine (Source).

Learn the Shim Sham from Frankie Manning & Erin Stevens in 1995 (video link).

5. Begin The Beguine – Artie Shaw (video link)

6. Hamp’s Boogie Woogie – Lionel Hampton & His Septet (video link)

7. Let’s Get Together – Duke Ellington & His Orchestra (video link)

8. Tuxedo Junction – Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra (video link).

The below video from 1997 is of Frankie teaching ‘The Tranky Doo’ (a famous line dance) that he choreographed. It is also called the ‘Frankie Doo’ as there are two versions of this dance.

9. Segue In C – Duke Ellington & Count Basie (video link)

10. Posin’ – Jimmie Lunceford (video link)

11. In The Mood – Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (video link)

12. Tippin’ In – Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra (video link)

13. Flying Home – Lionel Hampton & His Septet (video link)

I have seen this clip a million times and it still gives me the chills, it’s so good!

The Lindy Hop Swing Dance Scene from 1992 movie Malcolm X featuring Denzel Washington, Spike Lee. Choreographed with the help of Frankie Manning (blue suit) & Norma Miller (yellow dress) also performed in the scene. Otis Sallid/Choreographer.

Song is “Flying Home” by Lionel Hampton. Great Aerials, Floorials, Jitterbug, Charleston, – one of the best Lindy Hop Swing Dance Scenes in a movie. Background dancers include Dawn Hampton & Ryan Francois.

14. Take The ‘A’ Train – Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra (video link).

This is a segment from the film Reveille with Beverly from 1943; the song was composed in 1939.

15. One O’ Clock Jump – Count Basie & His Orchestra (video link)

16. Corner Pocket – Count Basie & His Orchestra (video link)

I hope you enjoyed these fantastic swing tunes and maybe even got in a dance. I know I’m looking forward to dancing to all these tunes at Toronto Lindy Hop World Lindy Hop Big Band Dance on June 1st, 2024. See you there maybe!

Share your favourite song in the comments section below!

Frankie Manning in Toronto — Liz & Frankie Manning

Further Reading:

Thanks for dropping by!

Liz