>

Tag: 1940s


Apr
2015

My Favorite Vintage Images on Pinterest (April Edition)

categories: vintage images

I’m back! And while I’m off editing all the photos I took at VIVA and working on my posts I thought I would fill your eyes with lovely images from my last few weeks on Pinterest.

Enjoy and stay tuned for Viva Post # 1.

Vintage Images on Pinterest

First up while I was gone, Easter happened so here is a cute picture of Doris Day holding an Easter basket with a real bunny in it.

Further Reading: Vintage Easter 1920s-1960s (Archived blog post)

1950s vintage photo of Doris Day holding an easter basket with a bunny in it.

1950s/ 1960s vintage photo: Nothing to see here but cute Easter bonnets and really fantastic coats. I also adore the older girls purse that she is carrying. Such style at such a young age.

1950s/ 1960s Vintage Photo: Nothing to see here but cute Easter bonnets and really fantastic coats. I also adore the older girls purse that she is carrying. Such style at such a young age.
Source: Living Vintage

1940s Photo: Easter Sunday in Harlem, NY 1942 (Henri Cartier-Bresson). Now that is a hat!

Further Reading: Do you have an Easter Parade Hat?

1940s photo / 1940s Fashion: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Easter Sunday in Harlem, NY 1942
Source: MoMA

Summer is quickly approaching (or at least in my mind it is) and I’m looking forward to all the cool events I’m attending. One of those is the “Hats & Horseshoes” event at Woodbine Racetrack. To prepare for this years event I’m have been enamoured with the 1930s images of well dressed folks spending their “Day at the Races” and hope to maybe channel their looks for my day.

Below Photo: At the races in Autieul 1938-39. That Hat and Dress…Stunning is the only word I can find right now to describe this image.

Further Reading: Vintage Hat Ideas to Wear to the Horse Races

1930s vintage photo of woman in 1930s dresses and 1930s hats At the races in Autieul 1938-39
Photo Credit: Regina Relang

Ascot Racecourse, June 1932, Margaret Whigham, later Duchess of Argyll, and friend.

Further Reading: 1930s Fashions As Seen On Everyday People

Ascot Racecourse, June 1932, Margaret Whigham, later Duchess of Argyll, and friend

Well we all know that at Ascot the day is less about the horses and more about the hats on everyone’s heads. Here is an excerpt  from the British Newspaper The Sphere,1939 entitled “Madcap Millinery at the 1939 Ascot”. Do you have a favorite hat from the picture here?

1939 Vintage Hats at Ascot -Here is an excerpt  from the British Newspaper The Sphere,1939 entitled "Madcap Millinery at the 1939 Ascot"
Source: vintagefashionfairs

At Viva this year a dear friend offered to pay for my hair to get done by a professional hairdresser for one day of the event (you will see the hair in my viva post). So for the last few weeks I have been researching vintage hairstyles on Pinterest for inspiration. Here is some of what I found.

The 1940s hairstyle below is similar to what I normally wear but I still like it (clearly for a reason).

Further Reading: A Vintage Guide to 1940s Hair Accessories

1940s vintage photo of a 1940s hairstyle with hair comb.

Stunning photo of June Haver, Vivian Blaine, and Vera-Ellen. The perfect 1940s hair.

1940s vintage photo: Stunning photo of June Haver, Vivian Blaine, and Vera-Ellen. The perfect 1940s hairstyles.

Evelyn Ankers, 1940s hair is really adorable and probably fairly easy to pull off.

What I like seeing in these photos is the frizz on her tips. Makes me feel better knowing that even movie stars did not always have 100% perfect hair.

1940s Hairstyle as seen on Evelyn Ankers

Lastly I figured that if I was really in a pinch I could pick a style from this chart of 1950s stars and their hairstyles.

1950s retro hair chart featuring 1950s movie stars.

I would like to end this post on a cute note and this image from January 1927 of a young visitor and her toy elephant who discovers that the elephant house at London Zoo is closed for their winter holidays, fits the bill perfectly.

1927 vintage image of a child and her toy
Source: Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images

Happy Wednesday!

Further Reading:

Liz


Mar
2015

Vintage Images of 1940s Canadian War Brides

categories: 1940s, vintage images, Wedding, WW2

The other day I was reading a vintage magazine I had been gifted and there was a very interesting article about “What life was like for young war brides”. It was really fascinating to read the interviews and hear them talking about knowing that while life was so uncertain at that time, they knew that they were in love and would do anything to just marry their soldier and worry about the rest later.

Then later while browsing the internet to read a bit more on this subject I stumbled upon a very interesting site called “Canadian War Brides” and as I was reading the stories, looking thru pictures I thought that this was a great idea for a blog post, that I think you would all enjoy.

Here are some of the wonderful goodies…..

Vintage Images of 1940s Canadian War Brides

War Bride Definition:

The term “war bride” refers to the estimated 48,000 young women who met and married Canadian servicemen during the Second World War. These war brides were mostly from Britain, but a few thousand were also from other areas of Europe: the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy and Germany (Source).

Nearly 48,000 Canadian servicemen who married overseas during World War II. Between 1942 and 1947, the government brought 47 783 war brides and their 21 950 children to Canada. Relatively few came before the wars end (Source).

Meet Annie Barnes Anderson Coyle and George Alfred Brown who were married on February 10, 1945 at South Leith Parish Church, in Scotland. George was from Earlton, Ontario and Annie from Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland. Annie was in the Womens Land Army during the Second World War and George was a tank gunner with the Canadian Grenadier Guards.

1940s vintage photo of a young couple who were married in scotland on Feb 10th, 1945. George was Canadian and Annie was a Scottish War Bride.
Source: Canadian War Bride

1940’s Wedding Dresses:

In many photos (like the one above) you will see that the bride is not wearing a wedding dress as clothes rationing and shortages of materials made this very difficult (as well as shortage on time in many bride and grooms cases). Many times you will see her in a best suit or in her service uniform.

I even read about the ultimate rationing….a wedding dress (pictured below) that was worn by 15 brides in Britain. Isn’t it stunning?!

1940s wedding gown - The floor-skimming gown was made from floral-patterned pre-war silk, originally intended for making petticoats. It was first worn by Evelyn Higginson when she married sailor Charles Butterfield on 18 September 1943. Read all about the other 14 women who wore the dress by clicking the image of the dress.
Source: Express

Here is CSM Wm. Lyster and Wren Coral Eswyn Ellinor on August 21st 1943. St. Richard’s Church, Aldwick, Sussex. So young and so in love.

1940s Canadian War Bride -CSM Wm. Lyster and Wren Coral Eswyn Ellinor on August 21st 1943. St. Richard's Church, Aldwick, Sussex. What a stunning 1940s wedding dress, veil, crown and of course the flowers. And our young soldier in his kilt uniform.
Source: ESWYN LYSTER’S STORY & HER BOOK

Right before getting married, William sent a Telegraph to Canada requesting funds from his savings. I think this is really cool piece of history.

1940s Canadian Pacific Telegraph, telegram about fund needed for getting married during WW2.
Source: ESWYN LYSTER’S STORY & HER BOOK

This wedding below looks to be several weddings, but I believe the others ladies are bridesmaids, hence the shorter veils. The middle couple is War Bride Rose Boulay and her husband Horace Boulay of Belledune, New Brunswick.

1940s Canadian War Bride wedding -War Bride Rose Boulay and her husband Horace Boulay of Belledune, New Brunswick. Stunning 1940s wedding dress and 1940s bridesmaid dresses.
Source: Canadian War Brides-FB Page

Nothing thrills me more than seeing vintage images in colour like the wedding of war bride Cathie Elliot to her very handsome Canadian Solider-Glen. They were married on Christmas Eve, 1940, Aberdeen, Scotland. As you can see she is not wearing a traditional white dress.

The paper Horseshoe. In many photos I saw of Canadians and non Canadians the women were carrying a paper horseshoe. What exactly for? For good luck! What a fun idea.

1940s vintage photo of a War Bride and her Solider-Coloured photo. war bride Cathie Elliot to her very handsome Canadian Solider-Glen. They were married on Christmas Eve, 1940, Aberdeen, Scotland. As you can see she is not wearing a traditional white dress.
Source: Canadian War Brides-FB Page

Now for the wedding of all weddings…The Marriage of English War Bride Olive Cochrane to Saskatchewan Native Lloyd Cochrane. The Bouquets in all these photos are just stunning and must weigh a ton.

1940s vintage photo of a 1940s WW2 War Bride Wedding. The image features the 1940s bride and her groom and all the wedding guests and bridesmaids.
Source: Canadian War Brides-FB Page

A war bride and child arrive at Bonaventure Station in Montreal, Quebec, on 4 March 1946. The mother and child had travelled across the ocean on board the SS Aquitania (Source).

1940s Vintage Photo: A war bride and child arrive at Bonaventure Station in Montreal, Quebec, on 4 March 1946. The mother and child had travelled across the ocean on board the SS Aquitania.

Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia

Coming to Canada

After the wedding the brides eventually had to make the trip to Canada.

Here is an image of War Brides with their Children arriving in Halifax-Pier 21. Upon their arrival they were supplied with a cookbook and then sent on their way.

Most then boarded special trains that took them to their final destinations in communities located across the country. Many of the war brides were unprepared for the conditions they found in Canada, but most stayed and adjusted to a new way of life (Source).

1940s photo of War brides and their children arriving in Halifax, Canada from overseas.
Source: Public Archives of NS

I have a feeling that making this trip to an unknown country to a family you don’t know and maybe a husband you barely remember must bring these women together in a way that nobody thought possible.

1940s Canadian War Brides Coming to their new home. 1940s Fashions on display-Coats, hair scarfs and kids.
Source: Canadian Army

Canadian war brides on board the aircraft carrier Reaper as it enters the Sydney Harbour, NS. On a fashion side, I love the hair and the peep toe shoes.

1940s vintage photo of Canadian War Brides on a bunk bed in 1940s fashions waiting to get off the boat in Sydney Harbour, NS.
Source: CBC Radio

War brides and their children en route to Canada. Photo taken in England, 17 April 1944.

1940s vintage photo of War brides and their children en route to Canada. Photo taken in England, 17 April 1944.

Source: Canadian Encyclopedia

For further reading please check out:

Liz 🙂