ww2 Archives

It’s been awhile since I have done a roundup of my favourite vintage reads and videos. So just as we close up October….here you go. Enjoy everyone!

Oh and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

1940s vintage halloween photo of a man bobbing for apples while women and a soldier stand around watching.

A friend of mine is selling the below 1940s/1950s Harford Frocks Sales Cards and I was very curious on the history behind them. Well the fantastic ‘Vintage Traveler‘ Blog has written a post on these cool items of fashion history and solved my mystery. It’s well worth the read, so check it out HERE!

1940s Fashion: 1940s/1950s Harford Frocks Sales Card featuring a woma in a shirtwaist dress

Camp Hollywood 2018 Open Lindy Finals

YUP WOW! (Video Link)

Further Reading: Swing Dance & the Big Band Era (archived blog posts)

Awesome Garage Sale Find! Dance tickets from Toronto’s Palais Royale ballroom possibly from the 1930s.

Oct. 18, 1929, women were finally declared “persons” under Canadian law.

Read all about the Historic Ruling HERE.

Prime Minister King poses with Nellie McClung, 2 senators and “Famous Five” family members in front of the tablet unveiled commemorating the “Women as Persons” ruling.

In a Fit of 1940s Optimism, Greyhound Proposed a Fleet of Helicopter Buses

Article by Smithsonian – The 1940s were a period of rapid technological advancement in America. On that account, perhaps, the planners at Greyhound can be forgiven for their optimism when, on this day in 1943, they promised that people would be trading up their bus seat for one on a helicopter bus soon. Continue Reading Article…

1940s vintage photo of 1940s people waiting to get on a Greyhound Bus.

1940s Nail Guide-Now this is not an article or a video but it’s just to fun NOT to share!

1940s vintage advertising for a Manicure nail guide featuring the ways t he ways to polish your nails.

Rename Oakland airport? Petition seeks to recognize trailblazing Berkeley pilot-Maggie Gee

She was a pioneering pilot, flying planes for the military during WWII, a coder in the early days of computers and a tireless community advocate. And now, one Walnut Creek resident is on a quest to rename Oakland International Airport in her honor. Read the story HERE

1940s Vintage Photo: An old portrait of Maggie Gee in her pilot's uniform is shown on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009, at her home in Berkeley, Calif. Gee served as a pilot for two years during World War II and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in July. A children's book based on her life as a Women's Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) was just published. — An old portrait of Maggie Gee in her pilot’s uniform is shown on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009, at her home in Berkeley, Calif. Gee served as a pilot for two years during World War II and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in July. A children’s book based on her life as a Women’s Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) was just published. (Maggie Gee/Contributed)

Have a wonderful rest of your week friends and if you read or saw something really cool, please share in the comments section below. Thanks!

Liz

Another month is zipping on by like it was almost never here, can you believe it? I have had a fairly quiet month, beside my yearly Vegas Trip for German Karneval (Mardi Gras), I have stayed pretty close to home. This means I have had lots of time to do some reading and some YouTube watching. Today’s post is a highlight of some of the vintage goodies I have enjoyed this month.

Today’s post features:

Women pilots making their mark in history
Badass animals of WWII
Stories of a shop girl
Fiestaware
Room to Room Guide to Vintage Shabby Chic
Rare photos from the birth of the ‘New Look’
Miss Toronto Pageant 1938 & 39
Mary Tyler Moore Bloopers

Grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy.

1. Bessie Colman and the Women Pilots History Shouldn’t Forget by CNN

Thursday’s Google Doodle was of a woman, named Bessie Coleman. Bessie was the first African-American woman to hold a pilot license. She was also the first American woman to hold an international pilot license. Wow this is truly fantastic!

I have had never heard of Bessie but she will forever be on my mental mantle of awesomeness, right up there with the other women mentioned in the above article.

2. The 26 Most Badass Animals from WWII by Buzzfeed

3. There is a Twitter page called ‘Diary Dear‘ that tells the tales of a shop girl living in Toronto, starting in 1938. They tweet a page from her diary every day and so far what I have read has been fascinating for the vintage lover like myself. I will be interested to see if they get far enough into her diary where she begins to mention WW2, and what it is like in Toronto at that time.

4. The ingenious story of how Fiestaware invaded the baby boomer kitchen by Stephanie Buck

5. Need ideas on how to give your home a bit of that Vintage Shabby Chick look? Then this Room by Room Guide to Vintage Chic by Laura Preston, inspired by the Rosebery Hotel is perfect for you!