The Vintage Site

The “Roaring 20′s” are generally known for their elegant, daring style.

This was the Jazz Age, the time of flappers, of shorter skirts and the beginnings of the modern look in fashion. Even today, 1920′s style parties are popular and often the guests will all dress up in their version of 20′s attire and do their best to dance to vintage music like the Charleston. Some of the biggest selling items in my own store, in fact, are 1920′s party invitations and the matching stamps and accessories. So I think it’s safe to say that the lure of our version of the 1920′s continues to draw us in.

Well, to me what is even more exciting is finding an actual, authentic, vintage version of true 1920′s style. And that’s just what I found in the December 1926 issue of McCall’s magazine. This issue is full of gorgeous fashion illustrations, but better yet, the article also explains what the exact details of the current fashion trends were.

So if you would like to come along on a fashion journey back to 1926, just read on!

1. Girdled Hiplines Much in Evidence

“Slim skirts with pleated fullness, hips tightly girdled and a loose blouse that droops over the girdle are the leading features of a variable mode. Sleeves loose at the wrist are featured.”

2. The New Turbans Smartly Draped

“There are few brims. Crowns are higher with much fullness softly draped, the tilt exaggerated toward the back as in the African turbans.”

3. The Formality of Modes

“It is well to take these new street frocks with serious consideration. They represent the new movement away from simplicity, from the chemise type that has prevailed for years. They stick to the straight and narrow, but they flaunt a sophistication, a more formal air that has crept into the mode. They are different.”

4. Daytime Sports Frocks

“There is no doubt that the increasing outdoor activities of women are a dominant influence on all frocks to be worn in the daytime. A certain elegance, as the French term it, appears in house frocks. Take the costumes on this page, each correct in detail and accessories. They are worn from morn to night no matter what the hour or occasion. The fabric makes the only difference. Lame kasha and silk velvet are often used for such models as these. Embroidery and flowers are utilized to provide the necessary brilliant color. Hats and shoes match.”

As far as skirts with fullness in the front,

“It is the present day posture of the young girl that induces fashion makers to marshal fullness to the front. The new generation of slender, supple girls can wear with grace these frocks with flat backs and front decoration.”

I found this to be a fascinating article, both for the stylish illustrations and for the very detailed explanation of the fashion trends of the day. And hopefully if you have a 1920′s party to attend, you’ll now have the advantage of knowing exactly what to wear!

Traveling may not have been as easy in the 1920′s as it is now, yet it was still a popular activity for those who could afford it.

Instead of turning to google or trip advisor or any of the myriad ways we now have to find information for our trip, travelers long ago turned to hard copy travel guides. There were of course actual books published that contained a wealth of information. But as we can see here, popular magazines also provided more condensed versions of trip advice for some of the more common destinations.

This amazing article comes from the April 1924 issue of the Woman’s Home Companion magazine. It would have been worth it for the awesome illustrations alone, but this little piece of writing has much more to offer. As we read it, we actually get to travel along with a travel guide who leads us right through the Britain of the 1920′s. To him the country is foreign (he is American) but the time period is not. The upbeat, witty, intelligent writing seems to me to capture the essence of the 20′s.

The writer, Fredeick Lewis, travels through and comments on various British cities. I will share some of the highlights of his travels here.

On British Train Travel:

“The little lunch baskets which the guard brings you, if you ask him to, are filled with cold cuts and apple turnovers and other English goodies – the whole thing costing less than a dollar. The meals in the diners are not so good as those on the European continent, but far better than ours, except that you have no choice, and get the food thrown at you by nervous, undersized waiters who pretend not to understand the English language in its revised American version.”

Chester and Liverpool:

“We aren’t going to spend out first British night in Liverpool, not while the Woodside Station still stands, and the nifty little third-class railway carriages run out to Old Chester… Chester is only a few minutes from Liverpool, geographically – but, sentimentally and atmospherically considered, the two communities are centuries apart.”

Edinburgh:

“Edinburgh is one of those places in which even the casual tourist feels a proprietary interest. In a week’s time, the smoke from the city’s hundred thousand chimneys becomes almost essential to the nostrils. In a month, unless it should happen to rain every day, even a New Yorker feels at home. And yet, Edinburgh is an extremely nationalistic place. It never forgetsthat it is just as much of a capital city as London or Washington – and almost as much of one as Dublin itself!”

Stratford-on-Avon:

“…Anne Hathaway’s cottage at Shottery has been raised to the level of a shrine, and Anne endowed with a saintiness which even she would never have claimed. Her house, however, is worth seeing, quite apart from her relation to the bard, as a well-preserved example of the simple farming life of the Elizabethan times.”

Oxford:

“…my advice is to get yourself led blindfolded to a closed cab, and hold your hands over your eyes until you reach ‘The High.’ Here you may gaze on ‘the finest street in Europe,’ and introduce yourself one after another to the twenty-four colleges which comprise the University of Oxford. This job can be done in a day.”

London:

“The first time I was in London, I did what most Americans do – and no American should do – put up at one of those big imitation American hotels that tower above the Embankment, and make faces at the Thames. Here busy men and tired women live out their multiple-press lives, just as if they were in Chicago, only The Blackstone is an infinitely better hotel. It’s strange how some people travel so far to stay at home!
“The thing to do, and the thing I have since done, is to take your luggage to one of those little, low-ceilinged, really English hostelries in the crooked streets between Regent Street and Piccadilly, where people live English novels as well as read them.”

More London:

“Once established in one of those little inns, filled with the atmosphere of Dickens’s period and the sanitary conveniences of Chaucer’s, you may be a bit homesick. And if you are just crawl up on one of those animated advertising signs, which the Londoner calls a bus, fish out a penny that isn’t a penny at all but two pennies, get a ticket that no one ever takes, jolt yourself down the Strand, dive into one of the big tourist caravansaries and, in a jiffy, you are in New York or Duluth! …
“But even in this near-American apartment, you know you are not in America. You don’t have to feel the black fog rolling into that American lobby down-stairs, shooting up those American elevator shafts, and peeping through that American keyhole, to know that you are not in New York. All you have to do is to look out of the window.”

If this little excerpt has tempted you to read more, here is the entire article for you to read. Just click on the thumbnails for a version that should be big enough to read clearly:

And one other wonderful addition to the article – the author provides us with a travel chart he made up, which lists suggestions of what to do in each city, what he did and didn’t like etc. Again, click on the thumbnail to look at his chart:

As the author says,

“You’ll see most of London in ten days, and you’ll live over what you do see all the rest of your life. London is, to me, the most satisfying city in the world.”

Many of us have our own collections of little items we love.

I happen to collect inexpensive little magnets from every county or city I visit, and I love the excitement of finding the perfect one to take back with me on the plane. They are always on display so I can look them over any time.

Well, movie stars are not so different in this sense, if the March 1933 issue of McCall’s magazine is to be believed. According to this short article I found there, entitled “Additions and Distractions,” five popular Hollywood actresses of the time each had their own particular obsession with various items. Without further ado, I present to you here the collections of Joan Crawford, Wynne Gibson, Marie Dressler, Carole Lombard, and Marion Davies.

You can find the blurb about Joan Crawford above. According to the magazine, she makes and collects bags.

“In her home in Hollywood she now has three drawers filled with bags, each wrapped carefully in tissue paper.”

Next is Wynne Gibson (who, by the way, was the only actress of the five with whom I was not familiar):

Wynne has the best collection of boudoir slippers in Hollywood.

Marie Dressler has a love for gloves. “She has boxes filled with them – pairs and pairs of new-fashioned ones, preferably black, and old-fashioned ones with memories.”

Carole Lombard collects costume jewelry but is only interested in the out-of-the-ordinary.

Marion Davies loves handkerchiefs. “She especially likes linen ones with monograms for daytime wear and large lace-edged or rolled-edge squares for evening.”

Coincidentally, if you are a fan of Marie Dressler, Joan Crawford, and/or Marion Davies, and haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend The Hollywood Revue of 1929. The dvd can be ordered online, or if you’d prefer there are also a lot of clips from it available on youtube. It provides a great glimpse of all 3 of these stars in one of the first talking films ever. It’s like one big variety show, and there is a lot of singing and dancing and comedy. I’ve never seen anything else like it!

Would a typical husband really divorce his wife in 1942 simply for not making good tea?

Although there are and were all different kinds of people in the world, with all different personalities, I’m betting that this situation would have been pretty rare. And the point of this Lipton Tea ad from 1942 is that the readers recognized this also.

I’ve seen plenty of ads from the very early part of the 20th century that implied that using the wrong product would truly upset the “man of the house.” And that using the wrong or inadequate product meant that you were simply not doing the best job of being a good wife.

But by the time of this ad in 1942, it seems the advertisers recognized that consumers had gotten much more sophisticated where ads were concerned. Readers of McCall’s magazine, where this ad was found, would have known that the advertiser was merely trying to sell their product and would make general claims about how theirs was the best. So there had to be a new way to get noticed and reach the consumer.

This ad does so by beginning with a claim that is so outlandish and fake, that when the second much more subdued claim is made it will seem true in comparison. The cartoon in this ad begins,

HUSBAND: “I was about to divorce you, Clementine, because you couldn’t make decent tea, but this wonderful brew makes me love you all over again!”
WIFE: “Oh, lucky day I changed to Lipton Tea… it has given me back my husband!”

However, this would never happen, so the ad preempts any doubt on the readers part by admitting right up front, “This won’t happen.”

So when the cartoon goes on to say that instead, the following will happen,

HUSBAND: “Darn good cup of tea! Have you changed brands?”
WIFE: “Yes, I thought I’d try Lipton. It is better isn’t it?”

it sounds so much more believable that the reader is willing to accept it as true. The woman reading the ad also sees that the advertiser recognizes that she is sophisticated enough to see through their lies, which is meant to make her feel good, too.

So in the end, even though the method of getting the message across has changed, advertisers in the 1930′s and 1940′s are still able to make the point that buying their product will keep your husband happy and help you to be a better wife to him. They just have become less obvious about it.

Regardless, for us here many years later, we can enjoy this vintage ad from a long-gone era. Lipton Tea is still around, however, and going strong, and for many of us it is a product we do still enjoy.

If you notice, there is a rebus of sorts here, too. You can see it a little better at the top of this blog entry. The funny thing to me is that instead of replacing the word with a picture, as in a traditional rebus, they provide both the picture and the word! To me the little pictures almost look like the precursors to today’s emoji.

All in all, this is one vintage ad I really did enjoy.

Here in the United States we are fast approaching the Fourth of July.

This holiday commemorates the United States’ adoption of the Declaration of Independence and our independence from England, but it also serves as a reason to celebrate, with summer parties, barbecues, and fireworks. Even back in 1916, this holiday was a big day to gather together your friends and family for some patriotic fun.

What I am bringing to you today are two separate pages from the July 1916 issue of the Woman’s Home Companion. I will start with the lunch menu.

In the short article “A Fourth of July Luncheon – to be served buffet style or on the porch,” readers are provided with a summery menu of food. Not all of the recipes are provided, however, because it is assumed that readers would know exactly how to prepare the other items. Unfortunately, with the passage of almost 100 years, some of those items are no longer very well known.

For instance, I don’t know what “Imperial Sticks,” “Raspberry Shrub Punch,” or “Horseradish Graham Sandwiches” really are (although I admit I am a bit fearful that last item is literally referring to horseradish on graham crackers – which if it is, ugh!)

But recipes are in fact provided for “Clam Bisque, Pimiento Cream,” “Crab Meat, Indienne,” “Fourth of July Pudding,” “We Three Sherbet,” “Blueberry Molasses Puffs,” and “Raspberry Cream Frappe.” So if any of these old fashioned recipes strike your fancy, here is your chance to give them a try this year!

The second article is more about party games and decorations than about food. It is called “The Fourth of July House-Party – two evening entertainments planned for the summer hostess.”

This article has a special insert with ideas on how to decorate. I love the suggestion of hanging rows of red lanterns from wires on the porch, and candy boxes shaped like cannons to make DIY candle-holders (although admittedly these might be hard to find today). The article also suggests making a long table for the party by simply resting planks of wood on carpenter’s horses and then covering the table with bright red crepe paper held on by thumbtacks.

The games and menu sound much less appealing, but then again, it was a different time. The games range from ideas like picking up vegetables from the floor with a spoon and depositing them into a box, to carrying very full glasses of water on a tray while racing around and sitting down and putting down and picking up the tray. (This water game is for “gentlemen only”, however and the prizewinner gets a “diamond pin” – meaning “a dime and a safety pin”!) As you can probably tell by now, these games might not go over so well at your next party.

Finally, we are provided with another very short menu -

“jellied consomme in cups, fried chicken a la Maryland, hot tea biscuit, whole tomato salad, iced coffee with whipped cream, strawberries and cream, and fresh gingerbread.”

The only recipe we are given is for the tomato salad, and it’s another rather unappetizing choice – simply scoop out the tomatoes, and fill with chopped nuts and mayonnaise.

So, in summary, these articles seem to contain both good ideas that we could adopt today, along with some that definitely seem to be products of their time. However, if you pick and choose from the choices we are given, you can actually throw a true, vintage, old-fashioned Independence Day party, and have a blast!

We all would like to be able to clean our house with the least effort and the best results, am I right?

And not only that, but it would be great if we could clean them correctly rather than just doing a superficial, rush job.

Well, if you had a copy of the March 1920 issue of the Delineator magazine, you were in luck. That’s exactly what the article entitled “Cleaning your Rooms Correctly with the least effort and best results” promises to show us how to do. And for those of us almost 100 years too late to receive our copy in the mail, here is our chance to be taught. Although I will warn you up front, there are a lot of very detailed instructions.

Here is a photographic view of the steps needed to correctly clean your house:

And now, here is a paraphrased breakdown of what the woman in each picture is doing.

Picture One:

Remove all “bric-a-brac.” Get rid of ashes in the fireplace. Open the windows, vacuum the rugs. Vacuum the upholstered furniture. Sweep and shake out small rugs. Clean, roll up, and cover large rugs. Cover the furniture with newspapers or cloths after it has been cleaned.

Picture Two:

Brush off the curtains to dislodge dust, then pin them back.

Picture Three:

Brush the ceiling, moldings and walls with a broom covered with a cloth to remove dust. Brush off the back of the pictures, as well as the crevices in the woodwork and radiators.

Picture Four:

All the dush has now been swept to the floor, so sweep the floor with a soft hair brush and dispose of the dirt.

Picture Five:

Give the room a good thorough dusting. (There is much discussion in this step about which type of dusters are best for which items).

Picture Six:

Wash the windows. (Kerosene or alcohol are mentioned here as being good for washing windows in cold weather, since they do not freeze!) The article suggests first rubbing the windows with a soft damp cloth, then applying a scouring-soap with a cloth dampened by ammonia, then let the window dry, then polish the window with a clean cloth.

Picture Seven:

Wash the woodwork. For enameled woodwork, use a soft wool cloth and a solution of borax and water. For painted woodwork, use warm water and soap. For varnished woodwork, rub it with oil, then rub it dry. And for waxed woodwork, it needs no treatment other than rubbing with a dry cloth.

Picture Eight:

Clean the walls. For oil-painted walls, just scrub with soap suds and wipe off with clean water before wiping dry. For walls covered with washable paper, just wipe with a damp cloth. Calcimine finish can only be dustedwith a dry cloth. Fabric-covered walls are hard to clean ad can only be brushed with a stiff brush. Wall-papered walls can be cleaned by the covered broom in picture three (and should be cleaned at that time, rather than in this step).

Picture Nine:

Clean the fireplace. First clean and polish the andirons. If they are brass, use an acid such as cream of tartar or vinegar. Set them aside on newspaper and clean the fireplace bricks with a stiff brush and scouring powder. Then rinse with water. Wipe out the fire-box, wash and scrub the hearth.

Picture ten:

Polish the floor. For wood, use a dustless mop. Painted floors should be dusted with a dry mop. Varnished floors may be dusted with a oiled mop.

Obviously this sounds like a lot of work. But when it is all done, you can be satisfied that your rooms are in fact correctly cleaned. (And just imagine how much harder the job would have been if you hadn’t been presented with the method of least effort!)

“If you’re one of those who get about a lot, you’ll have noticed that the smartest trick these days is variety in finger nails.”

In 1933, Cutex ads appeared in various magazines exclaiming that the variety in nail colors is the newest trend in manicures.

“At the Ritz… on transatlantic liners… at the opera… or the night club of the hour – everywhere the well-dressed world gathers, hands beckon with sparkling nail tints.
All shades!”

In these two ads, from the March 1933 issue of McCall’s and the July 1933 issue of the Delineator, we are presented with these colors and also told which shades of clothing they work best with.

The various shades of Cutex nail polish in 1933, and the clothing colors they work best with.

I’ve also noticed that in many ads and photographs from this year, the nail tips are bordered in white on both the top and the bottom. It’s a look I haven’t noticed much in any other time. So I was happy to see that one of these ads explained how to create the complete Cutex manicure. Here are the instructions:

THE COMPLETE CUTEX MANICURE… Scrub nails. Remove old cuticle ad cleanse nail tips with Cutex Cuticle Remover & Nail Cleanser. Remove old polish with Cutex Polish Remover. Brush on the shade of Cutex Liquid Polish that best suits your costume. Then use Cutex Nail White (Pencil or Cream) and finish with Cutex Cuticle Oil or Cream. After every manicure and before retiring, massage hands with the new Cutex Hand Cream.

Here is the second complete Cutex ad from 1933 that I found:

With the article shown here, from the October 1899 issue of McCall’s magazine, you can actually crochet a shawl that would have been worn over a hundred years ago.

I find it absolutely incredible that with these basic vintage instructions, it is possible now in the twenty first century to make the same pattern of shawl that a woman would have also made back in 1899. If you are looking for help with a vintage clothing look, this would be perfect because it will be authentically vintage yet not as delicate and fragile as an actual antique shawl would be.

Unfortunately I do not crochet, so I’m not sure how difficult these instructions are or even if they were written in the same way as they are today. But hopefully they will work for you!

The picture of the shawl directly above this paragraph shows the crocheted shawl. Of this shawl, the magazine says:

“The pretty crocheted shawl shown in our first illustration may be made of fine wool in the usual manner, but it is much prettier to crochet it of thin silk.”

And the photo at the very top shows the “square netted shawl.” The magazine article explains a bit about netting here:

“As inquiries have lately reached our needlework columns with regard to netting, the illustration of these may be of especial interest to some of our readers. This kind of work was popular in years gone by, being a favorite employment of the ancient Egyptians, who, as Pliny tells us, made nets of flax so delicate that ‘they would pass through a man’s ring, and a single person could carry a sufficient number of them to surround a whole wood.’ History seems to be repeating itself in the recent revival of netting as a pleasant occupation.”

So, if you would like to give one or both of these shawls a try, you will find the complete article with instructions presented here. Simply click on the scans to enlarge so you can read them clearly.

If you do make one of these shawls, please come back and share the results!

Simple is best.

That seems to be the consensus here in this well-illustrated article from the April 1906 issue of the Ladies’ Home Journal magazine. Here they seem to be making the point that furniture constructed as it was in the past – solid, dignified, with clean lines and simplicity – is the best. It’s funny to think that the modern, ornate, machine-made furniture that this author hates is the same furniture that has become our antiques today.

Here is a quote from the magazine:

Good taste in tables, as in all furniture, consists largely in sound construction. Stability and usefulness come first. Plain surfaces mean good workmanship. Carving and ornament are put into modern work to cover imperfect wood or faulty construction. The carving on old furniture was done by hand. It was a thing of real beauty and expressed the individuality of skillful designers. Today this is almost entirely done by machinery, and is often so bad in design that it actually offends the eye. Carved furniture catches dust, and of course requires care and labor to keep it in presentable condition.

Here is the complete page of illustrations. You’ll notice that the tables on the left are the ones the magazine approves of, while the ones on the right are the ones found to be offensive to look at.

So, according to this article, do you have good or bad taste?