A little more about the feed sacks/flour sacks: I have seen sacks with instructions on them about how to remove the ink from the sack (something like “soak in cold water overnight, then wash in hot water with bleach”). This would leave the farm wife with plain white cotton that could be used for example for underwear, nightclothes, kitchen towels, and so on. So even the white ones with the company logo printed on could be re-used.
Amazing. Just amazing. Reminds you that history is made of living, breathing people.
So that’s what life was like when I came along! Three days before Pearl Harbor!
Which reminds me of a story.
My grandmother used to make her sons’ underwear from flower sacks during the Great Depression. Now my Uncle Dub was a bit of a card, and he loved to have fun with his very prim and religious mother. One day he showed up at the breakfast table and said “Mama, you’re gonna have to be careful next time you’re sewing underwear. I pulled on my drawers this morning and they said “SELF-RISING!” right across the front!”
Lovely to see these again–I first ran across them maybe four or five years ago. It’s as close as we’ll probably ever have to a time machine.
Related, and posted here rather than in its own thread because I’m not sure if it’s been on the dope before, color video of VJ day, taken in Honolulu.
Little bump here, but haunting to watch.
Kodakchrome color film test from 1922
The background on this is here
This thread reminds me that somewhere in the house we have color photos of my grandparents’ wedding, taken by either her brother or a cousin of theirs who was an early adopter of a lot of newfangled technology at the time, including an early consumer-model color film camera. This was 1939. Grandma might like to see them again, too; her 95th birthday is coming up.
I was born in 1940 and these pictures stirred some dim memories of things right after WWll. My sister was born in 1933; I will be sending her the link to these. Both she and I are getting to an age where reminiscing can be a lot of fun.
31 reminds me of Stymie from Little Rascals
I had heard of flour sack dresses/clothing but I always pictured them as being plain white. I never knew they came in patterns. So cute!
Fascinating! What struck me was how well-dressed people were in those days (the rural south excepted)-working class guys wore coats and ties.
The other thing was the rural south-so much poverty (people living in shacks).
Also, these were the days of small towns, small stores (no shopping malls), and limited travel.
An America that is long gone!
My wife’s father was a shipyard worker in Rio de Janeiro in the 40s and 50s
She regularly mentions how he would go to work wearing a suit and tie, change into his coveralls on site, and then back to suit and tie for the trip back home.
(that America, isn’t it? South America)
Cool!
What’s with the tank crewman in the middle in pic 61? His face looks African-American, but his hands don’t. Actually, his face looks more like he’s done up in blackface. Is it caked on dirt or something?
Also, the rural school photos look like one room schoolhouses with kids of all ages. Looks like kindergarteners through 5-6 grade in each one.
Beautiful pictures of a bygone era in color! My Mom was born in 1939 and some of her baby pictures had color but it looked touched up, more then real.
It looked like a much simpler life. The lady I work for was born in 1919 and she says it was great back then and I love to hear the old stories.