# When were hemlines just below the knee? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2010, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756 "2010-12-11T04:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/21 "2010-12-11T20:17:44Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > If I had to guess, I would say the cars just off her left shoulder are a '49 Chevy and a '48 Buick. The Chevy caught my eye too, although I thought it might be a 50-51. So 1948-1950 is as good a guess as any for the date. The dress and hair styles look about right. The lady is either bare-legged or wearing hose…no stockings at any rate. When did those strap-type shoes become stylish? Some one suggested the man in the background might be in uniform, but I think it’s just the khaki or “polished cotton” work/casual wear that was popular back then. Final guess?..1950. SS ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/22 "2010-12-11T20:29:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You know how old your grandmother is I assume. She doesn’t look too young. I’d guess at least 30, and possibly up to 50. The cars would fit late 40’s and early 50’s. Where do those time frames over lap? > > Do you know where the picture was taken? I can’t quite read the signs, one seems to say ‘Friendly Store’, one is partially obscured but it looks like ‘Book’ or ‘Bank’, and the round one on the left might be a Ford logo. If you know the location, you might be able to find some history on the businesses, even narrow down the street location. > > I’d just say circa 1950. Much earlier than 1950. And the woman looks to be in her twenties. I think you are confused by her clothing and hair style, and not used to seeing someone young wearing either. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/23 "2010-12-11T20:50:44Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Much earlier than 1950. And the woman looks to be in her twenties. I think you are confused by her clothing and hair style, and not used to seeing someone young wearing either. Is everybody but me looking at a different picture? At default resolution I can’t pick out any detail. Zooming at 2.5:1 I see lines on her forehead, and a calloused, veiny, right hand. Zooming more, it turns into snow. Maybe I’m mistaking shadows, maybe my eyes are just too old. Anyway, look at my following posts, I backed down to 1945 to cover the whole 40s. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/24 "2010-12-11T21:01:19Z")
I’m with you … no problem at all with the woman being in her 40s … and I’d wager a reasonable amount on the '49 (or even 50 - 51) Chevy. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/25 "2010-12-11T21:21:47Z")
The “veiny” hands are probably just because she’s very thin. He face says “20s” to me, even at higher resolution. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/26 "2010-12-11T21:30:07Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > I’m with you … no problem at all with the woman being in her 40s … and I’d wager a reasonable amount on the '49 (or even 50 - 51) Chevy. Continuing with the car thing… a bit of further research indicates that 1950 was the year that Chevy changed from the “slopeback” look to sedan-type styling [1949 Chevy](http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2286524750074992868vUhudE) [1950 Chevy](http://www.50classicchevy.com/images/1950-chevrolet-2-door-hardtop.jpg) So if the car in question is indeed a Chevy (and it sure as heck looks like one) then it must be a 1950 model, which would date the picture no earlier than late 1949, and the woman at 42? years of age. Seems reasonable. SS ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/27 "2010-12-11T21:45:51Z")
Wikipedia says: \*1940s After World War II began in 1939, women’s fashions became increasingly militarised. Jackets and coats in particular were influenced by masculine styles and shoulder pads became bulkier and were positioned at the top of the shoulder to create a solid look. Dresses too were made with shoulder pads; soon the style was universal, found in all garments excepting lingerie but tapering off later in the decade after the war was over and women yearned for a softer, more feminine look. During the late 1940s to about 1951, some dresses featured a soft, smaller shoulder pad with so little padding as to be barely noticeable. Its function seems to have been to slightly shape the shoulder line. [edit] 1950s and 1960s During the 1950s and 1960s small padded shoulder pads appeared only in women’s jackets and coats—not in dresses, knitwear or blouses as they had previously during the heyday of the early 1940s.\* Seems like late 1940s would be right. My first guess was that it had to be earlier than 1950, but maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/28 "2010-12-11T21:45:52Z")
The collar of that dress says 50’s to me, but everything else looks 40’s, so I’m saying 1950. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/29 "2010-12-11T21:46:45Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Much earlier than 1950. And the woman looks to be in her twenties. I think you are confused by her clothing and hair style, and not used to seeing someone young wearing either. I agree that the perception of her age is a function of her era clothing. Grandma is kind of hot looking, 30 ish if not still in her 20’s. The forehead wrinkles are just due to nobody wore sunglasses in those days, and it is mid day. I do notice the enlarged vein in her right hand. This could possibly be due to manual tasks, like a job as a typist (remember manual typewriters at that time) or even could be due to ordinary household tasks like dishwashing and food preparation. Everything was still being done by hand then, no peeled carrots or any other kind of prepared food like we find now. Hell, she might have still been doing all the laundry by hand. The open-toed 2 inch platform shoes, the padded shoulders, the military style belt, the hair style, all point to a WW2 or post war influence. And I think I see a shoulder patch on that man walking behind her. Where is the CSI, ‘click on that pixel and enlarge’ when you need it? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/30 "2010-12-11T21:56:57Z")
I’m no fashion historian by any means, but her hairstyles definitely says 1940s and not 1950s to me. The swooped up and back look. Not as boxy as you’d see in the early 40s, but I always think of the Lucille Ball of the _I Love Lucy_ show as having the typical 1950s style-- shorter and curlier. She might have an older hairstyle, but she looks pretty fashionable the way she’s walking… ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/31 "2010-12-12T02:47:04Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > If I had to guess, I would say the cars just off her left shoulder are a '49 Chevy and a '48 Buick. I was gonna go with a 47 Buick and up to a 52 chevy. The second, fourth and fifth car from the right could all be from the 50s, I believe. My parents had a 56 DeSoto that looked a lot like number 5. Could be wrong, tho. Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/32 "2010-12-12T03:01:03Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > The photo is on East Broad Street in downtown Texarkana, Ark. In the background can be seen the Ford sign of Dreyer Motor Co., the Baptist Book Store, and Texarkana Tent & Awning’s Luggage sign. Twin City Transit’s streetcar lines quit in 1935, and it seems odd that they wouldn’t have pulled up the track in a wartime scrap drive. The street runs ENE from this point, so it’s probably around 3 pm. . Is that a “Daily Worker” under her arm??? Just joking. hh ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/33 "2010-12-12T05:37:05Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > The Chevy caught my eye too, although I thought it might be a 50-51. So 1948-1950 is as good a guess as any for the date. The dress and hair styles look about right. The lady is either bare-legged or wearing hose…no stockings at any rate. When did those strap-type shoes become stylish? > SS FWIW I have a picture of my grandmother wearing very similar shoes in 1944. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/34 "2010-12-12T05:39:45Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The “veiny” hands are probably just because she’s very thin. > > He face says “20s” to me, even at higher resolution. Yeah, her hands look exactly like mine with the veins, especially if it’s warm outside (my BMI is 19 FWIW). ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/35 "2010-12-12T06:14:52Z")
It’s kind of bemusing to read all this speculation about someone I knew. A decade earlier she had been a sharecropper’s wife, but during the war Granddaddy got some work as a carpenter, so this might well be a store-bought dress. She never was a typist, but by 1950 would have peeled many thousands of potatoes, picked many bales of cotton, and wrung out many pots of laundry. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/36 "2010-12-12T06:37:49Z")
Can anything be said about the picture from the style of the handbag? I’ve found one website with a history of handbags, but it doesn’t appear to be specific enough to tell us anything useful: [http://www.handbagheaven.com/history-of-handbags.html](http://www.handbagheaven.com/history-of-handbags.html) ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/37 "2010-12-12T16:40:31Z")
I was shopping with a friend yesterday, and we saw a very similar dress for sale in 2010. (In black, with a fancier belt.) That dress in the picture is so simple and classic, I’d wear it today. Not that this reflection has anything to do with the thread, but some things look good in any era! (I think.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756/38 "2010-12-12T16:47:39Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > Not that this reflection has anything to do with the thread, but some things look good in any era! (I think.) It reflects on \*\*Mr Downtown \*\*'s grandma’s good taste:) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-were-hemlines-just-below-the-knee/563756.md?page=1)