My Grandma--my Mom's mother--was always well-turned out despite not having a lot of money to spend. When Grandma was in her 70s, she took my teenage sister shopping downtown and when Sis got home, she said Grandma had worn her out--Grandma had a lot of shopping energy! She always wore dresses or suits--I never saw her in pants. #1 Starting off with one of my favorite photos of her. Sometime in the 1920s. After Grandma died, my Mom was horrified to find out that her mother still owed $100 to a local dress shop.

Times were tough back then, but being properly dressed was important to my Mom. Looking back at these old photos, I suspect that many of her things were hand-me-downs. Both of her parents came from big families and she had lots of aunts and cousins. I wished I'd asked her about it.

#6 is her cousin. Even when young she was pear-shaped. That's not just the pants. See #4, jodhpur pants were popular in the 20s. She once told us what it took to get the marcel curls she wore in high school--I wish I could remember now. Many hours at a salon with a curling iron. #7 is with my Dad. They postponed marriage because of the Depression--Mom said they were engaged off and on for 7 years. I don't remember my Dad being so much taller than my Mom. She wore hats frequently until the late 1950s, as did most of the women of the era.

She told a story about one day when she was walking around downtown feeling so cute and up to date in her short flapper dress until she saw her reflection in a store window. She saw a skinny girl with knobby knees and suddenly didn't feel so great. My guess is no one noticed her knees--they just saw a cute teenager in a cute dress. I don't think she ever had a photo with a short skirt. Witness her practicing the Charleston with friends in ## 8 & 9. And in #10, at a sorority luncheon with her Mom. (Mom belonged to a high school sorority and a group of them remained life-long friends.)

I became custodian of the family photos after my Mom died. It wasn't until I scanned them and enlarged them that I appreciated all the details in her style.

Grandma died 2 weeks after she turned 80. (She did lie about her age because she was older than Grandpa, but Mom sleuthed it out.) She was my longest-living grandparent. I didn't know Grandpa. I was almost 12 when she died. I felt very close to her and shared my hopes and dreams with her. She always listened and encouraged me.

Next: 1940s fashions!