Category Archives: Suburbia

supermarkets illustration 1950s

Supermarkets, Strollers and Suburbia

In this day and age when you have to maneuver yourself through a flotilla of McClaren strollers manned by an army of nannies and stay-at-home-moms just to place an order at the supermarket deli counter, it’s quite a sight to

supermarkets illustration 1950s

Supermarkets, Strollers and Suburbia

In this day and age when you have to maneuver yourself through a flotilla of McClaren strollers manned by an army of nannies and stay-at-home-moms just to place an order at the supermarket deli counter, it’s quite a sight to

vintage ad Fresh Start Mod 1960s

Can Betty Draper Tune in to the Now Generation?

Like my own mother Betty, Mad Men’s Betty  Draper woke one morning in the late 1960s to the realization she was a square. In a world firmly divided into the “under 30s” and “over 30s” she was no longer part

vintage ad Fresh Start Mod 1960s

Can Betty Draper Tune in to the Now Generation?

Like my own mother Betty, Mad Men’s Betty  Draper woke one morning in the late 1960s to the realization she was a square. In a world firmly divided into the “under 30s” and “over 30s” she was no longer part

nuclear attak booklet 1950s

Nuclear Jitters

As the tensions mount in the Korean Peninsula, with the nuclear sabre rattling mounting in North Korea, old fears are renewed. For those of us who grew up during the 1950’s and 1960’s the fear of nuclear attack was the

nuclear attak booklet 1950s

Nuclear Jitters

As the tensions mount in the Korean Peninsula, with the nuclear sabre rattling mounting in North Korea, old fears are renewed. For those of us who grew up during the 1950’s and 1960’s the fear of nuclear attack was the

vintage illustration Steven Dohanos home economics

Happy Homemakers in Training

Before Domestic Diva Martha Stewart instructed American women in how to be the perfect homemaker, high school girls were required to take Home Economic classes. Since every girl had dreams off being the perfect homemaker, it was perfectly natural to

vintage illustration Steven Dohanos home economics

Happy Homemakers in Training

Before Domestic Diva Martha Stewart instructed American women in how to be the perfect homemaker, high school girls were required to take Home Economic classes. Since every girl had dreams off being the perfect homemaker, it was perfectly natural to

vintage ad Green Giant corn cans housewife 1950s

Supermarket Adventures Pt II: The Case of The Supermarket Sleuth

One day while flipping through a 3-year-old, dog-eared magazine while waiting for her hair to dry at the Glam-A- Rama Beauty Parlor, my mid-century Mom happened upon an article in the May 1955 issue of Better Living Magazine that caught

vintage ad Green Giant corn cans housewife 1950s

Supermarket Adventures Pt II: The Case of The Supermarket Sleuth

One day while flipping through a 3-year-old, dog-eared magazine while waiting for her hair to dry at the Glam-A- Rama Beauty Parlor, my mid-century Mom happened upon an article in the May 1955 issue of Better Living Magazine that caught

picture 1950s housewife shopping

Mom’s Suburban Supermarket Adventures

One day while flipping through a 3 year old, dog-eared magazine while waiting for her hair to dry at the Glam-A- Rama Beauty Parlor, my mid-century Mom happened upon an article in the May 1955 issue of Better Living Magazine

picture 1950s housewife shopping

Mom’s Suburban Supermarket Adventures

One day while flipping through a 3 year old, dog-eared magazine while waiting for her hair to dry at the Glam-A- Rama Beauty Parlor, my mid-century Mom happened upon an article in the May 1955 issue of Better Living Magazine

1950s housewife

The Real Housewives of the Cold War

Like most women growing up in the 1950s and 1960s I was fed a generous serving of sugar-coated media stereotypes of happy homemakers who were as frozen and neatly packaged as the processed foods they served their cold war families.

1950s housewife

The Real Housewives of the Cold War

Like most women growing up in the 1950s and 1960s I was fed a generous serving of sugar-coated media stereotypes of happy homemakers who were as frozen and neatly packaged as the processed foods they served their cold war families.

1950s Housewife vintage ad

Occupation: 1960 Housewife

The mid-century American Housewife was the most envied woman in the world…smart…yet easy-going with never-you-mind freedom; that was the new Mrs. America! “To be an American woman today,” Life Magazine gushed in a late 1956  special edition dedicated to the

1950s Housewife vintage ad

Occupation: 1960 Housewife

The mid-century American Housewife was the most envied woman in the world…smart…yet easy-going with never-you-mind freedom; that was the new Mrs. America! “To be an American woman today,” Life Magazine gushed in a late 1956  special edition dedicated to the

vintage illustration passengers on airlplane

The Jet Age Hits The Suburbs Pt II

Starting in the fall of 1958 the roar of jets could be heard streaking through the blue skies of my Long Island suburban neighborhood, screeching over split levels, supermarkets and elementary schools on a daily basis. In a flash,  it

vintage illustration passengers on airlplane

The Jet Age Hits The Suburbs Pt II

Starting in the fall of 1958 the roar of jets could be heard streaking through the blue skies of my Long Island suburban neighborhood, screeching over split levels, supermarkets and elementary schools on a daily basis. In a flash,  it

Travel Airplane TWA

The Jet Age Hits Suburbia

Morning Lift Off  Intruding upon on our leisurely Sunday morning breakfast in the winter of 1958, the rude roar of the airplane passing overhead totally obliterated the happy snap, crackle and pop sound effects of my Rice Krispies. Distracted by

Travel Airplane TWA

The Jet Age Hits Suburbia

Morning Lift Off  Intruding upon on our leisurely Sunday morning breakfast in the winter of 1958, the rude roar of the airplane passing overhead totally obliterated the happy snap, crackle and pop sound effects of my Rice Krispies. Distracted by