“Girls ‘N’ Axe”: 30 Vintage Photos of Victorian and Edwardian Women Posing With Their Guitars

The guitar is probably the instrument with the most slang words, which gives it another layer of ‘cool’ in many people’s eyes. The ‘Axe’ – or ‘Ax’, depending on whom you ask – is possibly the most common slang word for a guitar.

Surprisingly, the term dates back to the mid-1950s when jazz musicians used it as a slang word for saxophone. Over time, it became a go-to term for the electric guitar.

Before the term, here is a set of elegant photos that shows women with their guitars from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.