Nostalgic Photos of American Teenage Girls at Texas Beaches During the 1980s

Whoever said “less is more” didn’t come of age in the 1980s. Girl, you know it’s true! ’80s fashion was all about color, size, and experimentation. We wore blue mascara and yellow eye shadow, we had hair to the skies and shoulder pads not far behind it, and the lines between men’s and women’s fashion blurred.

These amazing photographs below were taken by Grady McAllister at some Texas beaches during the 1980s.

“During that period, I was there nearly every weekend to practice my photography. I took the photos at East Beach, Stewart Beach, and The Hut Club, and the dates run from 1980 to 1988.”

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50 Amazing Photos Show What Texas Looked Like in the Late 19th Century

Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Located in the South Central region of the country, it shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, while the Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast.

Houston is the most populous city in Texas and the fourth largest in the U.S., while San Antonio is the second-most populous in the state and seventh largest in the U.S. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and fifth largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country, respectively. Other major cities include Austin, the second-most populous state capital in the U.S., and El Paso.

Texas is nicknamed "The Lone Star State" to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texan state seal. The origin of Texas's name is from the word taysha, which means "friends" in the Caddo language.

The photographs and information related to photos from SMU Libraries Digital Collections provide a unique glimpse into the social and domestic history, architecture, transportation, ranching, agriculture, commerce, material culture, costume, and urban and rural history of Texas in the 1880s and 1890s.

Empire Livery & Sale Stable, M. J. Dagnan, Proprietor, Austin, Texas, circa 1880

Courthouse, Lampasas, Texas, circa 1880

Texas State Capitol fire, 1881

Foundation of Capitol Building, Austin, Travis County, Texas, circa 1882

Pierson Hotel, El Paso, Texas, circa 1882-1895

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James Dean With His Bolex Camera on the Set of “Giant” in Marfa, Texas in 1955

Sid Avery’s candid snapshot portraiture offers a glimpse into the off-screen lives of some of the 20th century’s golden-age Hollywood’s most celebrated icons, including James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Marlon Brando, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren, Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall, and Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward amongst others...

Here, some candid photographs of James Dean makes his own movies with a Bolex camera on the set of Giant. The photos were taken by Sid Avery in Marfa, Texas in 1955.

(Photos © Sid Avery)

Life of a Texas Girl in the 1940s Through Glamorous Found Pictures

“Here is a glamorous girl we shall call Gloria. She appears in these found snapshots from anyjazz65. Gloria seems to have had some modeling experience. She strikes typical pin-up, calendar-girl poses.”

These photos were found in Norman, Oklahoma. Although the photographs are printed in varied format, most are stamped "Perry Photos, Big Spring, Texas" on the reverse.

 Gloria wearing sunglasses

Gloria and boy

Gloria and dog

Gloria and friend named Gladys

Gloria and friend named Gladys

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The Living Room Lion: Incredible Candid Photographs Capture Daily Life of “Blondie” and Her Family in Texas, 1955

In 1955, LIFE photographer Joseph Scherschel, who had made a career photographing everyone from JFK to Che Guevara, traveled to central Texas to find a family with an unusual pet.

Blondie, an African lioness who was purchased by oilman Charles Hipp from the Dallas Zoo, was enough of a usual sight around Graham, Texas, that word got around to one the most popular weekly magazines in the country.

The article in LIFE, titled “Living Room Lion – Blondie, A Docile 200-Pound Texan, Becomes A Member of the Family,” gave readers a peek into the lives of the Hipp family’s everyday lion-owning life.

Blondie, the pet lion, happily being petted by her neighbor friend Jane Johnson (R), 11, as other kids look on, in the back of Charles Hipp's station wagon, parked in front of his house.

Blondie daintily taking meat tidbits from the hand of her owner Charles Hipp as he sits a dinner table with his wife (L), daughter Charlene, his mother (C) and daughter Mrs. Juanita Evans (2R), holding his baby granddaughter Karen, at home.

Blondie fascinated by the water as she takes her first ride in a Chris Craft Continental inboard motorboat with owner Charles Hipp (R) who is making sure she doesn't have designs on taking a swim, on Possum Kingdom Lake.

Blondie looking pleased as her owner Charles Hipp places his baby granddaughter Karen on her back while his daughter Mrs. Juanita Evans (R) smiles and neighbor friend, Jane Johnson, 11, looks on, in living rm. at home.

Blondie momentarily pinned down by her owner Charles Hipp while roughhousing on their lawn at home.

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Vintage American Interiors: 14 Pictures Show What Dallas Modern Rooms Looked Like in the 1950s

These photos from Lynne's Lens that show modern rooms in Dallas from the 1950s. They were taken by Tom Collins who spent his early years as a photographer taking photos for businesses, advertising firms, architects, and newspapers.

50's Office

50's Office

50's Modern Room in Dallas

Atomic Boomerang 50's Office

Bedroom

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Riding Clothes: Women's Rodeo Fashion at Flying L Ranch, 1947

When people first hear the word “rodeo”, most will likely picture a man in a ten gallon hat, plaid shirt, and jeans — think Marlboro Man. The truth is, rodeo and fashion have gone hand in hand for decades. Believe it or not, rodeo attire has seen its fair share of fashion trends.

Going back to the 1940s, rodeo fashion endured a major change. As crazy as it seams, fitted pants became all the rage. Now the definition of fitted is a bit of a stretch, but coming off the 1930s, when cowboys’ and cowgirls’ pants were very loose on thighs and calves, it’s the truth. And for women, shirt collars were longer and more exaggerated than you see nowadays.

“Of all women's clothes, riding habits follow the strictest rules,” says Emily Post. “A riding habit, no matter what the fashion happens to be, is the counterpart of an officer’s uniform; it is not worn to make the wearer look pretty!”

These rodeo queens are showing a little more skin with this more modern look.

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Early Portraits of Janis Joplin With Guitar Taken by Marjorie Alette in Austin, Texas, circa 1962

The greatest white female rock singer of the 1960s, Janis Joplin was also a great blues singer, making her material her own with her wailing, raspy, supercharged emotional delivery.

Joplin graduated from high school in 1960 and attended Lamar State College of Technology in Beaumont, Texas, during the summer and later the University of Texas at Austin (UT), though she did not complete her college studies. The campus newspaper, The Daily Texan, ran a profile of her in the issue dated July 27, 1962, headlined "She Dares to Be Different." The article began,

“She goes barefooted when she feels like it, wears Levis to class because they're more comfortable, and carries her autoharp with her everywhere she goes so that in case she gets the urge to break into song, it will be handy. Her name is Janis Joplin.”

While at UT she performed with a folk trio called the Waller Creek Boys and frequently socialized with the staff of the campus humor magazine The Texas Ranger.

Joplin cultivated a rebellious manner and styled herself partly after her female blues heroines and partly after the Beat poets. Her first song, "What Good Can Drinkin' Do", was recorded on tape in December 1962 at the home of a fellow University of Texas student.

(Photos by Marjorie Alette)

The Fry Street Fair: A Look Back On The Annual Event of Denton, Texas in the Early 1980s

Discontinued in 2007, the Fry Street Fair was an annual event held near the University of North Texas campus and featured live music performances. It was first held in 1979, but was shut down due to costs and security concerns. Attendance reached 20,000 in its peak year.

These fascinating photos were taken by American photographer Alec Williams that documented the Fry Street Fair festivals from 1981 to 1985.

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20 Found Photos That Capture People of Dallas, Texas in the 1950s

A photo set was found by wyoming99! that shows portraits of Dallas people in the 1950s.

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