Learning to Ride a Bicycle, circa 1895

English photographer William Gordon Davis titled this composition “Maidens with a Disregard for Convention.”

And yes, in the 1890s, a female on a bicycle was disregarding convention. Many men (and some women) considered bicycle riding unladylike, unhealthy, and even shocking. But to the women “wheelers” taking life by the handlebars meant freedom.

An editorial published in the May 1896 edition of Munsey’s Magazine stated, “To men the bicycle in the beginning was merely a new toy, another machine added to the long list of devices they knew in their work and play. To women, it was a steed on which they rode into a new world.”

And once they rode forth, there was no going back.

The Egg Queen, 1937

Miss Muriel Wolfson, elected Egg Queen of Lakewood, New Jersey, apparently recommends eggs as a ‘beauty bath’ but they must have the shells on November 22, 1937.

Electing queens is the favorite stunt of food-produce marketers. Miss Muriel Wolfson is doing her hit for an Egg Festival at Lakewood, N. J.

Vintage Hooded Portable Hair Dryers for Women at Home From the 1960s and 1970s

The home hair dryer is a big success these days, and little wonder. New models are a far cry from the first models, which had to be held, or were used with a sort of wind tunnel over the head.

To make best use of the home hair dryer, plan setting sessions for a time when other beauty chores can be done. A facial treatment, pedicure and manicure suggest themselves.

Of course, the great boon of the home hair dryer is its speed. When hair is set on large rollers, it can dry a coiffure fast enough to allow for morning settings. This can mean eliminating the custom of sleeping all night on rollers.

Coiffures can be quickly refreshed with modern dryers. The heat settings on modern home dryers are controllable, so women can have the warmth they prefer. Use these controls to dry different hair textures properly. Coarser hair can stand higher heat than fine hair.

If the hair is smoothly rolled and dried at the proper temperature, its sheen and life will be measurably improved. Dry overly curly hair at a low heat and it will kink less. Straight hair dried at higher temperatures seems to have more body.

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Odd-Shaped Eyeglasses Express Personality, 1936

“Individualized” eyeglasses are becoming a fad in England, and makers, departing from the convention that lenses and frames must be round or oval, are producing them in bizarre patterns. A heart-shaped pair, for feminine wearer, is illustrated.

Heart-shaped frames are not for the faint of heart, or the shy of attention. They are attention-grabbers, head-turners, traffic-stoppers and need to be rocked by people who can handle the accompanying sassiness. Made famous by a little film called Lolita, heart-shaped glasses have stayed a great fashion accessory for the last forty years. 

Miss Muscle Beach of 1952

Winner Beverly Jocher, two finalists and two participants in the Miss Muscle Beach of 1952 contest before spectators on Muscle Beach, south of the Santa Monica Pier. The Hotel Chase, located along Ocean Front, is in the background.

(Santa Monica History Museum Collection)

According to the Los Angeles Times, “Beverly Jocher, drawn to Muscle Beach from Philadelphia, could support 590 pounds of acrobats on her 110-pound frame.”

Stunning Portrait Photography by Clarence Hudson White

Clarence Hudson White (1871–1925) was an American photographer, teacher and a founding member of the Photo-Secession movement. He grew up in small towns in Ohio, where his primary influences were his family and the social life of rural America. After visiting the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, he took up photography.

Portrait photography by Clarence Hudson White

Although he was completely self-taught in the medium, within a few years he was internationally known for his pictorial photographs that captured the spirit and sentimentality of America in the early twentieth century. As he became well known for his images, White was sought out by other photographers who often traveled to Ohio to learn from him. He became friends with Alfred Stieglitz and helped advance the cause of photography as a true art form.

In 1906, White and his family moved to New York City in order to be closer to Stieglitz and his circle and to further promote his own work. While there he became interested in teaching photography and in 1914 he established the Clarence H. White School of Photography, the first educational institution in America to teach photography as art.

Due to the demands of his teaching duties, his own photography declined and White produced little new work during the last decade of his life. In 1925 he suffered a heart attack and died while teaching students in Mexico City.

These beautiful photos are part of his work that Clarence Hudson White took portraits of American ladies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The shelter, 1897

Woman seated on a porch railing, 1897

Blind man's bluff, Newark, Ohio, 1898

Girl with harp (Letitia Felix), Newark, Ohio, 1898

Girl with sword, circa 1898

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Facial Exercises With Eight Basic Face Types From the 1950s

Just as they sound, facial exercises are specific movements made with the muscles of the face to tone the contours, firm the skin and ‘lift’ the face. Some people say that they don’t work, but others swear they do. You’d better make up your own mind, then.

Think about your face, though: it is exposed to the environment far more than the rest of your body, so the sun, extremes of temperature, wind and pollution all take their toll on it, in a way that doesn’t happen elsewhere. Hormones also affect the skin, as does the slowing down of collagen production. Diet, of course, plays a huge part in attaining radiant skin, but facial exercises, when performed well and regularly, can help firm the facial contours and smooth the surface.

Here are some interesting facial exercises by Joe Bonomo from the 1950s:

These exercises may improve the modeling of your features, stimulate circulation, and strengthen muscles.

With mouth closed, push jaw to one side. Keep eyes closed, contracting muscles about eyes. Reverse.

 

This helps to prevent wrinkles around mouth and to mold chin. Close eyes and push eyebrows up.

Strengthen mouth muscles and help to prevent laugh lines. Purse lips, lifting the eyebrows.

Stimulate muscles under eyes and increase circulation. Draw features together, contracting muscles.

To prevent wrinkles in forehead and around eyes, draw down corners of mouth, at the same time open eyes.

Relieve the tension of contraction induced exercises. Open mouth wide and stretch its sides as much as possible.

Avoid double chin, fill out under eyes. Thrust out jaw as far as possible, pushing lower lip up toward nose.

How To Find Your Man – 10 Pieces of Dating Advice From the 1950s

Do you need help finding a man? Joe Bonomo would like to offer his dating advice with his 64 page book titled How To Find Your Man from 1954. Want to find and keep “Your Man”? Follow these tips!

1. Start by filling out a handy chart of “yes” or “no” questions.

Here are the questions (and Joe asks that you fill them out twice. First before reading the book, and then after.)

1. Sure you want to find him?

2. Are you ready for him?

3. Are you mentally relaxed?

4. Are you honest with yourself?

5. Can you be honest with him?

6. Are you feminine in appearance?

7. Do you look happy?

8. Can you share?

9. Want a guy who’s not quite perfect?

10. Are you prompt for dates?

11. Is your outfit complimentary to him?

12. Do you want him tailored to fit your idea of Mr. Right?

So how did you do, ladies?

2. “Thank your stars”

Joe suggests thanking your lucky stars and basically chilling out. “Have you ever noticed, that often, when you try to play the hardest…you can’t win the game you’re playing? But, when you don’t give a darn, it falls into your lap? That a job promotion…a salary raise…a nice present comes expectedly? When you’re relaxed, you’re more attractive to your friends, your boss…and the guy you’ve just met.” Hey, maybe it’ll happen to be all three! I gotta give Joe props for assuming that some women actually have — gasp — jobs.

3. Be feminine.

This one is very important to ole Joe. You’ve just got to be feminine or you’ve got no chance, no matter how many lucky stars you’re thanking. Not sure if you’re feminine? Here’s a handy checklist!

“Do you remember daintiness, at all times?”

“Can you wear slacks or shorts and still be girlish…and do you avoid them otherwise?”

“When you’re dressing for an evening date, do you avoid mannish suits?”

“Do you always remember that white gloves, or a white collar, should be spotless?”

“Do you take the time to use a drop of perfume…to put on a piece of jewelry…Not too much of it please!”

“Do you watch your posture…never sprawling or slouching?”

“Do you remember not to stride…to walk with a spring that looks as if you like to dance?”

“Do you watch the way you use your voice in conversation?”

The book also suggests that you should look happy. “…You actually have to learn to live happily as a single person before you can expect to live happily married.” That’s actually good advice! “On the other hand, don’t go overboard!”

4. Don’t be late on your dates. But if he is, try to deal with it.

Joe points out that some rascally girls love to be late for dates, so as not to appear “too eager.” But Joe thinks you should be courteous. If you wouldn’t want him to be late, then you shouldn’t be either. But what if he is late? “Give him a chance to explain. If he is never on time, you’ll soon decide whether you want to be bothered with him…or whether you’re so far gone for him that it’s part of his nature you’ll learn to put up with.” So basically, deal with it, gals.

5. Dress to impress.

To find your man, you’ve got to look good. Like, really good. Before going on dates, you need to ask yourself, “Do you look as though you have taken care with your grooming? And your dress? Or do you look as though any old thing would do? Of course it’s best never to overdress…but don’t be timid either! Look special so he’ll know you think he’s something special.”

Joe notes that “dressing appropriately doesn’t necessarily mean expensively. Like all gals today, you already know that.” Hey, thanks for giving us the benefit of the doubt. For once. Just don’t you dare forget that, “wearing clothes that are fresh and spotless is a compliment to Your Man!” (And yes, Your Man really is capitalized in the book.)

Oh and in case you were worried about this, the book assures you, “you don’t need mink!” But you should know how to sew. “Wait until he admires your bouse…and then let him know you’re pleased he likes it, because you made it yourself.” Don’t bother with fur, learn to sew, got it.

6. Follow and memorize these “six simple rules”:

“Be lovely to look at… at all times.”

“Have a ready smile. He may see it…even though you haven’t noticed him yet.”

“Budget your times to include Your Man…whether you’ve met him yet or not.”

“Budget your energy…in the same way.”

“When you meet him…charm him with sincerity and your own natural sweetness…accented with care for your appearance and disposition.”

“Wear a lot of makeup, wash constantly, and worry about your neck.”

Guys, Joe is OBSESSED with ladies’ appearance. He thinks women should wear makeup and be very clean, always. Want to follow his skin regimen? “Twice a day, give your face a bath…using a soft washcloth. [...] Never wash your face with hot water! Use lukewarm water to start…and finish with cold. Cold water makes a velvet skin!” Okay I’m totally pro being clean and washing your face, but the way he describes the whole thing is a little, “it puts the lotion in the basket”.

Check out his makeup tips: “When you’re applying foundation cream…remember the way you do it is important. Rubbing around and around, or carelessly up and down…won’t do anything to prevent sagging and stretching. [...] move up the neck, never down.”

He is also very obsessed with ladies’ necks. “A man looks at a horse’s teeth to tell his age…he often looks at a woman’s neck to see how wrinkled or dried up it is…for the same reason.”

8. Say “yes” to everything.

“You won’t find him by sitting home alone.” So what can you do? “Be available. Try having a Yes campaign! Say ‘yes’ when knock-kneed Susie at the office asks you home to dinner…her brother Joe may be handsome!”

“Say ‘yes’ when boring cousin Kate asks you to a party at her house…it may turn out to be the time when you meet That Guy who definitely doesn’t bore you!” Who the hell are these people?

9. “Budget your energy”

Joe is getting up in our face here. “Must you really spend Saturday afternoon window-shopping…when you have no intention of buying?” The hell do you care, Joe? Well his problem is we could be using that time to find Our Man! And by the way, you should take his advice as soon as possible. Joe suggests you even do it “today”. And don’t waste your “emotional energy” either. If you break up with some clown, buck up and get it together so you have good energy for when you meet Your Man.

10. Go out more, do more things, meet more people.

Joe suggests that in order to find the man you want, you have to go where he wants to be. So if you want a man who likes music, go to a concert. Joe is even forward-thinking enough to suggest that women can be interested in politics and that you should “join your favorite political party and attend meetings and rallies” if that’s what you’re and your dream man are into. But he also suggests folk dancing and attending church regularly, so he’s keeping it balanced. And if you have a dog, use it to your advantage. Take it to a dog park and get the dog to hit on a guy for you.

Ultimately, though some of these tips are horribly old-fashioned to the point of being offensive, some of them make absolute sense.

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30 Cheerful Photos of Teenage Girls in the 1940s

Teenage girls living in the 1940s enjoyed an independence that would make many modern teen envious. They had been raised by parents and teachers who encouraged them to dress prettily so they could find a young man to marry, and to work a part-time job so they could buy expensive wedding china.

But by the time they were old enough to work part-time jobs, the young men were away at war and mom and dad were both working away from the home. With no young boys to impress and no parents to please, teenage girls, were left with an unexpected level of independence, and a lot of disposable income.

In school, they were expected to follow a strict dress code, which mandated everything from the type of blouse, skirt, socks, shoes and even type of jewelry and hairstyles they should wear. But outside of the school, they had more choices about how to spend spare time and money. They bought the clothes they wanted to wear: knit sweaters, plaid skirts, bobby socks, loafers, and nail-polish-painted eye-glasses.

The teenage girls of the 1940s lived in an exciting and drastically changing world. By the time the war was over, and society started to get back to “normal,” these girls had already enjoyed a taste of independence that they weren’t ready to let go of.

These vintage photos were found by Steven Martin that show what teenage girls looked like in the 1940s.

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The Air-Cushion Hood Dryer: At Home With a Braun Astronette Hair Dryer From the 1970s

As ridiculous looking as it was, the Braun Astronette remained in production for many years in both Europe and South America. Some units were made in Argentina meaning you can still find a 110V that will work in the United States.

There’s no stand. No hose. Nothing to hold. You’re free to get up, move around or just relax while it dries your hair. Quickly. Efficiently. The heat blows through 200 tiny air ducts. Evenly. All over your set.

And the two-stage heat setting gives complete control. Low for gentle heat. High for fast drying.

Deflate Astronette and it folds into a handy, travel bag. Taking no space. No time. Astronette by Braun. It works like a hovercraft.