Family Dinner
Yes, I am out of town today, but thank you for checking in!
This first one is from a small batch of slides that our friend Sue B. generously sent to me. They were kind of a random selection, but there was this one photo of a father pretending to carve a small turkey for Thanksgiving, circa 1971. The kid (boy? girl?) can't wait to get mashed potatoes everywhere.
This photo makes me think of the formica dining room table that we had when I was really little - it was probably just big enough for my mom, dad, and two kids (my older brother and me). Once my sister was born, they had to get a bigger table.
This next one does not depict a Thanksgiving dinner, but I just liked the vintage glimpse into a 1950s dining room. Love those striped tumblers. There's ketchup on the table, so maybe meatloaf was on the menu. The applied mural on the far wall is interesting! Very "Washington Irving".
And this one reminds me of gatherings in the midwest, where several branches of my family (cousins, second cousins, great aunts and uncles, etc) would congregate for big meals. My great aunt's farmhouse in Wisconsin had a kitchen sort of like this one. The ladies are all helping out, probably laughing and enjoying each other's company while the rest of the family was semi-comatose from too much food.
I would like to wish all of the GDB readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!
21 comments:
Major-
Americana, at its best. In the second one, there's a 'lovely' ceramic planter on the sideboard, and that bottle of Heinz Ketchup has a screw-on cap, rather than the later 'models', which had changed to a twist-on version. The kitchen cabinetry appears to be porcelain-on-steel (or painted metal), rather than wood. I love the bottles of spices, condiments-? in the third image, all appear to be "capped" with wax paper and rubber bands. So much for sealing in the flavors.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
So many little details to look at in these photos. In that first pic, it appears that celery sticks were also on the menu.
In the second pic, I was trying to determine whether or not that man and woman in the photos (on the sideboard) were seated at the table. I think the woman might be on the far left and the man might be hiding behind her? Her hair color is different, but that looks like a tinted color photo, so maybe the "tinter" took liberties? Or maybe she changed her hair color? Only her hairdresser knows for sure.
In the last pic, I was also noticing those little bottles, covered in wax paper. Was that a thing, back then? I wonder if the lady who is cut off in the bottom left corner of the photo, was copying a recipe down? The lady in the yellow top, is wearing a see-through apron. And there appears to be another sheer apron, draped over the family's "Carousel of Progress" (1940's scene) washing machine, on the far right.
Were sheer aprons also a thing, back then?
Ooops, comment number three.........these were great pics for today, Major. Thank you...and thanks to Sue, too!
I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
Well, what a great group of vintage home life. My wife and I collect mid century glassware, as well as other stuff. I have those glasses in blue. I am fairly certain the kid in the highchair is a girl. She seems to be thinking "I'm gonna eat well tonight." I hope everyone in GDB land has a great Thanksgiving. Thanks Major.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Great pics of great memories...
As usual!
Thanks, Major!
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Now excuse me while I go finish our new wall mural...
Those last two photos remind me so much of my grandmother's house (now my sister's) in NW Ohio, built at the end of 1939 (my grandparents moved in on New Year's Day, 1940). The rooms in these photos are bigger, but the layout of dining room and kitchen, orientation of the table, the location of the sink and kitchen window, the look of the cabinets and counter tops, it's all so familiar. I expect to turn left in the kitchen and see the stove, fridge, and door to the garage, or right in the dining room and see the door to the front hall.
We have a reproduction set of those table glasses in the second photo, bought a few years ago at a Dollar Tree of all places.
I really like that arched opening under the sink. I expect that would make it a lot easier to get to the trash can without having to open a cabinet door, and doing home plumbing repair in a large, open area would be an absolute dream.
TM!, I noticed the same details you did - the resemblance of the people in the photos to the people at the table and that washing machine. My other grandmother still had one like that operating in her basement in 1970. The gigantic, galvanized steel, two-basin sink with built-in washboard is still there next to the washer, and I can remember how useful the washboard was scrubbing out diapers when I lived there when our oldest was an infant.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Remember - even in the midst of this pandemic, we still have so much to be thankful for.
And speaking of thanks, thanks for sharing these photos, Sue & Major!
What fun pictures for today! I love all the little details - including the Tupperware, plates, bowls, glasses, cut carnations in a bowl, etc.
TM! Yes, sheer aprons (not clear plastic) were a "thing." The hostess would take off her messy practical apron in the kitchen and then put on a beautiful sheer one for serving her guests. Boy have times changed! I even had a lavender sheer apron in my "Hope chest" - back in the late 70s, but never used it. I never used aprons. I guess I smeared the food on my clothes.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! When I count my blessings, you're included!
Sue
Happy Thanksgiving! Dennis, Levittown, NY
Since this is a day of giving thanks, I'd like to give thanks for having a place like GDB to visit everyday and interact with a wonderful group of people. It truly has made life more enjoyable and richer.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Nice pics today! Thank you, Sue and Major.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
zach
A happy Thanksgiving to you all, and safe travels to the Major. I’m very thankful to have all of you in my life.
Check out the blue snowflake Oyrex dish in the first picture! My sister collects vintage Pyrex, and she has several dishes in that pattern as well as the similar black snowflake pattern. We’ve used them at several Christmas dinners!
Pure nostalgia for today's photos! These are great and bring back so many memories of Thanksgivings past. Back in the day when I woke up in the morning my Mom had already begun the prep in the kitchen and the smell of onions and other things for the stuffing would already be wafting through the house. And yes she wore an apron, the full on kind, all the time. I don't think she ever wore a sheer one. The last photo reminds me of the time my Mom and Aunt were nipping at the wine in the kitchen and there was a lot of laughing going on in there!!!
Good memories today Major. Happy Thanksgiving to you and to all the Junior Gorilla's.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends. I’m grateful for all of you, and for GDB where we can gather and share.
Thanks Major, have a great day.
JG
Happy Thanksgiving to all! KS
@ Melissa-
I have a set of four, Pyrex bowls in the Butterfly Gold pattern, which I got from my mom. Of course I use them all the time.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Fun photos. My mom has the same blue snowflake dish in the first one, passed down from my grandma. All this talk about sheer aprons, but what about sheer plastic bibs for toddlers? The second photo reminds me of the dinner scene with Ralphie's little brother from the movie The Christmas Story, even though it's later than that. I like the little donkey cart ceramic by the photos. The ladies in the last one are so fancy with their earrings and freshly coiffed hair. Thanks again to Major and Sue.
Nanook, I love all of those vintage details! Especially the wax paper and rubber bands over the glass bottles. Reminds me of my grandma and grandpa’s house.
TokyoMagic!, for me, nothing says “Thanksgiving” like celery sticks. So decadent! Since you have met me, you know that I have my hair dyed the same color as that lady. It sure is wild. And that see-through apron leaves nothing to the imagination! It does look like somebody is copying a recipe.
TokyoMagic!, yes, sheer aprons are a thing. Just see 1950s era Playboy magazines.
TokyoMagic!, you are welcome! Happy Thanksgiving!
Jonathan, I used to get rid of slides like these, but at some point I realized that I loved the history that they evoke, as well as the personal memories.
Stu29573, thank you, have a happy day!
Andrew, I’m sure your wall mural recreates Knoebels in the 1940s!
Chuck, I’ll bet the people, rooms, and decor remind a LOT of the GDB crew of their grandparent’s houses! My grandma and grandpa in Minnesota had an old 1930’s house with small rooms; tiny bathrooms, tiny bedrooms... but it was cozy and wonderful, I miss it so much. That dish washer is awesome. Those ladies had to work so hard! I am thankful for many things, and one of them is the wonderful community on this blog.
Lou and Sue, a clear plastic apron, ha ha. Sounds weird! But I love the idea that the hostess would take off the “working” apron and put on an elegant sheer apron when it was time to mingle with the guests. My mom still has a bunch of aprons that she’s owned since the late ‘60s or early ‘70s, they are very colorful and crazy!
Dennis, same to you!
K. Martinez, Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks so much for all you add to this blog.
Zach, happy turkey day!
Melissa, on there’s a mid-century modern Facebook group, and there are a LOT of people who love those old Pyrex dishes. I do too! Thank you for being so great all year long.
Irene, I guess it’s no wonder that Thanksgiving probably makes many of us remember our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and all the ladies who worked so hard to make the feast for later that evening. And in less than an hour, it was all gone! I especially remember my Midwest relatives laughing in the kitchen afterwards.
JG, THANK YOU!
KS, I hope you have the happiest day!
Nanook, I am impressed that you can name the specific pattern! Some of these collectors have giant cabinets with various patterns on display. I admit that it makes me want to own some.
Kathy, I like the blue snowflake dish. I hope you get it someday. I remember clear plastic bibs, and clear plastic raincoats. Funny how little things like a dish or a ceramic decoration can bring back so many vivid memories.
THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU! I’m a lucky blogger.
How the HECK did you know, Major?!?
Happy Thanksgiving everyone
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