Madeline's Memories

Memories from a Scrapbook

2012-01-27T17:06:00.000-05:00

I am going through a box of Madeline's scrapbooks. I don't know how she had time for studying or a social life with all the scrapbooks she made. I'm grateful to her, though, for keeping the history alive for us. I posted earlier about her Nelson Eddy/Jeannette MacDonald scrapbook. I just discovered that she made at least two more on this same subject! Guess she really dug him! I picked one scrapbook and noticed there were a lot of clippings and notes that were not glued in. I picked out a random few for today's post.

This is titled "Smart Sayings from 'Kitty Foyle' by Christopher Morley". This was a popular book in the 1940's. You can still buy it today. It was made into a movie starring Ginger Rogers; you can read about the movie here. I believe Madeline took these sayings from the book. It is quite a list!

I don't know anything about this little "Greetings From New Hampshire". She may have written the verse or she may just have copied it out, but she was proud of her home state.

A blank Western Union cablegram. I have to share the link to the amazing images that come up when you google "Western Union Cablegram World War II". (Don't forget to come back to Madeline's Memories!)

This is a newspaper clipping of a map of the 1939 World's Fair exhibits. I have many earlier posts on this World's Fair. Please use the search feature on the right hand side to see these posts. The best thing, however, was tucked inside the folded clipping--her handwritten notes on the exhibits!

You can really imagine her going around to all the exhibits, taking brochures, and making her notes in a little notebook.

Lots more scrapbook memories to come.

Madeline's Father and Four Cute Pics!

2012-01-16T15:46:00.000-05:00

Madeline's father, James Farmer, was the mayor of Keene, New Hampshire and even ran for Governor of New Hampshire. Here are some campaign materials:

Campaign button and matchbook handout. For more political buttons, see this post.

James Farmer was an executive and founder of the National Grange Insurance Company. He is the first one on the left in the front row.

Post card of Grange offices in Keene, NH.

Found this Photomatic pic. James Farmer is on the right. I do not know the man on the left. The Photomatic was an early photo booth. Read more about it here. For an early school photo of James Farmer, revisit this post.

As a special treat here are four adorable posed photos of a very young Madeline. Enjoy!

Vintage Postcards - Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T16:59:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! It would have cost one cent to send this post card back in the day.

I like the little angel with his glass of champagne! The balloon post card was actually made in Germany for the Samuel Ward Company of Boston. At first glance, the card has sort of a 1970's look to it.

The little house in the woods card was printed in Germany too. The four leaf clover on the second card denotes good luck for the coming year. I wish you the best of luck in 2012. My New Year's resolution is to publish more of Madeline's memories!

Here is a link to an Antiques Roadshow collection of Halloween postcards which details some good info on all vintage postcards. I'm handling them more carefully now!

Vintage Christmas Postcards

2011-12-23T14:31:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

I'm taking a few minutes away from wrapping and baking to share some vintage Christmas postcards from Madeline's boxes of memories. Please enjoy and have the merriest holiday ever and a very blessed and healthy new year.

To view vintage Christmas cards, please look here.

Franklin Square House: Comments from a Reader

2011-11-11T15:37:00.000-05:00

Last year I posted about Madeline's time at the Franklin Square House for Women in Boston. You can revisit it here. I recently received an email comment from Andrew whose great aunt also lived there. He sent a wonderful pic of her and allowed me to share with you:

I was hunting down photos to add to a family history collection and came across your Madeline site. My great aunt Helen E. Zak (1900-1992) lived at the Franklin Square House starting in 1924 (she never married). I believe she was there at least 20 years. She latter moved to a women's hotel on the Fenway and then to her own apartment in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. She was from Turners Falls, Massachusetts. As I recall, she told me that this was taken on the roof of the Franklin Square House when she first moved to Boston in 1924.

Thank you so much Andrew for sharing your great aunt's photo. I love that others have heard stories about the Franklin Square House. I received an email from a college student who was doing a paper on the FSH and said she was so happy to see the brochure that Madeline had saved. I hope she received a good grade on the paper! I also hope that others will share their memories as they read about Madeline's.

Vintage Wallpaper, Post 3

2011-11-03T14:26:00.000-04:00

I'm cleaning my craft room and rediscovered all the wonderful old wallpaper samples. Here are another group of these classics:

Adorable pink poodles for a baby's room

Subtle Americana

Bunnies, elephants, and a maypole!

Astrology

Country quilt pattern

Ben Franklin and a history lesson.

What room would you put this in?!

A fantasy zoo

Perfect for a little girl

Sweet flowers

Hope you enjoyed these samples. There will be a 4th post!

Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy

2011-10-26T15:35:00.000-04:00

One of Madeline's many scrapbooks is dedicated to Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. I recall her talking about their movies and what a handsome couple they were. Her scrapbook starts out with a listing of their pictures:

There are many pages of newspaper clippings of the duo. I have selected some highlights for your enjoyment: (Click on pic to enlarge.)

He was rather a handsome guy! She told me that they were in love but the studio discouraged their romance. I would think it would be an asset and would sell more movies. If you want to learn more about these two Hollywood stars, here is a good website to visit.

Open Invitation Ski Jumping Tournament

2011-10-03T14:58:00.000-04:00

This brochure was quite a surprise! I have a hard time picturing Madeline skiing.

I think she just came to watch, though.

The event was held on February 16, 1947. She was married then so I'm not sure what she was doing here.

This is her handwriting!

It's nice to find something unexpected in her memories.

Movie Star Scrapbooks

2011-08-17T16:05:00.000-04:00

I discovered a box full of Madeline's scrapbooks this past weekend. I just picked out the top two which are both Movie Star Scrapbooks. It was fun to look through and pick out which pages to show you. Hope you enjoy the movie star history treat today!

Here is the second album:

If you are interested in seeing more of these scrapbooks, just google "movie star scrapbooks" and you will get quite a list to look at. Also, check this webpage out. Interesting! I will post more of Madeline's scrapbooks in the future.

Madeline's Husband and High School

2011-08-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

Madeline's husband Archer attended Watertown Senior High School in Watertown, MA. Yesterday I found some of his high school memories in a box. Here is his class photo, sadly it is not dated.

Archer is in the middle of the first row.

I found two dance cards, complete with attached pencils.

Lots of fox trots!

Here is another dance card from 1934. The cover is black with green printing, but the scanned image came out just black. You'll have to use your imagination.

More fox trots, but I love that he saved the last dance for "Mother"!

I checked on Ebay and they have a few dance cards from this era offered for around $25!

One other item pertaining to Archer was in this box, but it is not high school related. It is a business card for the family business, which was renting chairs for events. I love the idea and the card so wanted to share with you.

Vintage Wallpaper, Part II

2011-08-10T14:25:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time since I first posted about the vintage wallpaper sample books we found in Madeline's attic. You can revisit that post here. Last night as I was reading my latest issue of "Country Living" I came across an article about a designer who uses vintage wallpaper to cover light-switch plates, lamp shades, tissue boxes, and more. If you would like to see her work, here's the link. Beautiful items!

The article reminded me that I needed to dig the sample books out of the garage and show you more of the old wallpaper. Here are 16 pages to inspire you:

This almost looks like Christmas paper.

The same pattern in brown. Maybe for a fun powder room?

A cheerful pattern for your kitchen!

Or maybe your kitchen is yellow.

Or maybe purple? If so, more power to you!

Another kitchen design.

Same pattern, different hue.

How about some fruit for your kitchen?

Fruits in blue.

How about some flowers for your bedroom.

Here's some fish for your bathroom.

The same fish in black--very cool!

I love the fake wood background on this one. Remember when ivy was so big in the 80's?

Here's a nice farm scene. I think it says Pleasant Valley Farm.

A nice image of days gone by. I can picture this in a restaurant dining room.

I hope you enjoyed this peek inside the sample books. I need to get creative with the pages like Nicole Lewis from Fondue Vintage Homewares.

Keene High School

2011-07-29T13:03:00.000-04:00

I am always happy to see new followers to Madeline's Memories and love to get an email from someone who has seen the blog and enjoyed and appreciated what Madeline saved. I was thrilled to receive an email from one of Madeline's classmates from Keene High School, class of 1940. I cleaned my office the other day and there under a stack of items were two scrapbooks and some framed photos of Madeline's high school days.

This post is for you, Rosanne. Hope you enjoy the trip down memory lane! (As always, click on pics to enlarge.)

The program from the baccalaureate service held on June 9, 1940.

Senior Class Banquet program - 1940. It may be a little hard to read the light printing, but I love the motto "Let's eat drink and be merry". I was also intrigued by the entertainment acts, especially the Washboard Swingband and Acrobatic Act. Looks like it was a fun time!

Dance card announcement

from the playbook for Elizabeth the Queen

Another playbook and a concert program.

Article about the prom and a pic of Madeline's home room.

Most of the scrapbook was devoted to football games, with some basketball games as well. I don't know if this accounting is accurate or just wishful thinking on her part. She saved every article about every game, it seems.

I found 3 framed team photos with the scrapbooks.

The football team

I apologize for the glare, but I did not want to remove them from their frames.

Sadly, I found this in the scrapbook. And this:

This is the cover of the second scrapbook which contains her schoolwork--history outlines, geography maps, and english assignments. She kept it all! To close this post about Keene High School, here is the Graduation Program for 1940:

I hope you enjoyed this look at high school in 1940. I really enjoyed this one.

1939 World's Fair & National Building Museum

2011-07-24T15:19:00.000-04:00

I have posted many times about Madeline's trip to the 1939 World's Fair in New York. (Use the search feature to catch up on the posts about all the booklets she picked up while she was there.) As I was reading today's Washington Post Arts Section, I noticed an article about an exhibit at the National Building Museum which features General Motors' "Highways and Horizons" exhibit. You can read the Post article here. To see an old film about what General Motors thought the future would hold for cars and highways, here is the original post I did in April 2010.

The Cozy Book of Mother Goose

2011-07-23T14:19:00.000-04:00

This colorfully illustrated book was published in 1926 by Whitman Publishing Company.

I love illustrations of animals dressed and acting like real people!

The color illustrations in the book were done by Ray Gleason. A quick Google of his name tells me that he illustrated a lot of books.

The black and white illustrations and hand lettering were done by Earnest Vetsch. He also illustrated a lot of books. I love the hand lettering in this little book. It reminds me of Susan Branch's books and cookbooks. (Did you know that Susan has a blog now? It is fabulous!! Go and check it out right now.

I would pick a puppy any day, too!

My mother used to bounce me on her knee and sing "To Market, To Market".

Don't know what to make of "Little Tom Twig". That's one I hadn't heard before.

Love the border on the Humpty Dumpty page.

I was Little Bo Peep for Halloween one year.

The end!

Madeline's Honeymoon

2011-07-11T10:47:00.000-04:00

In an earlier posting I shared photos and newspaper clippings of Madeline's wedding. Now we'll see where she honeymooned and what important artifacts she decided to keep as memories of the trip.

The newspaper article about the big day. And here are some of their wedding gift cards:

One of the hotels they stayed in was the Penn Harris Hotel. Here's the bill to prove it:

The name is spelled wrong, but at $6.60 a night I guess you don't complain! Let's see what else she has to prove they were there -

The needle is missing, but the thread is still there. Actually I'll cut her slack on this one. I usually pick up the sewing kit at a hotel today because it's handy to have one in each room in case you need to sew on a lost button. Here is the back cover. It's actually very artsy:

She also kept the stationery and envelope:

The hotel comment card:

Luggage tags:

And this:

Only Madeline would save the soap cover!

This is the cover of a very nice map of PA from the PA Hotels Association.

The back cover, discussing post war life and travel.

A little booklet about the tavern at the hotel.

Back cover - the booklet tells the history of the tavern and surrounding area.

If I ever come across any photos from this trip I will be sure to add them to this post. Hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride!

Kappa Delta Sorority and an Update

2011-07-08T15:35:00.000-04:00

I came across a folder titled "Kappa Delta". Inside were a few photos and letters from Madeline's college pals at the University of New Hampshire. Kappa Delta was the sorority she belonged to and they kept in touch for many years after graduation. Here's how they looked in college:

Madeline is second from the right in the front row.

And here is a photo taken on October 4, 2006:

She's the lovely lady in red in the back row.

Friends and keeping in touch were very important to Madeline. She received so many Christmas cards and letters each year! In the later years when her eyesight was failing I would read the letters to her when we came for our Christmas visit. I've always wondered who the last Kappa Delta member standing from her class was.

I have been busy working on the postcard collection. I found another book filled with postcards from the same era. I have just completed the task of sorting and filing the first book, putting each card in a protective sleeve. Now I must start on the second book. I also pulled a few boxes from the garage and went through them, combining like items and discarding the absolute "junk". The story continues!

Vintage Postcards

2011-06-02T12:43:00.000-04:00

I discovered this very old postcard album today. It belonged to Madeline's mother-in-law, Mary Cullen.

It is very thick and as I opened it I realized that the pages are not holding up well. Also, many of the postcards had fallen out and some pages held a big stack of cards like the photo above. I briefly looked through and pulled out some to show. There are so many postcards that I will have several postings about them. There are many themes--patriotic, religious, holidays, scenic, and industrial.

The timeframe for most of these is early 1900's. Enjoy!

Since summer is about to start I'll start out with a beach scene.

This next series is still inspiring today. Madeline loved anything with a flag on it.

The above card was written by Mary's sister Elizabeth, telling her that a long letter was coming.

Postage for these cards was one cent.

This next series of cards was very amusing to me. I call it "Hammock Love"! I love how the cards tell a story.

And here is another series of similar cards. I wasn't sure of the order for these, so I hope I got it right. I call this "Love in the Meadow".

The last group are miscellaneous cards.

I can't tell from the postcard what city this is, but maybe the great San Francisco fire?

Snow sounds pretty good right about now. It's 90 outside.

Interesting picture. Again, no info on back. What is the significance of the "x"?

More to come . . .

Back at It!

2011-06-02T11:59:00.000-04:00

This is a project of love, but it is a huge undertaking. There are many boxes in our garage that need to be taken inside and sorted. The problem with that is I always find something right away that I am fascinated by and sit down to look through. Then an hour later there are dogs to walk, or laundry to be done, or meals to make. And it may be a month before I get back to the box. I don't ever want to feel that this is a chore and I know Madeline would never want me to feel that way, either. So from time to time when I feel I need to take a break from this project I will not be updating the blog. I hope those who enjoy these memories will understand that this is an ongoing project and I so appreciate your visits. I am a strong believer in preserving our past as a way of improving our present and future.

I'm ready to roll again and hope you will enjoy the amazing treasure I discovered today. Thanks for your interest and support.

Vintage Homemade Paper Dolls

2011-03-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

I found an old hatbox among Madeline's memories. I was even happier when I looked inside and discovered very old, handmade paper dolls. There were clues in the box that indicated that her Grandmother Annie was the creator of these items. Annie liked to keep scrapbooks and her attention to detail is evident in the little dresses. I'm happy to share with you!

One of the tiny paper dolls, wearing one of Annie's outfits.

A selection of outfits. Notice the hand pleating on some of the skirts. (Click on pic to enlarge.)

Another paper doll, along with a teeny tiny box.

A Victorian lady and gentleman paper dolls.

Outfits for the lady doll.

Two more fancy dresses.

A gown, complete with fancy hat.

There were many more paper dresses in the box, but these were the ones in the best condition. I am not sure at all about the age of these paper dolls. They may have been Annie's when she was a child, or she may have made them for Madeline. Whatever their age, they were a delightful find.

A League of Their Own & Life Magazine Ads

2011-02-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

I've been flipping through several copies of Life magazine from the 40's. Here's an article on an all female baseball team like the one from the movie "A League of Their Own":

Here's the trailer from the movie.

I also scanned some of the ads from the magazine. Enjoy!

Madeline in Pictures

2011-02-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

I recently received a big batch of photos of Madeline from all phases of her life. I picked out just a few to share today. I'll start with this sweet photo of Madeline and her mother and her doll, sitting on the front steps.

Her doll looks a lot like this one we found in her attic recently:

Try to picture the doll without the hat, gloves, and shoe. Maybe?

Taken on her first birthday.

Two pics in the snow. Looks like about a year or so apart. She always made a fashion statement!

Must be Easter! Photo above is Madeline with Annie, her grandmother who raised her.

A serious looking Madeline in her teens. Of course very few of the photos are dated. Thank goodness digital photography takes care of that!

Very cute! I think I count 4 candles on the birthday cake. Love the bloomers.

For a contrast--Madeline in her later years. She loved politics and was very active in the Massachusetts Republican Women's Group. Madeline is in the print dress and that is her good friend Pat, along with Mitt Romney, of course. I miss talking politics with her.

Madeline's Valentine Collection

2011-02-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

These are valentines received by Madeline, given by Madeline, or in the case of the vintage ones, saved by Madeline from her family. A few go way back, but most of these are from the 1940's and 1950's I would say. Hope you enjoy looking at them!

You can move the bear's hand to bounce the ball!

This one was in its own box.

Love the inside verses.

These two and the following two are quite old.

Reverse of above valentines.

"Look" Magazine, January 9, 1945

2011-01-29T15:41:00.000-05:00

I like magazines--maybe a little too much. I subscribe to about half a dozen and usually pick up another one at the store each month. But I have a hard and fast rule about magazines: I can only keep the current and past month copies, unless it is a speciality magazine. (Those I can as long as I like--hey, it's my rule!) Madeline, bless her soul, did not have a "magazine rule". Even in her later years when macular degeneration kept her from seeing clearly, she still kept her beloved magazine subscriptions to "Good Housekeeping" and "Oprah". When we came to visit I usually went to bed early the first evening with a stack of magazines and catalogs. She has quite a collection of "Life" magazines from the 1940s. I thought I would start this discussion with this copy of "Look". It is not as thick as "Life", but it is a fascinating insight into what people were thinking in 1945. The cover is by Douglas Crockwell who was famous for his magazine art of the day. Learn more about him and see his work here.

The back cover. Smoking while dancing? I wouldn't attempt it.

These pictures were side by side in the magazine as part of an article titled: "How You'll Live in 1945. This Year's Houses Won't Be Magic". Can you imagine telling people today that lumber is very scarce and supply restricted due to the war?! They wouldn't stand for it. These drawings were attributed to Erik Nitsche. I thought that name was familiar so I googled him and learned he was a very famous illustrator. You can read about him here and here.

An ad for castor oil. Nosy neighbors!

This column is interesting and sweet.

A free bar of soap to every baby born in 1945! The babies are adorable.

Fashions inspired by South America. (Imagine the images lined up next to each other. Bear with me while I learn how to scan with my new Canon printer.) This is resort wear for the fortunate few who could escape to a warm climate and the beach in the middle of January. I've noticed that catalogs and magazines don't show resort wear these days. Sign of OUR times?

This is kind of a crazy diet. Why not skip the Ry-Krisp and save yourself an extra 23 calories at each meal. They tasted awful and anyone who tries to lose weight knows the first thing to cut out is bread. And they recommend you eat dessert?

A movie review of "Guest in the House". Makes me want to look this up on Turner Classic Movies to see when it's playing next. The review says "it emerges as a taut, gripping film which ranks high among pathological chillers".

Look's Movie Guide

Hope you enjoyed this peek into January 1945. Click on the images to enlarge.

Updates on New Photos and "The King's Speech"

2011-01-24T19:57:00.000-05:00

I have added information on the recent "Ladies Who Lunch" post. My sister-in-law remembered the event and sent me some comments.

This weekend we saw the new film "The King's Speech". (It was fantastic!) It reminded me that I had posted an old magazine from that time period on the royal scandal. You can revisit it here.

Also this weekend TCM showed the movie "Since You Went Away". You can see the program from that movie here.

Ladies Who Lunch

2011-01-22T16:09:00.001-05:00

I just came across these three photos. The date on the back is May 19, 1963. What a story they tell!

That's Madeline in the dark dress and spike heels. They kept their hats on! I don't remember that beautiful coffee urn. The women are standing at the end of the kitchen. The galley kitchen is behind them. I hope the new owners take down that wall and open the place up.

This photo deserves a good caption! Please note the gloves laid on top of the clutch purse. Not everyone is wearing a corsage--wonder what that means? They are sitting in the living room. I like the window boxes but they were gone by 1977 when I appeared on the scene.

I like this photo the best because we have some of the furniture in our home today. The leather chair with the ottoman was a pale blue here, but recovered in a very dark red in 1980 and given to us as a wedding present. I played lots of "peek-a-boo" in that chair with my boys when they were babies. The pull down desk behind the lady with the cape is in our guest room right now. It has lots of secret compartments inside. It was one of the latest items we acquired. Also the side table by the leather chair is part of a pair that we also received as wedding gifts. They are in our family room today.

It was fun to go back to another era for a few minutes!

For those who are really curious, my sister-in-law emailed me the following information about these photos:

"I noticed the 3 recent pictures on Madeline's Memories, and they were taken at a Mother's Day luncheon or tea which the sorority that she belonged to for years used to have yearly for a while, and then discontinued. The women wearing corsages were mothers of the members, and the silver coffee urn was not ours, but belonged to another member.

I can remember cleaning the house for this, for days and days and days!! I also recall helping out with the serving, and having to clean up after it was done.

My mother's dress was a vivid royal blue, and her spike heels were a matching blue. She wore this dress for quite a while, as well as those shoes, which may explain her foot problems later in life! I can remember trying the shoes on and never being able to walk in them. They had very pointy toes, and were so uncomfortable."

People Who Collect Tin Doll Houses

2011-01-19T13:01:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I posted pictures of the old tin doll house we found in Madeline's attic. Last night I was flipping through the February issue of "Martha Stewart Living" and found this:

What a fun collection! I had to google them to learn more and learned they have a shop called "Something's Hiding in Here" in Philadelphia. Here's a link to another photo of their houses. And here's where you can read more about them. I think they are pretty cool!

Madeline Would Recommend . . .

2011-01-18T11:18:00.000-05:00

Back in August I posted an entry about Madeline's grandmother Annie's school autograph book. (You can revisit it here.) Recently my friend Susan from "A Sip of Sarsaparilla" posted an entry on her blog about a similar old school autograph book. Go over to her blog right now and check it out! And while you're there take some time to enjoy all the vintage goodies that she discovers. Madeline would approve.

Madeline's Diaries

2011-01-10T20:03:00.000-05:00

Madeline kept a diary almost her entire life. Even the last few years when she suffered from macular degeneration, she attempted to use a tape recorder to record her daily activities. Although our family enjoyed flipping through the older ones and reading a few entries, most of them are really boring. I don't want to lose any readers, so I'm doing this one post on this part of her life. I'm posting the entry for June 6, 1944 as well as one other page from an earlier diary. She had several souvenir items stuck in the diary pages (you know every bit of paper was a souvenir to her!) and I'm posting a few of the more interesting ones. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

She had turned 21 just the day before on June 5, 1944.

A typical diary page.

Do we still celebrate Sweetest Day? You would think I would know if it involves candy.

Everyone did what they could do for the war effort.

I was pleased and amazed to find this in one of the books. I love the simplicity of it! Madeline, however, was not a seamstress or a crafty person in any way. I'm sure all proper young ladies had to produce at least one piece of needlework.

The Doll House

2011-01-07T14:44:00.000-05:00

Remember this photo?

A box with pieces of an old metal doll house that were bent and dirty. My youngest son put it together for me the other day and here it is:

It's not very stable because some of the metal tabs were missing, but you get the idea. Let's take a tour!

The nursery, of course. I believe the house was Marx's "Disney Colonial".

The bathroom, with the lovely 1950's pink tiles.

Dining room?

Living room, with view of front door.

Another view of living room, with fireplace. Cozy!

Kitchen

Garage, but no car.

Outside patio. (I am not a photographer, sorry.)

View of upstairs patio. I know there was a plastic table with chairs and umbrellas that came with the house.

Side view. I believe I may be missing a piece of the chimney that would attach to the roof. I was afraid to move the house to take a pic of the front.

The doll house actually belonged to my sisters-in-law. One of them was there when we found it and she remembered playing with it. I offered it to her for her granddaughters, but she wisely said no thanks!

Here's what the front looks like:

This photo from an ebay listing also shows the furniture that came with the house. Now I'll be on a mission when I hit the antique shops to look for the furniture. But for now I think I'll drag out the Play Mobil furniture and little items that I have stashed away for my imaginary grandchildren. I'm going to have some fun with the doll house because I always wanted a house like this when I was little. Santa brought a cardboard doll house one year which was about as sturdy as this one. What I would really like is an old wooden doll house, maybe a split level to match our lovely home. But for now I'll find a little corner of my room and enjoy this one.

Mademoiselle Magazine, March 1942

2011-01-05T10:05:00.000-05:00

In a box of goodies from our last haul of Madeline's Memories, I discovered 3 very old copies of "Mademoiselle" magazine. The magazine was first published in 1935 as a sister publication to "Glamour". The magazine was known for publishing short stories by authors who later became quite famous (Truman Capote, Jane Smiley, Sue Miller, Sylvia Plath) and for their internships. Sylvia Plath wrote of her experiences during the summer of 1953 as a guest editor at Mademoiselle in her novel, The Bell Jar. The final issue was published in November 2001. I always preferred Mademoiselle to Glamour. (I wonder what that means!)

This is the cover of the March 1942 issue. She wrote her name on the cover as I'm sure the magazine was coveted at the University of New Hampshire. From looking at this cover, you would never know that World War II was about to happen in just a few months. (Click on photos to enlarge and enjoy.)

Shoe advert could be in "Vogue" today!

"We're going to be a sterling family." I think you'll find stainless steel much easier to clean, lady.

I draw your attention to the ad on the bottom left, "For Smoking Drivers". Touch a button and a lit cigarette can be yours! Love that it touts "Makes for safety while driving"! Only $2.95.

Wonder why this never caught on?! I think in theory it is a good idea, but ever since Oprah proclaimed that women did not need to wear slips, I threw all mine away.

What they were thinking in 1942.

Pretty dresses. Classics always stay in style.

Pants! When they were just an option. (Sort of like skirts are today.)

I found this article interesting. I was an Army wife for 22 years and lived in a few temporary places, but I just sucked it up and counted the days (usually just a few months) before we moved into a more permanent home (permanent for a few years, anyway). The pic below is the reverse side of the page; the boxes match up. Take a minute to read them, especially if you need a laugh.

So she's only engaged because she uses Ponds? I've used Ponds since I was a teenager and didn't get engaged until I was 26. Guess it doesn't work on everyone!

Lady in Waiting maternity slip. I didn't even need Oprah to tell me I wasn't going to wear a slip when I was pregnant.

Funny article about the den. We call them man-caves now. Not much has changed.

I really enjoy looking through old magazines. This was a 234 page tome! There are many more ads from this magazine to share as well as two more magazines to go through. Sometimes I imagine someone in 2025 picking up a copy of the January "Martha Stewart Living" and laughing about us and our notions.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-28T13:22:00.000-05:00

Madeline's Memories would like to wish you a very happy and healthy 2011!

And whoever this lady is, she wishes you a happy new year for 1916!

What I've Been Up To

2010-12-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

We took a little trip last weekend to pick up the last load of "Madeline's Memories". My brother-in-law was graciously storing this last load at his home since April. It was a little sad for me to know that this is the last time we will bring her memories to our home, but it's also probably a good thing, as we are beginning to run out of space to store it all! Here are some photos of the treasures which will show up here in 2011.

A silver punch bowl full of old letters and photos.

The punch bowl sitting on my father-in-law's Washington & Lee chair.

That's a 48 star flag in a box containing an old metal doll house. (I have to put it together!)

I've nicknamed this guy "Ebenezer" because we don't know who he is (yet!).

A great old wood crate and another family bible.

A great old table with bowl and pitcher. We put a plant in the bowl.

This rocking chair was in what was called "the best living room", which we only gathered in on Christmas to open presents. I always thought it was stiff and uncomfortable, but now it's in our family room and I'm starting to like it a lot.

A photo of her father's chicken farm, with sign.

I want to wish all readers of Madelines Memories a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. When it's all over, I'll be back on a regular basis. I'm planning to start 2011 with one of Madeline's diaries. They may have to have a blog of their own.

Vintage Christmas Cards

2010-12-03T10:43:00.000-05:00

In honor of receiving our first Christmas card yesterday, from our good friend Edward Jones, I pulled out my folder of Christmas cards from Madeline's memories. Greeting cards are the only category that I have an organization/storage system for. That is number one on my New Year's Resolution List: to organize all of Madeline's memories. I hope you enjoy these old cards, mostly from the 40's and 50's.

Inside of the bunny card. I thought it was funny to use bunnies for Christmas!

Verse inside. I love how sentimental it is. And didn't my father-in-law have beautiful handwriting?

Back of the card. So sweet!

Some cards never change. I think this captures Christmas.

A Christmas telegram from her parents and younger brother.

This card is like a little book.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

"My School Day Autobiography"

2010-11-23T12:17:00.001-05:00

Although the cover says this little book is an autobiography, Madeline used it more as an autograph book. You may recall the previous post I did on her grandmother's school autograph book.

The first pages are a list of her teachers and classmates. (Click on pic to enlarge.)

Here are some of the autograph pages:

World's Fair: A Message for Hotel Guests & Billy Rose's Aquacade (with some fun advertising)

2010-11-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I did a post on the 1939 World's Fair. Here are two more memories that Madeline saved from her visit there. The first is a card from her hotel which gives guidance on how to navigate the city during the fair:

Actually these rules apply today to travel in New York City, especially #3. Many times I've almost been run down while trying to cross the street by a taxi wanting to turn. Good thing we only travel to NYC once a year!

This is the program from Billy Rose's Aquacade, a big show at the 1939 World Fair. Billy Rose was quite the showman in his day. To learn more about him, read this.

Aquabelle Number One: Eleanor Holm, who later married Billy Rose.

The girl who swam the English Channel.

Here is a little piece of the show that I found on "You Tube":

This is the back cover of the program. There are more great advertisements in the book:

Pepsi, as it was in 1939.

The official watch of Billy Rose's Aquacade.

An ad for a Broadway show starring Fredric March.

An ad for Noxzema for sunburn. It's great for your face, too, you know. Check out the ad underneath it for the "all-purpose" dress with an invisible culotte. So sensible!

An ad for the New York state exhibit.

I've saved the best for last:

Do you believe it? Gloves with a pocket for your cigarettes!! How stylish. I did a little research on the designer Merry Hull. I'm not fond of wikipedia, but here is some info on her. Apparently she redefined the glove for us. (I'm learning so much here at Madelines Memories!)

The Franklin Square House

2010-11-16T12:40:00.000-05:00

After Madeline graduated from the University of New Hampshire she obtained a job at Paine's furniture store in Boston. She lived at the Franklin Square House where all proper, single young women lived at that time. Here is a brochure about the rooming house, which was carefully filed away with her memories.

Here is the list of the "rules":

She stayed in Room 546 A.

In 1970 the Franklin Square House was sold to the city of Boston and a high-rise, with 147 apartments, became the new Franklin Square House, providing affordable housing, shelter for battered women, and day care. An interesting fact about the building is that the front of the building was used in the opening credits of St. Elsewhere (1982-1988) to represent St. Eligius Hospital. (Loved that show!)

Madeline lived here until she married in December 1946.

Thanksgiving Dinner 1927

2010-11-10T12:16:00.000-05:00

I found this brochure in the old green scrapbook. Check out the tasty menu for this Thanksgiving dinner on November 24, 1927. I'm sure Madeline's parents attended this dinner and maybe she did as well. She was a very young girl at that time.

Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day in 1863. In 1941 Congress declared the fourth Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving Day. This reversed a decision by President Roosevelt to celebrate the holiday on the third Thursday in November, thus giving more time for the Christmas holiday. I wouldn't be surprised if today's Congress moved Thanksgiving back to the first Thursday in November so we can stretch out the Christmas shopping season even further!

To learn more about the National Grange, visit here. And a very happy Thanksgiving to all my friends who read Madeline's Memories. I'm thankful for all of you.

Little Madeline on the Farm

2010-11-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

Do you remember this photo from back in August? This is little Madeline playing with the chickens at her home. Another newspaper clipping from the big green scrapbook was an interview with her parents about their chicken farm:

Just a little insight into her early life.

Lindbergh Kidnapping

2010-11-08T10:06:00.002-05:00

At the back of the big green scrapbook were several newspaper clippings. Many were about the kidnapping of the infant son of Charles Lindbergh in 1932. (Click on photos to enlarge and read.)

You can read all the details on this fascinating subject here, direct from the FBI's files.

Big Green Scrapbook, Post 1

2010-11-06T12:42:00.001-04:00

This is one of many scrap books that Madeline put together. I think she had some help putting this one together as it contains her 3d birthday cards. Her grandmother Annie did scrapbooking also, so it was probably Annie that started Madeline on this paper obsession path. This book is very thick and quite large in size:

I wish I had a scanner that could handle large and thick documents. I used my camera to take individual pics of the various cards, stickers, photos, and newspaper clippings in the book. This is just a small group. At the back of the book were loose newspaper clippings on the kidnapping of the Lindberg baby and on the Dionne quints, as well as a local newspaper story about Madeline's father and mother. I'll feature those in my next post.

The first page of the book features this photo of Madeline's one room school house. See this entry for more information.

Madeline's father, James Farmer, was one of the founders of the Grange Insurance Company. She's about 3 years old in this photo.

Madeline's famous photo with President Coolidge. That's her in the front with her mother. President Coolidge was welcoming Grange members to the White House. This is the newspaper clipping, but the actual photograph was framed and hung in the upstairs hallway in the family home.

Included in the scrapbook was a small newspaper clipping about her 3d birthday party. Here's what it said:

"Miss Madeline Louise Farmer entertained ten of her young friends on Saturday afternoon, June 5th in honor of her third birthday. The little folks enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon. Refreshments of ice cream, cup cakes and cookies were served, also a dainty decorated birthday cake with three candles, was cut and passed to the guests, which were, Harry Cheney, Jr and Donald Cheney of Manchester, Merle Rich, Jr., Christina Therrien, Raymond Bushway, Kenneth Bushway, Richard Sargent, Frederick Sargent, Arlene Craigie, and Mildred Craigie. Owing to illness, Carlson Gregory was not among the party."

House + Home magazine, November 1953

2010-10-27T16:31:00.000-04:00

We found a box of House + Home magazines in Madeline's attic. They were in an open box and very dusty, so I picked this one out from the middle and we pitched the rest. Today I finally had a chance to read it and of course wish we had kept the whole boxfull. It seems to be mostly a magazine for house builders, but it is also an historical reference piece. Here are a few selected pages. (Click on pic to enlarge.)

Electric ranges were all the rage in 1953. Is that the first wall oven?

Crane Co, before their time, with a kitchen open to the living room. Of course you had to have a curtain to close it off. Wonder why the "balcony kitchen" didn't take off?

Plastic wall tiles - the word "grout" is not even mentioned. I'm sure those were a devil to get off.

Now everyone wants gas--go figure!

Interesting article on mortages and the demand for VA loans after the war.

Wood on the walls: whose idea was that?

Love this idea! Wish they listed the price.

If you can't afford real wood on your walls, this was the cheaper alternative. Still don't like it.

I draw your attention to the highlighted item on "split-level" row houses. Wouldn't you love to buy a home for those prices in 2010?!

I include this to give you an idea of a 1950's style home. They make those rubber tile floors look chic, but it looks cold to me. I do love the chandlier, though. And my husband and I always sit around the living room in our formal evening clothes.

Hope you enjoyed this visit back in time as much as I did.

Madeline's High School Yearbook

2010-10-27T14:46:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of Madeline's college soriority.

Cover of her high school yearbook, Keene High School, Keene NH, Class of 1940.

The Class Ode, in her own handwriting.

A random page of class photos

Page with Madeline's photo

Graduation Program Cover

General Course Students

Class Calendar

Scrap Book of Poems

2010-10-20T11:44:00.000-04:00

This is a scrap book of poems that Madeline collected. I would guess the time period to be late 1930's to 1940's. Most of the poems were cut from newspapers, but some she wrote out in her own handwriting. Click on the page to enlarge.

Unfortunately this poem is still true today!

I dedicate this poem to Bill and Michael.

The "Do You Vote" poem is particularly apt at this time.

Taxes--still being discussed today.

And war, unfortunately, still a main issue today.

This is the first page of the scrap book. I love "Who Says It Can't Be Done?" and "Be Different" and "Don't Be Fooled".

"Recipe For a Happy Day" - what else do you need?

Vintage Sheet Music

2010-10-18T16:23:00.000-04:00

The boxes of Madeline's Memories can be quite overwhelming at times. I literally have not even scratched the surface of all that those boxes contain. I rediscovered a carton of old sheet music this weekend. When we were cleaning out her home, I just grabbed this box thinking our middle son, who loves music and theater, would be interested. Now that I have had time to look through the many folders of old sheet music I just had to pick out some to share with you. The artwork on the covers is just beautiful! Some of the songs and the play or movie they came from will be familar, but most will not. There will be more sheet music postings in the future, but today please enjoy this selection.

Vintage Wallpaper Post 1

2010-10-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

One of the many goodies we found in Madeline's attic were two large vintage wallpaper books. These books were from her husband Archer's decorating business and I believe they date back to the 50's and 60's. The books are huge, too big to scan the covers unfortunately, and chock full of the designer's mind from that era. I pulled out some pages that appealed to me for this post. There are children's room pages and many others that I will put in another post. Hope you enjoy these!

They were doing faux treatments even back then!

Madeline's Travels

2010-09-30T12:14:00.000-04:00

This is the first of what will be many posts about Madeline's travels. She just loved to travel! She always said she didn't like to fly. However, in 1985 she flew to Germany to visit us while my husband was stationed there with the Army. She wasn't going to miss a tour of Europe! So I was curious when I came across these items from a trip she made around 1945 with her Aunt Florence. (Like everything else with this family, she wasn't technically "aunt" Florence.) Florence deserves a whole post on just herself as she was quite a character. I'll have my husband write up her bio and try to find a pic of her.

First we have a series of postcards of Washington National Airport:

Hangars. Each door weighed 44 tons!

Ticket Counters

Terrace Dining Room

Main Entrance

Here is the packet from American Airlines which held her ticket:

Inside the folder is a large, foldout, colorful map of all the cities AA flew to:

This map is a beautiful piece of history and would look great framed and hung on the wall of someone's library. That's a room we don't have in our home.

NBC in 1943

2010-09-26T13:05:00.000-04:00

This is a 38 page book written in 1943 which gives a thorough history of the organization at that time.

Board of Directors and Officers

Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy and their war efforts.

Bob Hope and Frances Langford. We know what they were doing.

Television in the early stages.

TV and war safety.

The future as they saw it back then.

Partial list of programming

This booklet is a perfect example of "why did she save this?". But I have to say I find it very interesting to read about the way things were back then. So, thank you, Madeline!

Movie Story Year Book No 2 1942 Edition

2010-09-25T12:19:00.002-04:00

One of many movie star magazines Madeline saved.

"Movie Story magazine's best films awards for 1941 go to the fifteen motion pictures presented, in story form, on the pages which follow."

The magazine is almost 100 pages of photos with stories in very small type. Fun to look at!

Madeline's Memories Is Back!

2010-09-24T11:36:00.000-04:00

Vacations and Life have kept me from posting new memories. But today I am back with a fun post.

This is one of Madeline's school pictures. I'm guessing high school age. She looks so studious, but don't let that deceive you!

This is one of Madeline's second grade reading workbooks. Maybe it's before the mimeograph was invented as my memories of second grade are individual worksheets. (And that's as far as I will go about second grade; not good memories for me. )

"Looseleaf Education, Inc." --love it! Book was published in 1927.

A sample page

This page goes along with a little story on safety.

The second book in the series.

Things are getting a little harder!

One of Madeline's drawings from the book.

And here is a bonus photo for you:

I believe the "James" pointed out is Madeline's father, James Farmer. Here's the back of the photo:

Photo taken at the Elmwood School in Providence around 1895.

Greg Johnson's Button People: Or What to Do with Your Old Family Photographs

2010-09-05T21:17:00.000-04:00

For the past several years I have been following Deb Dusenberry's blog about her Kansas store "Curious Sofa". Even though I live in Maryland I love to see how Deb decorates her store for each holiday and to see her new merchandise. (Good news: she now does mail order, too!)

This weekend when I checked in with Curious Sofa I was delighted and amazed to see these photos from her Halloween display from the artist Greg Johnson:

How creative! I have so many family photos like these of Madeline's family. I look at each one and wish I could display them all in our home and share them with others. Never did I think to do something like this! Greg takes these photographs to another dimension. Each time I look at his "button people" I see something different.

When I emailed Deb to ask her permission to post the photos she referred me to Greg and I have exchanged a few emails with him. He sent me this fabulous photo:

To quote Greg: "I love working with vintage ephemera; especially vintage photos, carte de visite & cabinet cards. I call them all my "instant ancestors"." I agree with him. A few years ago my husband and I were browsing in an antique store and came across a photo album of a couple which detailed their travel through the years. Lots of photos of cruises and holiday parties from the 40's and 50's. The album even showed them aging, but still taking trips together. I felt an instant connection to this couple and wondered how this album ended up in this antique store. When I wasn't looking, my husband purchased the album and presented it to me for a Christmas present. I love to browse through it from time to time and have even used some of the photos to make greeting cards. We are so blessed to have all these vintage photographs and paper collectibles from the past. The digital photos we take today will be some one's vintage collectible tomorrow. I think being creative with them is a compliment to our ancestors.

Follow Greg on Facebook here.

1939 World's Fair: Dominican Republic

2010-09-02T11:07:00.001-04:00

This is the booklet Madeline picked up at the Dominican Republic exhibit. I find it fascinating to read through these booklets and read about the history of these countries in 1939. It teaches us about the progress and initiatives these countries hoped for back then. Thanks Madeline for collecting them all!

Back cover

The booklet is presented in both English and Spanish.

This page has Spanish on one side and English on the other.

This is the centerpage of the booklet. A very nice map of the Dominican Republic and the surrounding countries.

Interesting article on the sugar industry of the country.

I discovered a wonderful little gem while researching about this exhibit. It is a paper written in 2000 by Mitchell F. Portnoy about Mineral Day at the 1939 World's Fair. If you are curious at all about this subject it is well worth a few minutes of your time to look at this paper. He gives lots of information about the many exhibits I have posted about previously in my blog. Click on "paper" to take you there. Can't wait to see what I will pull out of the box next!

1939 World's Fair: Norway

2010-08-20T19:53:00.000-04:00

Here is another book Madeline picked up at the World's Fair. This is the front cover:

And here is the back cover:

Royalty!

No cell phones or email back then!

You wouldn't see an ad like this today!

So we can thank Norway for cod liver oil.

Hope you enjoyed this little taste of Norway in 1939.

Next up: The Dominican Republic