Pink became a color marketing brand in the late 1940s;
that’s when designer Elsa Schiaparelli introduced “hot pink” to western fashion.
By the 1950s and 60s thousand of products were offered in pink like this Bell telephone.

Join a Facebook fan page dedicated to pink. Just click here
And if you collect pink, please share with us!

1940s Simplicity dress patters

This pattern is a great example of what working women during World War II may have worn.
Many of these women would have worked in factories making war materials.
I imagine Rosie the Riveter being comfortable in wearing either one of these dresses. Can you?

Adolf Loos was a 20th-century architect who hated ornamentation.
He wrote about his disdain for it in a 1908 essay;
in English it was translated as Ornament and Crime.

This pitcher is a perfect example of Loos’ aesthetic style.
Straight lines, simple curves and smooth surfaces.
Adolf Loos designed it in 1931 for Viennese glassmakers, J. & L. Lobmeyr.

I bought this pitcher in Vienna back in 1996.
It was a wedding gift for my sister and brother-in-law.
But you needn’t travel so far to buy one.
The Neue Gallerie in New York has them for sale.

This cool set of vintage patio lights makes me want to grab a cocktail and sit by the pool!

These lights belong to my sister.
She dug them out from her basement saying they’d make a great MVG blog post!

Unfortunately, there’s not much light I can shed on them.
They’re made by a company called Renown.
It’s unknown when and where they were made, but if I had to place a date, I’d say sometime in the 1950s.
If you used to own a set, please share with us!

It was most likely the 1940s and Bendikte Olsen and her daughter Helen went to a neighborhood social in Brooklyn, New York.

Bendikte was known to arrive late to any and every event! This night was no exception.
Despite being the last to arrive they won the door prize!
It was a complete set of NASCO china like the pictures posted here and here.

Apparently, the early birds at the function were not pleased the latecomers got the worm.

Before Franklin Gurley entered the candlemaking business his company made novelty candy like wax lips! Gurley owned W&F Manufacturing in Buffalo, NY.
The switch to candle production started in the 1930s. In 1949 the business changed its name to a more appropriate one: Gurley Novelty Candle Company.

In addition to Pilgrim candles, Gurley produced Indians, Turkeys, and Mayflowers for Thanksgiving. There were Christmas and Halloween-themed candles as well.
If more people used these candles for their intended purpose (to burn), they’d become scarse and very valuable. But, that’s simply not the case. They’re too cute to light!

If you collect or want to learn more about depression glass then this is the reference bible for you: Collector’s Encyclopeida of Depression Glass 19th edition. It’s by Cathy and Gene Florence. And sadly, this will be the last edition by this husband and wife team.

Cathy and Gene Florence have collected, studied, and written about depression glass for nearly 40 years. They certainly know their subject and have been so generous in sharing their knowledge over the years. This is a beautiful book. Over 200 pages of color photographs and chock-full of information.

I first became interested in depression glass earlier this year. My mom’s grandmother left her a few pieces. Not knowing a thing about it I asked a sales clerk at a local antique shop what book she could recommend. Without hesitation she mentioned, “the Florence book.”

You can order the book directly from the publisher by clicking here.

This hope chest has sentimental value in our household.
It belonged to Mary Barrett from southern Connecticut. She was a Great Aunt.
Mary Barrett married sometime in the early 1930s, so we can guess that this hope chest was purchased in the late 1920s, which fits the time period when the Lane Company boosted production and sought female consumers of the jazz age.