From the estate of a 90 year old woman

I can't help but laugh a little when I see an ebay auction listing that says 'This came from the estate of a 90 year old woman' Especially when that phrase is being used to describe a polyester dress bought by a 60 year old woman in the 1970s from Jamesway. Not exactly the hot vintage that you and I are looking for. I get what the seller is trying to say, but just because the lady was old, doesn't mean that all of her stuff was as old as she was.

It's a vintage lover's dream to get into a house where an older person lived, hoping that you'll find great old vintage clothing and goodies, but that's just not always the case. It's actually pretty rare. Not everyone saves old stuff, neither of my grandmothers saved anything other than photos and a few special items. Most people move at some time in their lives, downsizing and getting rid of alot of their older stuff when they move. And sadly, at alot of estate sales, the family members will throw out those 'old clothes' thinking that no one would want them. Usually when you do get into a house to see the clothing, you find the clothing that the person has been wearing in the past 20-30 years, and maybe a few older items that were saved from special occasions. Once in a while, you get very lucky and get into a house where someone saved everything, even from previous generations.



This past week I was able to visit a home to possibly make some vintage purchases. And, no lie, the home did belong to a 90 year old lady, who passed away last year. The photo at the top left is her 1934 high school graduation photo. All of the clothing in the house was recent though, and I only got a very few hats, purses and 2 jackets, all of which were from the 1950-60s. But I did get a box of photos that looked interesting. In my first quick glance thru the box, I saw a few Victorian photos and some 1930-40s beach photos. So I bought the box and I'm having alot of fun going through the photos, and I'll probably be posting some of them here in the blog and selling others.
The photo to the right above is our 90 year old gal and a pal in overall costumes in the 1930s (wish those had been in the house) and to the left here is a very pretty portrait of an Edwardian girl. It's a large sepiatone (I guess that's what you call it) image . It needs a frame and beveled glass, because the cardboard is curved.
The house was very cute, an old side-by-side duplex. And even though I didn't buy much, it was still a good trip because I love going through old houses, and the men who took us through were very nice. The rooms were small but layed out nicely. Fantastic old woodwork around all doors and windows, and it had a super stair railing. The kitchen looked kind of 1970-80s, but it had a view of the cemetary next door through the window over the sink, which I thought was somehow interesting.

This was another photo from the box, and this gal really got my attention. There's something about the look on her face and her slightly tossled hair. She looks like she was a rebel of her time. There's nothing written on the photo, so I have no idea who she was. You can only imagine the kind of life that she lead. Did she want a college education and want to travel the world rather than settle down and get married and start a family? Did she throw away her restrictive undergarments and run off to live a wild bohemian life in Paris with some painter or poet? Did she have a reputaion for drinking and carousing with the local boys? Or did she find a good, honest, hard working man and settle down into a happy life as a farmer's wife?