WHAT WE WEAR SHOWS WHERE WE BELONG

 


From photo to photo here, it seems like most of the girls’ school uniforms were much the same.  Must have been the standard of the day?

An unusual pose for the girls seated?

Definitely a better idea.

Today, no one would think twice about this pose.  But back when this picture was taken, it was probably a bit on the ‘bold’ side.

Girls’ school uniforms in the 1920s or early 1930s.  I’m guessing these would be high school girls?

Girl Scouts uniforms in the 1910s

Girl Scouts in the 1920s

An Intermediate Girl Scout troop in the 1950s.  I became a Brownie Scout in 1947 and continued in Scouts, advancing to Girl Scout Intermediates in the 1950s.  I know I was active in the program through 1952 because I have a picture of myself getting ready to go to Girl Scout camp that year.  I remember, back then, going door-to-door in the neighborhood selling Girl Scout cookies, and I earned a few badges – one for sewing, and one for cooking and at least a couple more, but I can’t remember what they were for?  If there was a badge for selling, I should have had it because I sold a heckuva lot of cookies!

L-R: Yours truly, and fellow Girl Scouts Linda, and Donna in 1952 – waiting for our ride to camp.

A Brownie Scout troop in the 1950s or ‘60s  

Girl Scout uniforms from Brownies, through Intermediates, to Cadets, to Seniors in the 1960s.  My eldest daughter was a Cadet in her high school years. 

A Girl Scout of the 1960s giving her Girl Scout Pledge.  Dig the white gloves.   And yes, we wore them!

A Girl Scout troop of today – uniforms much more relaxed.

Campfire Girls in the ‘50s & ‘60s

Campfire Girl in uniform in the 1960s

Campfire Girls at a Council Fire

A Campfire Girls poster showing one of their activities.

The International Order of Rainbow Girls

The color of their gowns signify their “Bow Stations”

Violet = Service, Orange = Religion, Yellow = Nature, Green = Immortality, Red = Love, and Indigo = Patriotism.  Not shown, Blue = Fidelity

The girls posing here are of recent times in formal dresses of today.

I was never a member, but back in the 1950s & ‘60s I sang for some of their formal events and back then formal dress meant beautiful, full-skirted gowns of tulle & lace in tea or cocktail length as those seen in the picture below.


This is a shot from one of my high school proms.  Unfortunately, it's in B&W, but the gowns were, of course, in different colors.  (I'm in a deep purple and black gown - no tulle or lace - with my back to the camera.)

I don't know when this photo was taken, but at some time between the 1950s and '60s and the current day, the girls wore full-length fancy gowns in their bow station colors.  This photo was taken at a state-wide convention.


The gowns were not the only formal thing present at their formal occasions.  There was a great deal of formal presenting as these lovely ladies indicate in this photo.

:->

La Nightingail

P.S.

I don't mean to parody or make fun of the girls in the photo above, but the color of their gowns and the fact they are walking in formation reminded me of this photo of Smoky Bear leading his "Little Flames" (including two of my daughters) in a parade years ago.

Comments

  1. Barbara RogersJanuary 10, 2025 at 10:43 AM

    I always enjoy what you come up with on Sepia posts each week! The fun was the various uniforms that girls went through, even in scouting. Of course it was the girls knock-off from boy scouts. Isn't it funny to think of them having merged these days? Just as women were being able to hold their own....I won't go further on that topic. The gowns are beautiful of course, and having colors with meaning must have been a fun way to connect with that organization, with it's formal gala apparently. I do like the little Flames in the parade!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE ANCESTOR HAT PARADE

Image
  My husband’s ancestors:  His Grandmother Daisy May Elizabeth Young, her husband (or husband-to-be?), Fred Latham Perlee, and her sister whose name we don’t know.  Fred is wearing a rather frumpy-looking straw hat, and the girls are sporting quite the elaborate chapeaux. Daisy in the center with Fred on her left.  Don’t know who is on her right?  The fellows in bowlers, and Daisy in a simple flatish hat.  No idea why they’re all carrying flowers? My husband’s maternal grandmother, Lillian Ross Pringle Brasier on the left on her wedding day in 1909 with one of her older sisters.  Lillian was dressed in a suit, ready to depart with her new husband on their honeymoon. A hat and frilly bonnets for all three: Lillian Ross, c.1914, with her two daughters Phyllis, and Virginia Rossmore Braiser – my husband’s mother. Lillian Ross Pringle Braiser c. 1925 in a cloche hat. More cloche hats:  Lillian Ross and daughter, Virginia, c.1926-27. And now on to my ...
Read more

WORKING ON BUILDING THINGS

Image
  My Dad built himself and my Mom Adirondack chairs, then created his own pattern to build a little one for me.  They were painted yellow – my favorite color.  I loved my little chair.  I wonder if that’s why yellow is my favorite color? J Some years later Dad & my brother built a roof over the terrace in our back yard. The terrace roof completed created a great place to gather in the summer – to play ping-pong or just sit around.  The ping-pong table was collapsible & easy to store off to the side when not in use. I designed & my husband built this front entry deck for our house in Groveland.  It was a tricky design because there is a stairway leading down from the front door to the garage behind the railing behind the bench, so we came out the front door and either went down the stairs to the garage, or came forward out onto the deck.  They don’t show here, but we had flowerboxes behind the railing where the candy-canes are crossed....
Read more

WORKING ON CREATING THINGS

Image
  My Grandma Louise’s Singer sewing machine.  My Mom taught me to sew on this machine when I was around 13 years old and from then on – more when I was older – I made many of my own clothes. I made big-skirted dresses in the mid-to-late ‘50s, and short sheath dresses in the ‘60s along with Bermuda shorts and peddle-pushers and two-piece sets to match. By then my Mom had a new machine, and not long after I bought my own machine.  When I was married I continued to make some of my own clothes as well as clothing for my children.  I also made most of my costumes when I was active in the Golden Chain Theatre.  This gown of satin taffeta for dancing the Can-Can was one of the hardest things I’ve ever made.  Part of the bodice was cut diagonally on striped material, the skirt with its variegated gores lined with rows & rows of white ruffles underneath was a bear to put together! The gowns were beautiful, but heavy as the dickens!  In fact, because of ...
Read more