Hair Oil, Hats, and Crocheted Antimacassars

For much of my childhood, I lived with Inez and Chap Cato (Ma and Pa) 

in a house at 212 West Ivy, in Hanford, California.  

Inez's parents, Ben and Ada Hall 

had a house right around the corner on Redington Street. 

Their backyard and our backyard were connected.

Grandma's house was spotless. 

If you walked in the front door, 

you were in a living room where the television was often on. 

Grandma loved watching Queen for a Day and The Price is Right. 

Queen for a Day was a show we never missed.
Several ladies would be featured,
all with a sad story they'd tell.
A panel of judges would then select one
to be "Queen for a Day!"
The lucky lady would be crowned
and showered with gifts like
a new washer and dryer
or vacuum cleaner.
Just what every 50's housewife wanted!

In the 50's the furniture was fat and comfie. 

The backs and sides of the chairs and couch were covered 

with crocheted chair cloth sets called antimacassars.

An antimacassar is a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs,
or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling of the permanent fabric.
The name comes from macassar oil,
commonly used by both men and women to dress their hair
in the early 19th century.

The fashion for oiled hair became widespread in the Victorian and Edwardian period,
and housewives began covering the arms and backs of the chairs
with washable crochet chair set cloths
to preserve the fabric coverings from becoming soiled.

These were not just decoration. 

And they weren't always simple. 

The chair set were intricately crafted and had beautiful patterns on them 

of roses, pineapples, and even animals like deer or dogs.
They were made from white thread and were usually starched.

As well as being functional, 

they were a way a lady could show off her needle craft skills.

Can you imagine the time and concentration it took to make these? 

It's probably one reason these gals' minds were so sharp for so long!

In the 50's, most men still used oil on their hair, 

products like Vitalis and Brylcreem.

Here are some advertisements ... a blast from the past!

The slick hairstyles allowed the hair to tuck nicely under a hat and to still look groomed when the hat was taken off.

And yes, hats were in - and pretty darned sexy!

I remember Grandpa Ben Hall not leaving the house without his hat.

Hats are stylish. 

They're also very functional. 

They keep your head warm and shade your eyes from the sun. 

They can cover a receding hairline and give you a touch of class.  

I'd love to see men and women start wearing hats again. 

They do make sense in the rainy Portland weather!

Ladies also wore hats in those days.

I don't really look good in a hat, 

but I bet I could find one I liked if I looked hard enough.

Here are some examples of the hats we wore in the 50's.

There were go-to-the-market hats and church hats...

And then the larger and beautiful fashion hats!

Here are some of my ancestors wearing their hats.

Elvira Carvalho.
Isn't this a great hat?!

Emma Carvalho and Alice.
Grandma Emma's wearing her everyday hat.

Grandpa Ben Hall with Grandma Ada.
Grandpa's wearing his summer hat.

This is me with my stepmother Inga wearing her beach hat
(and not much else!)  :)

JJ Carvalho wearing a nice wool hat.

Grandma Ada Hall with Janie (left) and me (right)
Women used to "tie up their hair" in a scarf during the day.

Grandma Emma and her sister.
What beautiful hats those Carvalho girls had!

Grandma Mary and Bruce.
She was always so fashionable!

So now you know what an antimacassar is.

We just called them "chair backs" 

but I remember seeing them on every chair and sofa when I was growing up. 

And I remember those wonderful hats!

Do you?