The Workbasket – July 1950
This past weekend, while out garage-saling, I “scored” a stack of 25 vintage Workbasket magazines from the early 1950s for $2! At the time I was thinking there might be some vintage crochet patterns I would enjoy making… but there is, oh, so much more! Just so many “precious” things, I have to share.
Here is the cover of the oldest one. July 1950. Not even “spot color” printing. We’re just supposed to imagine the color purple and green of the violets on this “pretty place mat” on the cover.
Flipping through the magazine, there are little ads on each page. Here are some opportunities for making money at home… something every housewife is interested in pursuing, no doubt.
You can make and sell “gorgeous gifts out of rhinestones, felt, copper, plastic, textiles and exciting new materials”! (I’m trying to think of what would be “gorgeous” made out of those materials…) Or you can take up the “thrilling work” of “coloring photos at home”. Apparently there was a need for such a vocation as demonstrated by the colorless cover of the magazine!
If these opportunities are not quite your cup of tea, well, there’s a whole column each month of inspiring articles telling of “Women Who Make Cents” and what they’ve come up with to bring in some extra income.
This idea cracks me up. I don’t know anyone who would pay $1 or $2 in today’s money for a “dressed up paper plate”, do you? And prices are many times more now than they were 58 years ago! But, then, we do have cheap, pre-printed, colorful, sturdy paper plates available to us now, and I supposed that was unheard of at the time.
Do you have a weight problem? Here’s how you can “get thin to music with Wallace Reducing Records”…
I love this ruffled apron. I am very tempted to make it, and try the “two-tone” effect. Not sure what I would do with it. But it would be fun to make! I’ll let you know if I do.
And one more ad for your edification… this one a full-page!
I’m not sure if “Yuth” was their cutesy way of spelling “youth” or if it’s meant to be pronounced with the short /u/… “yuth”… and if so, what does that mean?
It is also my opinion that if Mrs. Hauff would have stood up a little straighter and smiled in the first picture, she would have been presentable enough to “go places with her husband” even without “youthful, smart style clothes”!
I hope you enjoyed these little clippings. I’ll post more again another time.
9 Comments
A Romantic Porch
Karla, Those are so interesting. I just love reading old things like that! xoRachel
Farrah
Old ads are SOOOOO fun and interesting! Thanks for sharing! (Your comments were great!)
Carrie
Wonderful clippings. Thanks for sharing them.
nfhays
Oh how I wish I had been there to share the details in this ad with you! I am certain there must be money to be made as a hair-net tie-er too if you don’t have the inclination to paint paper plates. After all SOMEBODY has to hand tie these lovely grey gossamer strands into a useful and glamorous hair decoration! Thanks for the graduation prezzie!
Amy
I love reading old ads 🙂
Jewelgirl
The Workbasket must of been
very popular then, I see them
a lot at garage sales or
estate sales! Great ads!
The Apron Queen
I came by the other day when you sent me the “alert”, but I must have forgotten to comment. How rude of me! 😀
I love these ads. Hilarious. Thanks for sharing.
For your daily dose of vintage goodness & a bit of silliness, stop by Confessions of an Apron Queen, the home of Vintage Thingies Thursdays.
myvintagecharm
I love old Workbasket magazines, too. The ads are hilarious- just look at the transformative powers of that undergarment 😉 Thanks for sharing some peeks of your magazine score!
Edi
My mom used to have a bunch of those magazines – I think she got them from her grandmother…I remember leafing through them.
I have enjoyed in other vintage magazines, reading through all the advertisements…the older, the better!
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