Friday, July 23, 2021

52 Ancestors: Fashion - Hats off!

This week's blog prompt, Fashion, had me going through some photos to discover a theme.  It was then that I noticed how many hats there were in my family, particularly on the paternal side.  It is amazing how many different style of hats there are.  So, hats off to those in hats!

My grandmother, Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy, had a lot of hats.  Here's a few through the years.

Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer, 1896

On her honeymoon?  1919

I remember "back in the day" when we would dress up to fly on a plane.  Looks like Loraine did just that before she took her seat.


I remember Grandma wearing a hat like this.

Grandmother back from Hawaii, c. 1959

Her mother, Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer, also liked hats and the two of them liked to show them off together.

Abe and Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer, Loraine Gunzendorfer c. 1919


Bertha (Schwartz) Gunzendorfer, Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy


She was sporting quite a hat at Dad's graduation from Stanford in 1949.


Here's an old one - check out all of these hats!  Bertha and Abe are in the front.


Even Bertha's family liked hats!

Parents Louis and Rebecca (Steen) Schwartz, 
Brothers Milton and Colman Schwartz

Looks like little Colman didn't have a hat - but he found a few!

Colman Schwartz, 1890


Colman Schwartz, 1896

And the Levys liked hats, too!

Sig Levy, 5th from the right - you'll see that style of hat again


Sig on the right with his WWI hat on

Sig Levy, ready for a costume party

Looks like Sig posing while on his honeymoon.  Is that the same hat?



Keeping the head warm!


My dad liked hats, too.  I remember in the 60's he always matched a hat to his suit.  Sadly, I haven't found any photos of that.  Check out this hat!

Gordon Levy, Vancouver BC, 1936 - Like father, like son

This one is a little goofy but SO "Dad".

Gordon and Gerry (Martin) Levy

Believe it or not, the hats got even goofier.

Now they're ready for a costume party

Keeping his head warm AND dry!


Crazy Hat Night at Family Camp

Even my sister and I got into the act.

What a pose!

And a few of our own creations from Crazy Hat Nights.

I'm in the middle - 1958


1961

But the most elaborate hat I came across was modeled by my grandmother's first cousin, Henrietta Schwartz.  Grandma's mother (Bertha Schwartz) was the younger sister of Henrietta's father, Joseph Schwartz.  Maybe she was going to the Kentucky Derby?

Henrietta Schwartz, date unknown

That's a lot of hats!!!


11 comments:

  1. Wow, another great post Debi. Regarding your comment about getting dressed up to fly on a plane, your cousin Terri said her first flight was at age 10 in 1959. Her family was headed to Milwaukee and she said that they were wearing their Sunday best, including hats!

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    1. Always the Sunday best although I don't remember hats. My sister remembers my mom wearing hats to Temple.

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  3. Hats off to you for a wonderfully fun fashion post! I had a coat just like the light one in the sisters photo--with a double row of buttons and a velvet collar, a look of elegance for a little girl!

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    1. That's me in "your" coat - we always had cool coats as kids.

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  4. Fun photos & post. I also remember dressing up to fly on an airplane (late 1960s). And hats for Easter were a must. I loved getting my new Easter hat each year. Hats off to your post!

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    1. Thanks, Colleen. I don't remember that we were even allowed to wear pants on an airplane - always dresses!

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  5. That is quite the collection of hat photos, well done! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. I have a lot more that I missed, especially from my husband's family. Maybe next time I'll do a part 2.

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  6. Henrietta's hat wins! Remember when houses didn't have closets and the early closets were small - where did women store all those hats? I know there were hat boxes, but where did they put the boxes?

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    1. Maybe under the bed? And I agree - Henrietta's hat is gret!

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