For some photo buffs of old photographs, good-looking, fashion-conscious women who came of age in 1940 hold a mystique.  In my mother’s case, south-central Texas girls finished high school at age seventeen, and knew they could attract an ambitious man, even if war service had to be factored in to a marriage.  This was a time in American history when young ladies pulled up their nylons that were not pantyhose and fastened them to restraining undergarments (girdles and garter belts).  Slim ankles did not go unnoticed, accented by pumps and gracefully hanging skirts that graced the tops of calves.  And who wouldn’t appreciate the cascades of curls or waves swept back with bobby pins?  My mother’s face, fascinating for its hazel eyes, skin tone, and countenance, resembled the young Katharine Hepburn (b. 1907, d. 2003), Hollywood star, recipient of four Academy Awards.

Young Women of Early 1940s: Inez, Mary, Dorothy, Louise

Postage Stamp of Katharine Hepburn (Date of Issue 05/12/2010)