billy rose's aquacade at the 1939 new york world's fair

Here is a fun flea market find--the souvenir program for Billy Rose's Aquacade at the 1939 New York World's Fair.  The Aquacade was a swimming and dance show that actually premiered in 1937 at the Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland.

It starred "aquadonis" Johnny Weissmuller...

...and "aquabelle" Eleanor Holm.  And featured several other egregious usages of "aqua" as a prefix, to wit: aquafemmes, aquagals, aquadudes, aquabeaux, aquabuilders.  (Esther Williams replaced Holm in the Aquacade after it moved from NYC to San Francisco.)

I would totally make this my own personal coat of arms.  Maybe stick a martini glass on there and a vintage dress.

I can have these shoes, please?

In this building, a visitor could see "absorbingly interesting scale models" of "famous places" like...Jones Beach.  Or, you could hop a train or drive a car out to Jones Beach.  Just sayin'.

Holy crap.  These green gloves by Merry Hull with snap compartments almost make me want to take up smoking!  You could probably stick a lipstick and a little cash in there instead.

The back of the program is pretty destroyed, but I had to post it because I have a soft spot for PBR, and the ad promises that PBR is "brisk bodied and never syrupy or logy."

xo

K

indiana, 1939

My grandparents, Edna and Dan, were married in 1938.  In 1939 they traveled from St. Louis to Indiana to visit Edna's family there.  I love the photos from this trip--I'm guessing Edna took most of them--as they have such a dreamy, summery feeling.

Also, these gals wore some really cute dresses!

I really love this photo.

Edna on horseback.

Another photo I particularly love--Dan and one of Edna's relatives.

These folks appear to be standing in front of some kind of mobile grocery store.  Nifty!

Dan on the right, rocking the boater.

That's Edna's mother, my great-grandmother Mary Francis, on the far left.  I love this photo for the dresses, naturally, but also for the luncheonette menu behind them!

xo

K