Category Archives: 1950s

All About Hair

I had a bit of a meandering look at the history of hairstyles in India on tumblr and as always this post collates it on wordpress. curnakuntala (Sanskrit): locks or ringlets hair style. alaka-avali (Sanskrit): hair arrangement in spiral locks … Continue reading

Posted in 1600s, 16th Century, 1700s, 17th century, 1800s, 18th century, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 19th century, 20th century, Accessories, Ancient India, Art, Asia, Bengal, Bollywood, Colonial, Contemporary Style, Culture, Dance, Dancer, fashion, Flowers, Hair, historical fashions, historical hairstyles, History, indian art, Indian fashion, Indian History, Indian men, Indian Women, Jewellery, Medieval India, miniature paintings, Old Bollywood, Paintings, regional styles, retro, retro hair, Sanskrit Literature, Sculpture, Sets, Tamil, Tumblr, Vintage, vintage hair, vintage jewellery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The North-East Post

This doesn’t cover all the North Eastern states of India neither is it chronological or thematic. Rather it’s a North East sampler that includes a fair bit of dance forms in the North-East. The components of the Manipuri dance costume … Continue reading

Posted in 1900s, 1950s, 20th century, Accessories, Art, Asia, Costume, Culture, Dance, Dancer, Early 20th Century, fashion, Folk Dance, Girls, indian art, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian Textiles, Indian Women, Jewellery, North East, North East India, Paintings, photodivision, Photography, regional styles, retro, retro fashion, Tribal, Vintage Blouse, vintage costume, vintage fashion, vintage hair, vintage jewellery, vintage style, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Food Post

The iconography of Annapurna is given in the Agamas as a youthful goddess of red complexion having a face round like moon, three eyes, high breasts; the left hand carrying a vessel set with rubies and containing honey, and the … Continue reading

Posted in 16th Century, 17th century, 18th century, 1910s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 19th century, Ancient India, British Raj, Colonial, historical art, historical costume, indian art, Indian Cooking, Indian Literature, Indian men, Indian Women, Medieval India, Mughal India, Paintings, Sanskrit Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Forest Post

Pic 1: Nandalal Bose, Evening, 1941. Pic 2: Girl in  a Forest, Allah Bux, 1963.  [X] Pic 1: Girl from Chotanagpur (1956) Pic 2: One of a series taken of a Santhal festival in Santiniketan. Via Shibaditya Ray. The original … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 21st century, Accessories, Art, Indian fashion, Indian Women, Tribal, vintage art, vintage sari, vintage style | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Kerala Post

This post was in response to a reader request on tumblr. Its fairly basic and is confined mainly to the 19th and 20th century but does cover some ground. Here goes! Though the “set-mundu” consisting of two pieces of cloth … Continue reading

Posted in 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, 19th century, 20th century, Accessories, Art, Colonial, Costume, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, Flora, Flowers, Girls, Hair, historical costume, historical dress, India, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian Literature, Indian Women, Kerala, Late 19th century, Malayalam Cinema, Period Drama, Photography, regional styles, Royalty, Sari, Sari Blouse, sari drape, sari history, Sets, South India, South Indian Cinema, Studio Portraits, vintage costume, vintage fashion, vintage hair, vintage jewellery, vintage sari | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Republic Day

“The concept of this procession and exhibition and everything else should be to demonstrate both the unity and great variety and diversity of India…..Each State should represent some distinctive feature of it’s own in the tableaux or in the exhibition … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s, Asia, Central India, Costume, Culture, Dance, Folk, Folk Dance, India, Indian Dress, Indian History, Indian men, Indian Textiles, Indian Women, Photography, Politicians, regional styles, Tamil, Tribal, Vintage, vintage costume, vintage photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Home Science in India and the 1950s

Home Science teacher trainees in Poona in 1957 learn to make rangolis to ‘brighten up” traditional meals, pound rice, scrape coconut, use a “model kitchen” and much more…..including making some kitchen music. Lots of nine-yard saris in there. [X]

Posted in 1950s, Culture, Deccan, fashion, Girls, India, Indian Dress, Indian Textiles, Indian Women, regional styles, retro, retro fashion, Salwar Kameez, Sari, Sari Blouse, Vintage, vintage fashion, vintage photography, vintage sari, vintage style, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bits n Bobs

Gharara/Sharara…still confused by the many definitions. Raghu adds a few more explanations to 1950s hairstyles. Bengal’s laterite soil makes for Japanese dye. Please admire Waheeda – X and X.

Posted in 17th century, 1950s, 1960s, 19th century, 20th century, 21st century, Asia, Bengal, Bollywood, Cinema, Costume, Culture, East Asia, Edo, fashion, Hair, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian Textiles, Indian Women, Japanese, natural dye, Old Bollywood, retro, retro fashion, Tumblr, Vintage, vintage costume, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion, vintage hair, vintage style, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Cape Post

I had done a piece on capes in the 1960s. Doris and eros-diakios had pointed out that they were around in the 1950s too, see for e.g. 1959’s Dhool Ka Phool. While capes,boleros and coats are common with saris, I … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Indian Dress, Indian Women, retro, Sari, sari history, vintage fashion, winterwear | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dilip Kumar & Madhubala & Tarana

Dilip Kumar is 92 today (11/Dec/2014). Watch Dilip and Madhubala being very adorable in Nain mile baawre and giving off some old-fashioned heat in Beiman Tore Nainwa in 1951’s Tarana. This was pretty much part of the soundtrack of my … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s, Actor, Indian Cinema, Old Bollywood, Vintage Music | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment