They were the years that brought us stylish black-and-white saddle shoes and the then-scandalous sounds and gyrations of Elvis Presley. But it was also the era of a polio epidemic, McCarthyism and one of America's most forgotten wars.
Jason Rearick / The Citizen
In the 1950s women were rarely caught without a fashionable hat.
In the 1950s women were rarely caught without a fashionable hat.
The 1950s was a tumultuous decade of high highs and low lows, and now the Cayuga Museum
of History and Art in Auburn is exhibiting photos, pieces of pop culture and textual displays that museum curator Carrie Barrett hopes will show the numerous ways
in which events that happened
then have affected what's going on today.
“Those Fabulous Fifties” will be on display Friday through Sunday, June 18, at the museum.
Despite the nostalgic view many hold of the decade - of a quaint time of sock hops and malt shops - Barrett learned through her research that things were much more complex.
“It's not as static or idyllic as
a lot of people imagine it to be,”
Barrett said. “You really have a lot of innovation during this time period.”
It was often a time of political unrest, she continued, noting part of the museum's exhibit focuses on Joseph McCarthy's witch hunt to rid America of communism.
Communism was also the star of the Korean War, fought from 1950 to 1953.
The exhibit includes photos and several pieces of memorabilia donated by local veterans of this war, which Barrett said has been forgotten or ignored by many Americans.
“We are entrenched in school with World War I and World War II and Vietnam” and the Gulf War,
Barrett said. “I can't ever re-
member anytime in my education really learning about the Korean War.”
The polio epidemic threatened Americans' lives in a different way, with more than 57,000 citizens contracting this life-threatening and paralyzing illness in 1952. The museum highlights this anxious period with photos from the March of Dimes and text explaining Jonas Salk's 1955 vaccine.
Yet though there were some very real physical threats in the 1950s, putting together an exhibit about America 50 years ago wasn't all serious work.
After all, who wouldn't want to play with a Slinky or Tiny Tears baby doll?
In addition to their research, Barrett and Eileen McHugh, the executive director of the museum, have been compiling photos from the museum's collection and looking for artifact loans from the community.
One woman, Laurel Auchampaugh, of Auburn, loaned the museum about 30 items of '50s-style clothing, including bobby socks, a quilted skirt and pillbox hat.
“I've always loved not only history but the clothing and everything that went with it,” said Auchampaugh, who has a personal collection of clothing, hats and pocketbooks from the 1860s onward that she often loans out to schools for plays and other events.
Barrett, who views the clothing displays as one of the most fun portions of the exhibit, has also helped to compile narratives that explain the conventions of dress at the time, including glove etiquette and a look at teenage fashion.
Baby boomers will feel as if they're in a time warp when they hear the sounds of Presley, Bobby Darin and Peggy Lee playing in the background. There will also be a montage of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson.
And for those who grew up in the area, the exhibit features a display devoted to the Auburn school district of the 1950s, which then had three public high schools and a number of private ones.
Barrett hopes the show opens up the possibility of putting together exhibits of other decades as well, but for now, she's focused on the '50s. She plans to attend the opening reception in full '50s costume: saddle shoes, a poofy white skirt, rabbit sweater and pearls.
“I'm going to come in costume, so watch out,” Barrett said with a laugh. “Hopefully, I'll look the part.”
If you go
What: “Those Fabulous Fifties”
When: Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, June 18 (museum closed Mondays)
Where: Cayuga Museum of History and Art, 203 Genesee St., Auburn
Cost: Donations accepted
For more information: Call 253-8051
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
of History and Art in Auburn is exhibiting photos, pieces of pop culture and textual displays that museum curator Carrie Barrett hopes will show the numerous ways
in which events that happened
then have affected what's going on today.
“Those Fabulous Fifties” will be on display Friday through Sunday, June 18, at the museum.
Despite the nostalgic view many hold of the decade - of a quaint time of sock hops and malt shops - Barrett learned through her research that things were much more complex.
“It's not as static or idyllic as
a lot of people imagine it to be,”
Barrett said. “You really have a lot of innovation during this time period.”
It was often a time of political unrest, she continued, noting part of the museum's exhibit focuses on Joseph McCarthy's witch hunt to rid America of communism.
Communism was also the star of the Korean War, fought from 1950 to 1953.
The exhibit includes photos and several pieces of memorabilia donated by local veterans of this war, which Barrett said has been forgotten or ignored by many Americans.
“We are entrenched in school with World War I and World War II and Vietnam” and the Gulf War,
Barrett said. “I can't ever re-
member anytime in my education really learning about the Korean War.”
The polio epidemic threatened Americans' lives in a different way, with more than 57,000 citizens contracting this life-threatening and paralyzing illness in 1952. The museum highlights this anxious period with photos from the March of Dimes and text explaining Jonas Salk's 1955 vaccine.
Yet though there were some very real physical threats in the 1950s, putting together an exhibit about America 50 years ago wasn't all serious work.
After all, who wouldn't want to play with a Slinky or Tiny Tears baby doll?
In addition to their research, Barrett and Eileen McHugh, the executive director of the museum, have been compiling photos from the museum's collection and looking for artifact loans from the community.
One woman, Laurel Auchampaugh, of Auburn, loaned the museum about 30 items of '50s-style clothing, including bobby socks, a quilted skirt and pillbox hat.
“I've always loved not only history but the clothing and everything that went with it,” said Auchampaugh, who has a personal collection of clothing, hats and pocketbooks from the 1860s onward that she often loans out to schools for plays and other events.
Barrett, who views the clothing displays as one of the most fun portions of the exhibit, has also helped to compile narratives that explain the conventions of dress at the time, including glove etiquette and a look at teenage fashion.
Baby boomers will feel as if they're in a time warp when they hear the sounds of Presley, Bobby Darin and Peggy Lee playing in the background. There will also be a montage of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson.
And for those who grew up in the area, the exhibit features a display devoted to the Auburn school district of the 1950s, which then had three public high schools and a number of private ones.
Barrett hopes the show opens up the possibility of putting together exhibits of other decades as well, but for now, she's focused on the '50s. She plans to attend the opening reception in full '50s costume: saddle shoes, a poofy white skirt, rabbit sweater and pearls.
“I'm going to come in costume, so watch out,” Barrett said with a laugh. “Hopefully, I'll look the part.”
If you go
What: “Those Fabulous Fifties”
When: Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, June 18 (museum closed Mondays)
Where: Cayuga Museum of History and Art, 203 Genesee St., Auburn
Cost: Donations accepted
For more information: Call 253-8051
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
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