Life
Vintage Fall Family Photos That Prove We've *Always* Been Basic
Constance Bannister/Archive Photos/Getty Images
I know it's not a particularly controversial statement, but I'm going to say it anyway: autumn is the absolute best season. The shorter days are well worth the brilliant foliage, folksy traditions, and the magnificence of sweater weather. It really is the most perfect time of year, and we have the vintage fall family photos to prove that it always has been.
I live in New England, which is where autumn was invented back around 1693. (It's true.... don't Google it, though.) Fall is in my bones. My heart pumps not blood, but delicious apple cider. So I know of what I speak! And the fact is that for a long time now, humans have a propensity to be a bit Basic in the fall. How else does one explain that while fashions may have changed over the years (for better and for worse, depending on the decade), our beloved fall traditions don't seem to have budged at least since the advent of photography. We all love our orange/yellow/brown color palettes, our pumpkin spices, and putting on coordinated cozy sweaters to take pictures with our children .
From the 1930s to the 1990s (which, inexplicably, is now considered vintage somehow) families were out there picking pumpkins, serving fresh fall lewks, and embodying the spirit of season.
1. Wagon Full Of Gourds
"Decorative gourd season" is, clearly, a tradition going back to at least the 1950s.
2. Fall Frolicking
A mother and her child run along a leafy path in the 1940s. (Also, does it not look like some kind of chest harness attached to the child and the mom's reaching for the lead to it? I approve.)
3. Children Of The Corn
In the '50s, pumpkin picking was apparently a "put on a skirt and collared shirt" kind of event.
4. Good Old Fashioned, Unhygienic Fun
IDK what this is actually called but I call it "How To Get A Head Start On Cold And Flu Season."
5. Family Leaf Pile
A bow-tied dad and his sons enjoy a big pile of leaves, back before people worried about ticks.
6. Jack-O-Lantern Fun
Children showing off their jack-o-lanterns in the 1950s.
7. Autumn Yard Work
Kiddo lends dad a hand raking the leaves.
8. Sweater Weather
With the exception of the headband, that woman's entire outfit appears to be knitwear and I'm here for it.
9. Burning Leaves
While I don't advocate the return of burning great big piles of leaves with nary a fire extinguisher in sight, we should absolutely bring back patterned babushkas.
10. Sibling Love
Generally, the yellow lighting of pictures from the 1970s looks dated and off-putting, but it's really working here.
11. Autumn Picnic
My favorite thing about this picture is that everyone has the same haircut.
12. Hiking With Dad
Either Dad is overprepared with that massive backpack, or Son is woefully underprepared.
13. Storytime In The Park
If you can focus on anything other than this woman's haircut, well done, you're more mature than I am.
14. Strolling Through The Woods
How much do you want to bet the entire family could fit in mom's extremely wide, almost certainly polyester pants?
15. Jack-O-Lanterns With Dad
A father and his child carve a pumpkin, and I can not get over the comics from the newspaper there to catch the pumpkin mess.
16. "You've Sure Got Your Hands Full..."
"I get to carry your pumpkin for you? Thanks, sweetie."
17. Pausing By The Lake
Every child of the '90s had a version of that denim jacket.
18. Pumpkin Picking
Walking through a pumpkin patch in the '70s in the patchiest jumpers I've ever seen in my life.
19. Carving Pumpkins
This picture is from the 1930s, but imagine for a moment the pearl clutching that would take place if a mom today posted a picture of her toddler holding a knife...
20. Bobbing For Apples
I love dunking my face in spitty water full of nibbled apples.
21. A Very '50s Halloween
The real star of this picture, of course, is the flawless mid-century modern kitchen.
22. The Cutest Little Pumpkin You Ever Did See
Oh, you think this is a new thing that Pinterest moms came up with? Nah. This picture is from 1967.
