This is such a terrific, high-quality image of Halloween 1974. These little Gen Xers, dressed up like a clown and Raggedy Ann, would be around my age today. I love their face paintings! I love that backyard swingset! This is a 35mm slide image. Click here to another high-quality set of 35mm slide images from Halloween 1972.
photo via flickr by Chez Tac
It’s funny remembering all the costumes kids and parents came up with when they didn’t have one. The housewife was a good one. You’d put a scarf on your hair or wear a shift and slippers. The Housewives of Atlanta would not appreciate this today. I have no clue what black-with-orange Polkadot kid is trying to be. Any ideas?
photo via flickr by mr pig (location: somewhere in Sweden)
These Gen Xers are brothers. They lived in Sweden where they celebrate a version of Halloween around Easter. photo via flickr by mr pig (location: somewhere in Sweden)
More Pictures from Halloween 1974
photo via flickr by megan k hines
Let’s see, we have Pebbles, Indian Maiden, a set of dominoes, a couple of plastic-face mask costumes, another little cowboy, and a couple of pirates.
This photo brings back so many memories of the classroom. I loved school parties as a kid. In 3rd grade, my mom was my homeroom mother and made applesauce pumpkin cookies on a stick for all the kids. She frosted pumpkin faces on them. She also made pumpkin placemats. I love the Lucy costume on the front row and the two Raggedy Anns! What is the boy on the front row, far left?
photo via flickr by snap man
I got kind of sad when I discovered this picture because I realized that this young mom must be around 60 years old now. As I’ve researched Halloween pictures for this project, my mind keeps turning to the tenuous relationship between members of Generation X and their Baby Boomer parents. Much has been written about Gen X being the most neglected generation in modern history. But, looking at all these pictures of Xers in Halloween costumes, many of them taken with their parents, I can’t help but think that neglect was not intentional. I mean, look at this sweet Baby Boomer mom. She made her kids costumes. She’s even wearing a mask.
My parents are members of the Silent Generation who strongly identified with their time and place in the world. I think that’s one reason I never minded the term Generation X. It never bothered me. From day one, I thought it was the coolest name ever. I was just wired by my parents to find my place in history.
photo via flickr by birdsnflowers1219
I love this post! Now I want to find that picture from when I won the Haloween costume contest in grade school. I was a warewolfe and my mother actually glued fake hair directly to my face. It was cool! Not cool trying to take it off though.
My parents are also both of the Silent Generation and I too think the Gen X title is cool, which probably contributes to my more positive slant on our generation on mygenx.
I see you still don’t have a photo of my first Halloween treat-or-treating. I wore a grocery bag with two holes for eyes.
I liked these photos! Nothing better than the homemade costumes we used to wear!
I had never heard the term – the Silent Generation before – you got to love wikipedia! My parents are ’45 and ’47 – I think my dad (’45) still has some of the SG characteristics…
Great pictures. Really liked the costumes in the classrooms. Just think of the millions of devil worshippers that resulted from letting kids celebrate Halloween at school. Where did they all go?
I love these! My goodness – costumes have come a long way!
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