The United States in the 1950s experienced marked economic growth – with an increase in manufacturing and home construction amongst a post–World War II economic expansion. The 1950s in the United States are generally considered both socially conservative and highly materialistic in nature. The 1950s are noted in United States history as a time of compliance, conformity and also, to a lesser extent, of rebellion.
The 1960s were one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history, marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, political assassinations and the emerging “generation gap.”
These fascinating Kodachrome slides were found by Bousquairol’s Gallery that show what life of the United States looked like in the 1950s and 1960s.
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| A beauty contest at Jantzen Beach, Portland, Oregon, circa 1950s |
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| Barefoot selfie, circa 1950s |
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| Baseball match, circa 1950s |
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| Boy on a red Triumph motorcycle, circa 1950s |
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| Harold’s club in Reno, Nevada, circa 1950s |
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| Motorway tollbooth, circa 1950s |
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| Pepsi-Cola, circa 1950s |
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| Sunbathing, circa 1950s |
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| Tennis woman, circa 1950s |
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| The attendant, circa 1950s |
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| L. Wetzel airport dedication, Curtis Municipal Airport, Nebraska, 9th September, 1951 |
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| A beautiful brunette, 1952 rodeo queen, Nebraska |
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| A Nash Ambassador car in Curtis, Nebraska, 1952 |
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| Four young guys in a green 1952 Chevrolet in Hawaii, circa 1952 |
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| Grocery store in Rosamond, California, July 1952 |
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| A man washing his white Pontiac Catalina car in Florida, 1953 |
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| Crazy Horse statue in the Black Hills area, Hill City, Dakota, August 1953 |
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| Surfcomber Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida, 1953 |
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| Three Nash Ambassador cars, Nebraska, August 1953 |
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| Lynda with a yellow dress, her friend and a dog, July 1954 |
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| E79 Street/Madison Avenue, New York, circa 1955 |
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| Pinup girl, circa 1955 |
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| Two women and a men at their trailer, 1958 |
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| A big trailer in San Francisco, California, June 1959 |
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| Boys in a Burger King restaurant, circa 1960s |
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| Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado, circa 1960s |
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| Hotel Sacaton, Casa Grande, Arizona (Former Greyhound bus terminal in the later years), circa 1960s |
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| Speed Limit 35, Lincoln, Nebraska, circa 1960 |
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| A car in front of the National Headquarters, The American Legion in Indianapolis, Indiana, August 1962 |
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| Lincoln street scenes, Nebraska, October 1962 |
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| Denver, Colorado, 1963 |
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| Larimer street, Denver, Colorado, 1963 |
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| Larimer street, Denver, Colorado, 1963 |
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| Red Oldsmobile Dynamic 88, December 1963 |
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| Son and father cleaning the window, November 1963 |
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| Standard Gas Station, Lincoln, Nebraska, January 1964 |
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| A man waiting the “Alcatraz Island Day Tour”, February 1965 |
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| Airstream in front of Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, 1965 |
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| British racing green Austin Healey 3000, June 1965 |
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| Buick Wildcat coupe in Minnesota, April 1965 |
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| Grand Central Parkway (near Exit 9E), New York, June 1965 |
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| Hyde Street, San Francisco, California, February 1965 |
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| Sacramento Street, San Francisco, California, February 1965 |
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| San Francisco California 1 Shoreline Highway, February 1965 |
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| Along road at Saguaro Park, Arizona, June 14, 1967 |
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| Old Absinthe House Bar, 400 Bourbon street, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 1968 |
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| Two cars along a street in New Orleans area, Louisiana, August 1968 |
