VOCAB TIDBIT:
My title today is not a misspelling of "Nostalgia: Summer 1959". Nostalgie (derived from French) is how the Germans say nostalgia; Sommer is summer. Both the words Sommer and Nostalgie are "cognates" to their English forms. To be cognate means to be from a similar or same background, from the same source, related.
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As for the nostalgic nature of the pictures here, let me introduce my mother (probably age 14) with her mother (my Oma- above) and her father (my Opa - below). The date ca. 1959 is penciled on the back of these black-and-white photos.
These pictures reflect summer in Germany in the dress (the swirly skirts of the 1950s and early 60s) and the garden my family is standing in. My Opa might be in his short pants; however, I rarely saw him wear a t-shirt or just his undershirt (unless he was mowing grass or working). He was always distinguished and somewhat formal - and handsome! I remember my Oma telling me how in the 1950s, after the hard years of the war (WWII) and then the rebuilding of their lives in a Frankfurt that was destroyed, the comparatively prosperous 1950s with more money, more access to food and indulgent items, made her plump (rundlich in German, literally "round-ish")! Which makes me laugh, because as you can see, my Oma was by no means chubby. She was a tall, long-waisted woman who carried herself upright and lean. And I love my mother's outfit in these pictures: breezy and summery and well put together.
As in America of the 1950s, times were a little more carefree in Germany as well ... despite the frugality practiced by those who had experienced war. The "Greatest Generation" was raising their children with more than they themselves had in many cases. It seemed like an idealistic time - lovely fashions: girls in full skirts, men who still wore hats and fedoras; children who were taught good manners; fun music; and clean, entertaining movies.
The photo below from a German fashion catalog in the Spring of 1959 translates to say:
"These fashions make us pretty again."
Of course, culture was progressing and things like rock-and-roll music were becoming main stream. From 1958 to 1960, Elvis Presley lived in Germany, where he was stationed with the US Army. He was already fairly famous, as a 23 year old, and very recognized everywhere he went in Germany. He was stationed in Friedberg, lived in Bad Nauheim, and was occasionally spotted (according to my mom and Oma) walking along the Zeil (a German shopping street in Frankfurt).
Elvis apparently did not embrace the German cuisine; he surrounded himself with his family and a few close friends (despite dating German Fräuleins!) and ate the Southern fare his grandmother cooked for him every day instead of venturing out for meals. He was said to be generous with giving autographs and greeting eager fans however. He also met Priscilla while in Germany; her father was an Air Force officer -and she was only 14 years old (although "mature for her age", according to Elvis....); they didn't marry until about 8 years later. There is an interesting article about this time in Germany on the blog The German Way & More if you are interested in the exact dates and details.
Life was good ... or at least better ... in Germany in the 1950s - at least on the West side (East Germany is an entirely different story). Here is a picture taken in West Berlin in the 50s, which to me is the essence of a carefree, summer day:
Technology was continuing to make things easier; people had access to modern conveniences; they were able to travel (as evidenced by the posters below from the 1950s) and relax a little after the war years and their consequences ... It just seems like the Summer of 1959 in West Germany would have been a very enjoyable time!
