Sepia Saturday: Poodle Parlour
I have a pretty hefty collection of photos I took in and around Oklahoma City from the 1970s and 1980s that I've been trying to pull together. This one, oddly, has always fascinated me. It's such an amazing sign. And I greatly appreciate that it's a parlour not a parlor. I remember this place from my childhood and know that it was there well into the 1980s but am fairly certain it is long gone. I don't get to Oklahoma very often, but I know there were a number of curious attractions like this one that made an impression on me during my impressionable years. For some reason, poodles have been coming up a lot lately in my life.
posted by Ladrón de Basura (a.k.a. Junk Thief) @ 9:14 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
I never realised 'Poodle Parlours 'actually existed.i always assumed it was a figure of speech rather than an actual place!
I dont know about The States, but here in UK you dont see that many poodles these days (compared with the 60's when they seemed to be in their pomp).
Great photo.The smoking sign in the background seems to add to it for some reason.Maybe its just that smoking-signs are as rare as poodle-signs these days!
Classic!
There's still a restaurant (admittedly a bit of a "greasy spoon") in Tacoma WA called The Poodle Dog that I remember from the early 60s when our family would take roadtrips. My dad went there exclusively because of the name, i'm sure. What is it with poodles, anyway?!
Tony - The same was true of poodles in the States as well -- very popular in the late 1950s to mid-1960s and now not as common. They were sort of seen as a "sophisticated" dog and then were seen as being silly.
sEAN bENTLEY - Yes, I've been asking "What is it about poodles" recently as well and have done a couple of other posts this month. I've never had one and was sort of ambivalent about them. I've known nice ones, but I prefer the larger ones.
Love the photo. Weren't poodles considered a gay stereotype at one point, as in only women or a homosexual man would own one? In my experience, they're some of the smartest dogs around.
sfmike - I think they were considered a gay stereotype. At the beginning of Boys in the Band, one of the characters is seen prancing down a Manhattan street walking them. Of course, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas had two poodles, Basket and Basket II. They are smart dogs and respond well to training.
What a sign! I always felt sorry for poodles done up with their odd hair-dos--balls of fluff left in odd places....
that sure made me smile!! my first lover had a poodle...circa 1975!!
:)~
HUGZ
Nancy - I agree that poodles suffered through weird haircuts. I prefer them groomed but a bit more natural looking.
TICKLEBEAR - We started around the same time, I guess, and not with poodles.
I wonder what went on there? And if it's the same as the Poofbunny Pinup Parlour?
*shudder*
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