20 of the Most Joyful Christmas Photos of All Time

The holiday season is all about tidings of joy: a crackle in the fireplace, the twinkle of lights, perhaps one too many glasses of eggnog. And no matter the gravity of the stories in the news, LIFE captured that joy year in and year out. Most frequently, that process involved photographing some combination of children and Santa Claus, whether they tugged on his cotton-white beard or gaped in disbelief at some long-coveted doll. Here, as this year’s Christmas rolls around, are LIFE’s most joyful images of Christmases past.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Children talking to Santa Claus, 1946.

Christmas 1946

Children talking to Santa Claus, 1946. (Frank Scherschel / The LIFE Picture Collection)

A young girl talking to Santa Claus on the telephone, 1947.

Christmas 1947

A young girl talking to Santa Claus on the telephone, 1947. (Martha Holmes / The LIFE Picture Collection)

"Santa and Mrs. Claus" answering telephone calls in their workshop at F. A. O. Schwartz, 1947.

Christmas 1947

“Santa and Mrs. Claus” answering telephone calls in their workshop at F. A. O. Schwartz, 1947. (Martha Holmes / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Santa Claus with a young girl, 1948.

Christmas 1948

Santa Claus with a young girl, 1948. (Martha Holmes / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Santa Claus Convention and training course at Waldorf Astoria, 1948.

Christmas 1948

Santa Claus Convention and training course at Waldorf Astoria, 1948. (Martha Holmes / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Man showing Christmas decorations to children, 1948.

Christmas 1948

Man showing Christmas decorations to children, 1948. (Hank Walker / The LIFE Images Collection)

Tana Centero sitting in front of a Christmas tree, Vermont, 1951.

Christmas 1951

Tana Centero sitting in front of a Christmas tree, Vermont, 1951. (Esther Bubley / The LIFE Images Collection)

A family celebrating Christmas, 1953.

Christmas 1953

A family celebrates Christmas, 1953. (Robert W. Kelley / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Baby tasting a piece of metallic tinsel dangling from a Christmas tree, 1954.

Christmas 1954

Baby tasting a piece of metallic tinsel dangling from a Christmas tree, 1954. (Verner Reed / The LIFE Images Collection)

A little girl looking at doll through a window at Christmas time, 1955.

Christmas 1955

A little girl looking at doll through a window at Christmas time, 1955. (Ralph Morse / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Mrs. George Sutton and her family decorating their Christmas tree at home, 1956.

Christmas 1956

Mrs. George Sutton and her family decorating their Christmas tree at home, 1956. (Ralph Crane / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Preparations for Christmas pageant at Bryn Mawr Community Church, 1956.

Christmas 1956

Preparations for Christmas pageant at Bryn Mawr Community Church, 1956. (Francis Miller / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Scene from the "Trail to Christmas" adaptation of Charles Dicken's "Christmas Carol," 1957.

Christmas 1957

Scene from the “Trail to Christmas” adaptation of Charles Dicken’s “Christmas Carol,” 1957. (Allan Grant / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Children's Christmas play, 1958.

Christmas 1958

Children’s Christmas play, 1958. (Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Young Santa Claus in a Christmas program at Elizabeth Morrow School, 1958.

Christmas 1958

Young Santa Claus in a Christmas program at Elizabeth Morrow School, 1958. (Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Ken Berends and Bill Burslem practice a soft-shoe with faculty member Joy Merkel in Santa Claus training class at Santa Claus School, 1961.

Christmas 1961

Ken Berends and Bill Burslem practice a soft-shoe with faculty member Joy Merkel in Santa Claus training class at Santa Claus School, 1961. (Alfred Eisenstaedt / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Tina Smith decorating a Christmas tree at Guantanamo Naval Base, where her dad, Lt. Commander Joe Smith is stationed, 1962.

Christmas 1962

Tina Smith decorating a Christmas tree at Guantanamo Naval Base, where her dad, Lt. Commander Joe Smith is stationed, 1962. (John Dominis / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Little girl giving Santa Claus a kiss, 1962.

Christmas 1962

Little girl giving Santa Claus a kiss, 1962. (Donald Uhrbrock / The LIFE Images Collection)

Young child visiting Santa Claus at a department store, 1970.

Christmas 1970

Young child visiting Santa Claus at a department store, 1970. (Ralph Morse / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Raymond and Susie McFarland looking raptly at their new Airedale puppy, who's leaning towards them out of Christmas gift box, 1972.

Christmas 1972

Raymond and Susie McFarland looking raptly at their new Airedale puppy, who’s leaning towards them out of Christmas gift box, 1972. (Ralph Crane / The LIFE Picture Collection)

Frank Sinatra’s Life in Photos

LIFE’s coverage of Frank Sinatra over the course of his illustrious career was, to put it mildly, ample. But of all the magazine’s photo essays and reviews and bits of gossip, perhaps nothing captured his hold over the American public young women, in particular better than letters sent to the editors in response to an article that deigned to compare Sinatra to one of his contemporaries, the actor Van Johnson:

Sirs:
Don’t you think it quite ridiculous to compare a redheaded, freckle-faced, flabby monstrosity like Van Johnson to a fascinating, slim, brown-haired, blue-eyed, gorgeous hunk of heaven like our Frank Sinatra?
NORMA BERKOWITZ
MAUREEN HIGHES
Medford, Mass.

When Norma and Maureen wrote this letter to LIFE in 1944—sandwiched, as it was, between others that expressed the same sentiment—Sinatra was just shy of 30 and two years into the budding phenomenon of “Sinatramania.” Not only was he monstrously popular, but he was proving there to be a profitable market for popular music targeted to a budding new group called teen-agers. The singer, born on Dec. 12, 1915, in Hoboken, N.J., had already developed as recordings continue to prove nearly two decades after his death at 82 one of the most recognizable voices in history. It was, after all, why they called him “The Voice.”

It was also why, between the early 1940s and the early 1970s when LIFE ceased to be a weekly publication, the magazine dispatched a cadre of photographers—Peter Stackpole, Gjon Mili, Allan Grant, Bill Eppridge, John Dominis and Michael Rougier to name a few—to bring a piece of Ol” Blue Eyes into its readers’ homes week after week. Here, in celebration of Sinatra’s centennial, are their most memorable portraits of the unforgettable singer.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

25 year old Frank Sinatra poised at mike, singing As Time Goes By at Riobamba nightclub, 1943.

Twenty-five-year-old Frank Sinatra sang “As Time Goes By” at the Riobamba nightclub, 1943.

Herbert Gehr The LIFE Images Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra with wife Nancy and 3 yr-old daughter Nancy Jr.at home, 1943.

Frank Sinatra with wife Nancy and 3 yr-old daughter Nancy Jr. at home, 1943.

Herbert Gehr The LIFE Images Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra singing Close to You in CBS radio broadcasting studio as his admirer Rita Stearns, the winner of the Why I Like Frank Sinatra contest, looks on, in the audience, 1944.

Frank Sinatra sang “Close to You” in the CBS radio broadcasting studio as his admirer Rita Stearns, the winner of the “Why I Like Frank Sinatra” contest, looked on, 1944.

Herbert Gehr The LIFE Images Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra mixed drinks at the bar in his home, Palm Springs, California, 1965.

John Dominis/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra singing "Five Minutes More," 1946.

Frank Sinatra sang “Five Minutes More,” 1946.

Peter Stackpole The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Ethel Merman and Frank Sinatra singing duet Your the Top in preliminary rehearsal for Anything Goes presented on TV show The Colgate Comedy Hour, 1954.

Ethel Merman and Frank Sinatra sang the duet “You’re the Top” in a preliminary rehearsal for “Anything Goes,” presented on “The Colgate Comedy Hour,” 1954.

John Swope The LIFE Images Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed (R) holding Oscars while posing w. presenter, actress Mercedes McCambridge, for Best Supporting Actors in the movie "From Here to Eternity" at the 26th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony, 1954.

Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed (right) held the Oscars they received for Best Supporting Actors in the movie “From Here to Eternity” while posing presenter and actress Mercedes McCambridge, 1954.

George Silk The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, 1958.

Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, 1958.

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Director Frank Sinatra during filming of movie None But The Brave, 1964.

Director Frank Sinatra during filming of movie “None But The Brave,” 1964.

Don Cravens The LIFE Images Collection/Shutterstock

Nancy Sinatra with father, Frank Sinatra, during producing and directing of movie "None But The Brave," 1964.

Nancy Sinatra with father, Frank Sinatra, during producing and directing of movie “None But The Brave,” 1964.

Don Cravens The LIFE Images Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra with girlfriend Mia Farrow on deck of yacht Southern Breeze, 1965.

Frank Sinatra with girlfriend Mia Farrow on the deck of the yacht Southern Breeze, 1965.

Bill Eppridge The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra 1965.

Frank Sinatra, 1965.

John Dominis The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra giving musicians of the Count Basie Band direction at a rehearsal in an LA sound stage. Count Basie is playing on the piano, 1965.

Frank Sinatra gave the musicians of the Count Basie Band direction at a rehearsal in an LA sound stage. Count Basie was playing on the piano, 1965.

John Dominis The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra relaxing with pet dog Ringo at home, 1965.

Frank Sinatra relaxed with his dog Ringo at home, 1965.

John Dominis The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. talking with singer Frank Sinatra at his farewell peformance, at UCLA, 1971.

Sammy Davis Jr. talked with singer Frank Sinatra at a performance, at UCLA, 1971.

Michael Rougier The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Frank Sinatra waves at the camera during a rehearsal for a MPTRF benefit, 1971.

Frank Sinatra waved at the camera during a rehearsal for a benefit concert, 1971.

Michael Rougier The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr.: Behind the Scenes with Mr. Show Business

When LIFE editor Thomas Thompson reviewed Sammy Davis Jr.’s 1965 autobiography Yes I Can, he noted an unfortunate parallel between the story the book contained and the story of its release unto the world:

It seems appropriate that the week Sammy Davis’s autobiography Yes I Can was published, its author collapsed from nervous exhaustion and the New York newspaper strike prevented two prestigious Sunday reviews of his book from being published. Such bad breaks seem to follow the natural order of Sammy’s life. They are almost an unwritten final chapter in this remarkable book.

Davis’ life was, indeed, marked by many hardships. At 28, he nearly lost his life to a car crash that left him with one eye. His remarkable success as a singer, dancer and star of screen and stage did not shield him from the pain of racism, both subtle and overt. (He was once turned away from an Upper East Side supper club as the band inside played the theme song from his Broadway musical Mr. Wonderful.) On the other hand, he felt rejected by many in the black community who criticized him for what they perceived as his ingratiating himself with whites, including his second wife, the Swedish actress May Britt. Davis and Britt, who married in 1960, divorced in 1968.

Nevertheless, the spirit LIFE photographer Leonard McCombe captured when he spent time with Davis and Britt in 1964 was one of exuberant charisma—the charisma that earned Davis, who died in 1990, the nickname “Mr. Show Business.”

Sammy Davis Jr. with his wife May Britt and their children, 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr. with his wife May Britt and their children, 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Tracy demands a piggy-back ride from her father. Sammy's Rolls-Royce is parked at the curb. This is one of his four cars among them a Mustang and a Cadillac with bar, TV, stereo and two telephones.

Tracy demanded a piggy-back ride from her father, with his Rolls-Royce is parked at the curb. This was one of his four cars—among them a Mustang and a Cadillac with bar, TV, stereo and two telephones.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. with his son Mark and wife May Britt, 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr. with his son Mark and wife May Britt, 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. with wife May Britt, 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr. with wife May Britt, 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. with wife May Britt, 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr. with wife May Britt, 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. with his 4-year-old adopted son Mark.

Sammy Davis Jr. with his 4-year-old son Mark.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr., 1964

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. eats spaghetti in his dressing room during "Golden Boy", while watching "The Huntley-Brinkley Report " ("My only contact with reality," he tells LIFE. "Whatever I'm doing, I stop to watch these guys"). Reflected in the mirror: LIFE photographer Leonard McCombe.

Sammy Davis Jr. ate spaghetti in his dressing room while watching `The Huntley-Brinkley Report ” (“My only contact with reality,’ he told LIFE. ‘Whatever I’m doing, I stop to watch these guys’). Reflected in the mirror: LIFE photographer Leonard McCombe.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. tries to grab some shut-eye on a hotel room floor during the tour to preview Golden Boy.

Sammy Davis Jr. tried to grab some shut-eye on a hotel room floor during the tour to preview “Golden Boy.”

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr., 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr., 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr. onstage in 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr. plays the drums, 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr. plays the trumpet, 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr., 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. 1964.

Sammy Davis Jr. with his wife (left) and Julie Andrews (right), 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. with Richard Burton,1964.

Sammy Davis Jr. with Richard Burton, 1964.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. clowns backstage during Golden Boy's run on Broadway.

Sammy Davis Jr. clowned backstage during Golden Boy’s run on Broadway.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

In a New York pub, Sammy applauds as Richard Burton kisses May, Elizabeth beams.

In a New York pub, Sammy applauded as Richard Burton kissed May, while Elizabeth Taylor beamed.

Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Sammy Davis Jr. laughs over dinner with his then-wife, Swedish actress May Britt.

Sammy Davis Jr. laughed over dinner with his wife, Swedish actress May Britt.

Leonard McCombe/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

How Black Friday Looked Before It Was Called Black Friday

Black Friday wasn’t yet called Black Friday in 1948, nor do the newspapers from that era offer evidence of the long lines and raucous stampedes that have become typical on the day after Thanksgiving. Still, the kick-off to the holiday shopping season has long been a red-letter retail day. Images of preparations for that 1948 season at Macy’s—then, at one million square feet, the biggest store in the world—bespeak a highly orchestrated operation relying upon 14,000 employees to ready 400,000 items to be swept off of shelves by 250,000 eager shoppers.

Planning entailed both logistical and motivational efforts. At a giant pep rally, the morale of staff members was lifted by a harmonious rendition of “Jingle Bells.” Telephone operators prepared to respond to as many as six questions per minute. Plainclothes employee detectives trained to spot shoplifters from among the hordes. And clerks readied themselves to handle fluid pricing on that year’s hottest items from striped pajamas to “simulated” pearls to Macy’s house-brand Scotch which fluctuated as many as five times per day as reports of competitors” pricing came in.

When all was said and done, when the bargains had been scored and the pajama sets sold, all that was left behind was one million square feet of a giant, heaping mess.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

Jane Pickens leads 9,000 Macy’s employees in “Jingle Bells” during a giant rally designed to whip up the fever of salesmanship for the 1948 Christmas rush.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

Eager customers stand outside the doors of Macy’s, 1948.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

Holiday shoppers line the sidewalk outside of Macy’s, 1948.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

Macy’s shoppers wait to be allowed on the floor, 1948.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

00697808.JPG

The bulletin board lists price changes that made as a result of comparison shopping. Macy’s got around fixed prices by producing their own brands and fixing their own prices.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

Shoppers clamoring for coveted items.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

00697798.JPG

This was how many pearls [salesgirl] Janet [Steurer] would sell in one day.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

A customer examines a string of pearls, 1948.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

Santa Clauses at Macy’s, 1948.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macys

Young salesman William Komlos (Yale ’48) was a member of the 60-man executive training squad.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

The sales floor at Macy’s.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

Women trying on furs in the Macy’s dressing room

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

00697805.JPG

Comparison shoppers would buy items in competing stores and then bring in merchandise priced under Macy’s. Macy’s would then lower its prices to undersell the competition.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

A child with her doll at the crowded Macy’s world heardquarters.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

00697813.JPG

Macy’s store hospital treated 65,000 patients a year. This was a typical Monday morning lineup of people having their temperatures taken. The lineup was longer after big sale days.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's caters to customers during the biggest holiday shopping season, 1948.

A pageant being performed for the store’s thousands of employees before the holiday rush, 1948.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

Macy's department store employee cleaning up piles of debris after the Christmas shopping rush, 1948.

The mess in the wake of a major sale day, 1948.

Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection

LIFE’s Fashion Covers of the 1940s

Two events define 1940s fashion more than any others. The first was the beginning of World War II, in 1939. The second was its end, six years and one day later. American trends in the decade can be distinctly divided into those influenced by the changes brought by war—in particular the rationing of materials and the increase in women’s participation in the workforce—and those inspired by the freedom of post-war peace.

By the end of 1942, materials like wool and nylon had joined sugar and coffee on the growing list of rationed goods. Leather shoes would follow suit the next year, and Americans were strongly urged to donate scrap metal to the war effort. As a result, the silhouettes de rigueur at the beginning of the decade were essentially frozen in time, and fashion entered a no-frills period. (Quite literally ruffles were among a list of details, including extra buttons and pockets, eliminated during times of austerity.)

As a growing number of women entered the workforce to fill posts vacated by men at war, the popularity of pants skyrocketed—in part because factory work required the range of motion afforded by trousers, in part because nylon had been diverted from the manufacturing of stockings to the creation of parachutes. Many women sported tailored suits with squared shoulders and narrow waists, sometimes repurposing the suits that languished in their husbands” closets. And simple styles ruled the day as European fashions ceased to be available stateside.

But the tide shifted following the war—not all at once, but gradually, as Paris resumed its place as the headquarters of couture and Christian Dior’s “New Look” reintroduced more traditionally feminine styles. Utility gave way to softness as square shoulders were rounded and slim skirts became fuller. And the late “40s introduced a newly defined segment of the population, and with it a whole new style icon: the teenager.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

March 4, 1940 issue.

George Karger LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

April 22, 1940 issue.

Peter Stackpole LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

May 13, 1940 issue.

Alfred Eisenstaedt LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

October 21, 1940 issue.

Gjon Mili LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

January 13, 1941 issue

George Karger LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

March 24, 1941 issue

Herbert Gehr LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

April 7, 1941 issue.

Gjon Mili LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

May 19, 1941 issue.

Herbert Gehr LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

April 20, 1942 issue.

Nina Leen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

May 11, 1942 issue.

Nina Leen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

July 20, 1942 issue.

Walter Sanders LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

August 24, 1942 issue.

Nina Leen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

October 5, 1942 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

November 16, 1942 issue.

Walter Sanders LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

March 1, 1943 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

May 3, 1943 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

September 13, 1943 issue.

Nina Leen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

October 11, 1943 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

November 15, 1943 issue.

Walter Sanders LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

December 6, 1943 issue.

Walter Sanders LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

May 8, 1944 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

July 17, 1944 issue.

Nina Leen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

August 28, 1944 issue.

Zoltan S. Farkas LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

October 9, 1944 issue.

George Karger LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

January 8, 1945 issue.

Nina Leen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

February 19, 1945 issue.

Alfred Eisenstaedt LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

July 9, 1945 issue.

Ewing Krainin LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

October 15, 1945 issue.

Alfred Eisenstaedt LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

November 19, 1945 issue.

Nina Leen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

December 10, 1945 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

January 14, 1946 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

April 15, 1946 issue.

Ralph Crane LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

June 17, 1946 issue.

Lisa Larsen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

October 14, 1946 issue.

Ralph Crane LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

November 18, 1946 issue.

Loomis Dean LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

January 13, 1947 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

March 31, 1947 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

May 5, 1947 issue.

Andre De Dienes LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

June 23, 1947 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

September 22, 1947 issue.

Nina Leen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

January 12, 1948 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

March 29, 1948 issue.

Sharland LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

June 7, 1948 issue.

Lisa Larsen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

October 18, 1948 issue.

Gordon Parks LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

November 29, 1948 issue.

Nina Leen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

January 17, 1949 issue.

Leonard McCombe LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

April 25, 1949 issue.

Gordon Parks LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

June 6, 1949 issue.

Lisa Larsen LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

August 29, 1949 issue.

Philippe Halsman LIFE Magazine

1940s LIFE Fashion Cover

November 14, 1949 issue.

Arnold Newman LIFE Magazine

The Sweet and Sour of National Pickle Week

America has its share of holidays that don’t quite rise to the level of, say, Thanksgiving, and National Pickle Week would be among them. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had on such occasions. For instance: during the inaugural Pickle Week celebration in 1949, a Mr. Dill Pickle— a fortuitously named resident of Mississippi—went floating in a giant vat of pickles.

In what may be the most alliterative article ever published in LIFE magazine—”Packers preach their product’s perfection with a peck of publicity,” reads the deck below the headline—an image of Mr. Pickle appears above a description of the activities organized by the National Pickle Packer’s Association:

They invented liquor-flavored pickles, crowned a Pickle Queen amid flaming pickles in a Chicago nightclub, and proclaimed as their Man of the Year Mr. Dill Lamar Pickle of Rolling Fork, Miss., who obligingly posed in a vat of pickles.

As you can see from the photos, the Three Stooges even joined in on the merriment.

From a business standpoint, the week was a success: Pickle sales increased by 22%. From a floating-in-a-vat-of-brined-cucumbers perspective: also a major win.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Mr. Dill Pickle of Mississippi reclines happily in a rubber boat amid 204,681 soggy pickles.

Mr. Dill Pickle (that’s his name) of Mississippi reclined happily in a rubber boat amid 204,681 soggy pickles.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

National Pickle Week, 1949.

A giant pickle adorned the front of a car for National Pickle Week, 1949.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

National Pickle Week, 1949.

Men took a break after stacking barrels of pickles for National Pickle Week, 1949.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Man showing off pickles for National Pickle Week, 1949.

A man delivered a presentation on pickles during National Pickle Week, 1949.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

National Pickle Week, 1949.

Drinking out of a pickle, National Pickle Week, 1949.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

National Pickle Week, 1949.

A woman put finishing touches on a gigantic pickle, National Pickle Week, 1949.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

National Pickle Week, 1949. With the Three Stooges.

The Pickle Queen posed with the Three Stooges during National Pickle Week, 1949.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

National Pickle Week, 1949.

The Pickle Queen, National Pickle Week, 1949.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Models showing off pickles for National Pickle Week, 1949.

Models showed off pickles for National Pickle Week, 1949.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

National Pickle Week, 1949.

Group shot with Pickle Queen, the Three Stooges and others during National Pickle Week, 1949.

Francis Miller The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

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