Professor Hamilton's Diary: Dec. 30, 1935

He works on his thesis; Margaret goes shopping in the Big Apple

A favorite saying from the 1990s was, “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.” Apparently it was true in 1935 tooy, if you had money. Professor Hamilton had his nose to the grindstone in Bronxville again, typing his revised thesis, and with babysitters on hand at her parents’ house, Margaret went to New York “and did some shopping.”

Everyone loves the after-Christmas sales. Using New York newspapers, I’ve found some fabulous bargains that might have caught Margaret’s eye. Paid subscribers can read on.

It’s a great time to upgrade to paid, and talk about a bargain — just 16 cents a day to read someone else’s diary!

This 1937 postcard, offered on eBay, shows the Macy’s Department Store in the foreground and the Empire State Building in the background. The store’s motto at the time, “It’s Smart To Be Thrifty,” is part of the signage on the building.