Cute Throwback Pics Of Frank & Nancy Sinatra As Young Parents With Their Kids

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

A skinny Italian kid from Hoboken who made good, Frank Sinatra used his voice and his charisma to become one of the most iconic crooners of all time. However, like most artists, Sinatra didn't become a star overnight. Before becoming the famed "Chairman of the Board," he first had to endure some hard times. Sinatra's career started in 1935 when he joined The Hoboken Four, but it was in 1934 when his life took its first real turn. That was the year Sinatra met Nancy Rose Barbato on the Jersey Shore. As the legend goes, Barbato was working on her nails when Sinatra walked up and gave her a private concert with his ukulele. The two would marry five years later, and in 1940, Nancy gave birth to their first child, Nancy Sandra Sinatra. The Sinatra family was truly underway.

Frank Sinatra Jr. came along in 1944 in the midst of "Sinatramania" The couple's third child, Christina "Tina" Sinatra, came along in 1948, but her father's career was on a downslide. His films, "The Miracle of the Bells" and "The Kissing Bandit" were both critical and commercial flops. Adding to his problems, people had come to suspect that Sinatra was a little too amiable with gangsters, damaging his family-friendly reputation. In 1949, Sinatra started an affair with Ava Gardner, and in 1951, he left Nancy for the actor. Nonetheless, in the years between, the Sinatras painted a picture of the perfect American family.

This 1944 photo captures Frank Sinatra tickling the ivories as his wife, Nancy, and their daughter, Nancy Jr., join in. The family looks happy, all smiles and bright eyes, and the family had good reason to be.

Sinatra's star had risen since joining the Tommy Dorsey band in 1940, and in 1942, he signed a solo deal with Columbia Records, putting the entire spotlight on him for the first time. While a musicians' strike at the time meant that Old Blue Eyes couldn't produce new records, he could still perform live, and he made his debut on "Your Hit Parade" in 1943. Whether his daughter was allowed to stay up and listen is a mystery.

With his silky smooth voice, Frank Sinatra was always great to listen to, whether he was singing or talking. As such, Nancy Sinatra Jr. got the extra special treat of having her dad read stories to her. Here, Sinatra is seen relaying the classic fairy tale "Merry Mother Goose" to his daughter, who is enjoying a sandwich her mother likely made for her.

Speaking of mom, Nancy Sr. looks over her husband and daughter in the picture, holding more children's stories just in case little Nancy demands another tale. Who knows what kind of hijinks "Penny the Pup" got up to!

Even a famous musician has to go into the office. Here, Frank Sinatra is giving his daughter, Nancy Sinatra Jr., a big kiss as he gets ready to board a train. In the picture, mother and daughter wear matching ribbons in their hair, and little Nancy's tiny coat is the cutest thing around. 

While Frank and Nancy give all their attention to their daughter, she seems more interested in the cameras. Or maybe she's already dreaming of the day she'll have her own singing career that will usher in, among other things, a footwear craze. 

In this picture, after what was presumably a day filled with crooning and making young girls swoon, Frank Sinatra returned home to his wife and daughter, and, from the looks of it, couldn't have been happier. It's impossible not to notice how happy Sinatra looks as he plants a big kiss on his daughter's cheek. 

Meanwhile, a pregnant Nancy Sinatra looks on with a big smile, happy to have her husband home. This photo is from 1944, taken days before Nancy gave birth to Frank Jr., who was born January 10 of that year.

Ever the trendy family, the Sinatras went out and spent an evening at what was once New York's hottest hot spot, the Stork Club. The family dressed up for the occasion, with both wife Nancy Sinatra and little Nancy Jr. wearing fancy hats while Frank and Frank Jr. clearly spent a lot of time styling their hair.

In the picture, it seems that everyone is waiting for Frank Jr. to make up his mind on what he wants for dinner. In front of him is a plate with three pats of butter, and nearby, blocked only by an ashtray, is a basket of yummy rolls, but a boy can't survive on bread and butter alone! 

While Frank Sinatra never learned to read music, it looks like he made sure his children did. Here, Frank sits with little Nancy and Frank Jr. as they look over the sheet music and play the piano together. Looking at Sinatra's face, it seems pretty obvious that he has no clue what he is looking at himself.

While there's no evidence one way or the other, from this photo, it looks like mama Nancy Sinatra may not be as musically inclined as the rest of the family. Nancy preferred privacy over the fame the rest of her clan would pursue.

In 1946, the year this photo is from, Frank Sinatra released his debut solo album, "The Voice of Frank Sinatra." The album would reach #1 on Billboard's "Best-Selling Popular Record Albums" chart. At the same time, Sinatra was constantly performing, in addition to having his own radio show, "Songs by Sinatra," and stints on Broadway. 

All this work kept the singer away from home, but when he did show up, he made sure to do so with presents. Nancy Jr. and Frank Jr. eagerly take their gifts in this picture, but remember to give papa a kiss on the cheek while Nancy Sinatra looks on.

Frank and Nancy Sinatra's third child, Christina "Tina" Sinatra, entered the picture (literally) in 1946, and it looks like Old Blue Eyes lost his spot on the couch when she showed up. That's where the Sinatra family gathered to take this lovely photo.

While Frank and Nancy look like the tired but happy parents of three younglings, it's hard to ignore the faces of little Nancy and Frank Jr. The two older children seem a little worried that the arrival of Tina may mess with the good thing they have going on. Will the presents have to be split three ways now?

This photo shows the Sinatra family all together and looking happy in 1950. While the family is full of smiles in the pic, the reality was very different, and things were coming to an end. 

By this time, Frank Sinatra had already started one of Old Hollywood's most scandalous affairs, and by 1951, he would leave Nancy Sinatra and marry Ava Gardner. Frank and Nancy remained close, though, and according to Gay Talese, writer of the iconic Sinatra profile "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" for Esquire, the Chairman of the Board was always welcome in his ex-wife's home, even if he just needed a couch to crash on.