“Listerine will kill 200,000,000 germs in fifteen seconds. Smoke these cigarettes and avoid colds.”
~Tampa Tribune- November 8, 1930
With the harnessing of electricity & the implementation of mass production came consumerism. Wages were higher, even for the unskilled who could be taught to perform one function repetitively on an assembly line. Goods could be produced more rapidly & more cheaply than ever before. And then came credit on the installment plan so you could buy, buy, buy & pay tomorrow.
Keeping all this flowing was advertising. With the inventions of the printing press, moving pictures & radio, large audiences could be reached, promoting the latest products with the latest flimflam. The inhabitants of our bungalows were deluged by advertising messages.
Here are some amusing videos which show various examples of the ad men pitch, way back when Madison Avenue was exploding in the 1920’s.
THE BEGINNING OF ADVERTISING
Advertising in the 1920’s (2:21)
Don Frasier
Getting a piece of your disposable income.
History Brief: Mass Production and Advertising in the 1920s (4:36)
Reading Through History
The birth of the middle class.
A silent commercial, made by Edison for the business cylinder phonograph. It’s way too long! I can only assume that the novelty of the new medium of film kept people’s attention. Of course, they were trapped in a movie theater with no clicker. It is cute, clearly demonstrating the advertising of the time.
RARE Edison Advertising record or cylinder (Len Spencer c. 1906) Edison Gold Moulded Record (2:15)
Tim Gracyk
How could you resist?
For some cool print adds depicting the beginning of advertising, visit my Pinterest page!
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A $14 billion dollar a year industry, the history of Valentine’s Day is both sweet & rather scary. It has long been a wonderful holiday for me. I can remember the Valentines that we shared in grade school, the sweet, beaming 50’s children & the corny rhymes.
My mother & I collected historic Valentine’s Day cards from the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s. The box of them from when I cleared her apartment remains on the top shelf of my closet, unopened after 5 years.
But, I still love love & I still love Valentine’s Day, though its origins are a bit unsavory, so I thought I’d share some entertaining information, a fun love song from the 1920’s, a darling Victorian craft project & show you some cards that were so insulting that they were immediately destroyed!
LET’S ENJOY SOME HISTORIC VALENTINE’S DAY CARDS!
Someday You’ll Say ‘O.K!.-Arthur Fields Assassinators (3:47)
Bigband Lou
A charming 20’s song by a determined suitor.
History of the Holidays: History of Valentines Day (3:17)
History
Some interesting & slightly horrifying history!
DIY: Victorian Puzzle Purses (9:39)
Your Juliet
I had to include this delightful how-to for a person at any skill level. Victorian Puzzle Purses were designed to fascinate & engage with their intricate construction & hidden compartments. Unfortunately, you do not see a finished piece until you are well into the construction so you might want to slide ahead to see what
A brief history of (charming and mean) Valentine’s cards
Victoria & Albert Museum (16:08)
I love this museum & find everything that they produce to be illuminating & charming. Their sampling of historic Valentine’s Day cards is exception!
Sending Love: Valentine Greetings 1900-1910 (1:15:22)
Ridgewood Public Library
A more in-depth look at the holiday with some beautiful historic valentine’s day cards examples. The intro is way too long. I encourage you to scan to 3:30 to get started. The video ends with a sampling of “Vinegar Valentines,” very rare because the recipients usually destroyed them!
Still haven’t had enough love? Visit my Pinterest page to see more examples of historic Valentine’s Day cards.
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I have included 2 sets of videos on beauty & fashion in the early 1900’s because each presenter tells the stories in her own unique manner. Although I was somehow born (in 1949) having great familiarity with what people wore in the 1910’s through the 30’s, I was quite entertained by both of these women & consider myself to be more educated for having watched their videos.
Let me warn you that after watching these videos, you will have much less tolerance for Hollywood’s rendition of these periods. I find it terribly distracting to watch films in which the fashion & beauty are shown so inaccurately.
When the film, The Music Man was released in 1962, I was annoyed by their inaccurate portrayal of life in 1912. After years of studying family photos it made me very uncomfortable. I was 13 years old but I knew a bad fake when I saw one! Years later & further submersion in all things historic have not made me any more forgiving! C’mon Hollywood. You can do better!
LET’S LEARN ABOUT BEAUTY & FASHION IN THE EARLY 1900’s
THE ULTIMATE FASHION HISTORY: The 1910’s (18:9)
The Ultimate Fashion History
The teens, my favorite design period! The 1920’s video will play automatically at the end of this one, & the 30’s will follow.
After the 3 ULTIMATES play, another set of 3, beginning with Fashion History:1900-1920 (14:28) by the second presenter, Zoe Hong will follow. These 3 take a more teacherly look at fashion history. The videos in the same set, about the next 2 decades will play automatically.
1910s Makeup – Makeup of the Century (1:10)
Look Like Studios
A demonstration of how the woman of the teen’s put their faces on. Once again, the 20’s & the 30’s follow.
How Women of the 1910s-30s Waved Their Hair (10:38)
The LongHairedFlapper
The devices & methods used over the course of 30 years.
My mother (born in 1919) & I had great times watching Turner Classics, Antiques Roadshow & driving through historic neighborhoods. She marcelled my hair when I was 5 & drew Clara Bow lips with red lipstick on my little mouth. What fun we would have had watching these videos (See the complete Menu here.) about beauty & fashion in the early 1900’s! Miss you, Mama.
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“The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not.”
~Susan B. Anthony, leader in the United states Women’s Suffrage Movent
My mama raised me right. Even lacking such a great resource as videos of the Woman’s Suffrage Moment, she taught me about our struggle for the right to vote when I was very small. Well before I went to school, Susan B. Anthony, champion of temperance, abolition, labor rights & equal pay for equal work was a familiar hero to me & even as a child, I was impassioned by her work.
When I get my time machine, I’m going to whiz back to 1910 & introduce myself to Grace Hare, the chatelaine of the Hare House which she generously shared with me almost 100 years later. I am so interested to know her opinions on so many issues of the day, but most importantly, women’s suffrage. She & her sisters were active in their local Women’s Club, raising funds to build the clubhouse, & these groups were very influential in the Movement. But, what were her own, personal thoughts on the matter?
LET’S WATCH THESE INSPIRING VIDEOS ON THE WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE MOVENT
The 19th Amendment (4:48)
History
A brief overview of our fight for the right to vote.
100 Years of Women’s Voting Rights | Citizen: Full-Length Documentary (56:46)
Twin Cities PBS
A wonderful video on the Women’s Suffrage Movement, the struggle to gain “The most fundamental right you can have in a democracy.”
How bicycles boosted the women’s rights movement (4:09)
Vox
Susan B.Anthony said so!
The historic women’s suffrage march on Washington – Michelle Mehrtens (4:54)
TED-ED
March 3, 1913-the first mass protest for a woman’s right to vote.
Mamas, teach your daughters! These videos on the women’s suffrage movement tell the story simply & clearly. Another inspiring video is THE WOMEN OF THE ARTS & CRAFTS MOVEMENT, all of whom were dedicated suffragettes.
Architecture is one of the most important reflections of happenings, places & cultures of the world now, the world 100 years ago, the world 1,000 years ago. Our built environment broadcasts the news of all aspects of our culture- the technology, the natural & the created resources, the geography, the popular aesthetic & even the customs of the period.
Our country was built using the local, natural resources. As the railroads spread across the continent, the possibilities expanded & cities boomed. Factories were erected that drew workers from the farms & even other countries. Conversely, wars slowed building, robbing materials & workers to send to the battlefield & in other countries, conflicts destroyed whole cities. Economic downturns stopped progress & contributed to cities’ decay.
As my physical therapist says, “The everything is connected to the everything,” thus, to fully understand architecture, we must have some knowledge of history, both the history of guns & treaties & what I like to call “grits & garters” history, more akin to cultural anthropology.
In this section, we look at the world events of the period in which most of our homes were constructed.
LET’S REVIEW THE EVENTS OF THE WORLD 100 YEARS AGO
The Early 20th Century in America – 1910 – 1919 – Reel I
16mm Educational Films
America during the teens. You will be taken instantly to Reel 2 at the end of this film.
What was life like in 1920’s America?
J. Merrick
The Roaring Twenties- America becomes a consumer society.
American History: Focus on the 1930’s – Reel 1 (24:24)
16mm Educational Films
The Jazz Age is over & the New Deal begins. Reel 2 plays automatically at the end of part 1.
History Brief: The Rise of the Automobile
Reading Through History
There is no history of America that is complete without the story of the automobile & our national highway system.
Understanding the happenings of the world 100 years ago. can give you insight to the features of your bungalow & better connect you with its original owners. If you should want to know more about them, click here to learn how to research your home’s history.
“History has remembered the kings & warriors, because they destroyed; art has remembered the people, because they created.”
~William Morris
In school we all learn about the leaders & the soldiers who have profoundly affected world & national events. Art is taught as a subject of its own, an “elective,” a less that necessary part of education. The students who study it are seen as a group separate from the mainstream.
Yet the arts & popular culture, & especially cinema, are a reflection of the world in which we all live- the science kids, the artsy-fartsy kids, the ones with special needs. Under the same sun, ruled by the same leaders & tossed about by the same storms, the art of popular culture reflects humanity’s stories-both the grim & the joyous. The effects of the popular culture of the early 1900’s was notably profound because the harnessing of electricity opened up a worldwide audience.
Art, being viewed by the many, has acted as an agent of change, both elevating & degrading our culture. It has influenced & defined popular opinion & has even been employed as a medium for propaganda, altering not just our culture, but the actual course of history.
LET’S LOOK AT THE POPULAR CULTURE OF THE EARLY 1900’s
Top 30 Greatest Songs 1910-1919 (13:44)
Nathaniel Jordon
As a young girl, I sang these songs of her own childhood with my mother who was born in 1919. What a great mom she was for her little singer/dancer/actor/poet daughter!
Top 30 Greatest Songs 1920-1929 (13:22)
Nathaniel Jordon
I know the words to all of these too!
The Top 10 Films of the 1910s (12:17)
One Too Many
The early years of Cinema.
Top 10 Movies of the 1920s (9:51)
WatchMojo.com
From silence to speech.
Dances of the Ragtime Era 1910-1920
Dancetime Publication (7:21)
Movements that follow the bouncy, syncopated beat of ragtime. And then there was the sensuous tango!
The Propaganda Film – How Cinema Can Change The World (6:20)
Jack’s Movies Reviews
A reality that can be manipulated & shown to thousands of people.
LISTERINE CIGARETTES
A $14 billion dollar a year industry, the history of Valentine’s Day is both sweet & rather scary. It has long been a wonderful holiday for me. I can remember the Valentines that we shared in grade school, the sweet, beaming 50’s children & the corny rhymes.
I have included 2 sets of videos on beauty & fashion in the early 1900’s because each presenter tells the stories in her own unique manner. Although I was somehow born (in 1949) having great familiarity with what people wore in the 1910’s through the 30’s, I was quite entertained by both of these women & consider myself to be more educated for having watched their videos.
“The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not.”
Architecture is one of the most important reflections of happenings, places & cultures of the world now, the world 100 years ago, the world 1,000 years ago. Our built environment broadcasts the news of all aspects of our culture- the technology, the natural & the created resources, the geography, the popular aesthetic & even the customs of the period.
“History has remembered the kings & warriors, because they destroyed; art has remembered the people, because they created.”