Women at Work 100 Years Ago
Poring over images from the New York Public Library digital collections today, I came across these great costume designs by Will R. Barnes. They were labeled “Women at Work: ‘Doing Our Bit’.” I… Continue reading
Category Archive: Historic Clothing
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Greek Costume Dolls
As the downsizing continues at my mother-in-law’s house, I am bringing home boxes and boxes of photo albums and souvenirs to sort through. Not only did I find these five souvenir dolls from… Continue reading
Punch Looks at Photographers
Since we have been looking at old cabinet cards in the last two posts, I thought it would be a good time to look at some illustrations of photographers from the 1862 Punch… Continue reading
If I Lived 130 Years Ago
My mental image of myself would be something like this: Or this: Or at the very least this: I would admire women dressed to the nines like this: But in reality, I would… Continue reading
August in the Archives
I live in Texas, and even though I usually spend a lot of time outdoors, in August, the heat gets to even me. So I set aside this month to stay indoors and… Continue reading
Greek Costume Stamps
In 2007, I got to go to Athens (the real one in Greece — we have one in Texas too but it’s not quite as famous) on very short notice. Usually when I… Continue reading
Creativity Triumphs – Theatre de la Mode
In the closing days of WWII in France, couturiers in Paris created an exhibit which would both “show the continuing vitality of the fashion industries” and raise money for war relief. After the… Continue reading
97 Years Ago Today
The original caption is “Women Rivet Heaters and Passers On, Ship Construction Work. Navy Yard, Pugent Sound, Washington.” Taken May 29, 1919. Most of them are wearing proper boots with heels, but a… Continue reading
Design Advice from the Dress Doctors
I cannot adequately express how much I love this book — The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish. Author Linda Przybyszewski tells the story of the early 20th… Continue reading
We May Be in Better Shape Than We Thought
If you bemoan your fitness level, you might be interested in the results of this fitness test from 1889: In order to ascertain the influence of tight clothing upon the action of the… Continue reading