by The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through American History 1900 to the Present (pdf)
The decadence of the 1920s ended quickly after the stock market crash
in 1929. Parties and conspicuous consumption were replaced with frugality
and restraint. Families found themselves resourcefully stretching budgets to
make ends meet. Much of the nation was underfed and many were home-
less. Men’s self-esteem suffered when they found themselves out of work.
Despite the poverty of much of the nation, extravagant debutante balls
and weddings still occurred. Christmas became a commercialized holiday,
The 1900s
89
and families still found enough pocket change to go to the movies. The
1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid inspired many Americans to take
up sports such as skiing and ice skating. Swimming remained a wide-
spread pastime, but most Americans chose inexpensive pastimes such as
board games, puzzles, and listening to the radio.
The first half of the 1940s was dominated by WWII. For the adults
who did not serve in the war, daily life involved working in factories. Civil-
ians were responsible for conserving and contributing to the war effort as
much as they could. This usually involved salvaging, recycling, and planting
Victory Gardens.
Most socialization during the 1940s revolved around the war effort.
People went to USOs to dance and entertain the servicemen. Movies and
sing-alongs were popular group activities, and baseball was seen as the all-
American sport. Although many of the major league players were off fight-
ing overseas, African Americans and women held games for eager crowds.
After the war, Americans took advantage of the increased production
of commercial cars. Families took Sunday drives and road trips. National
parks across the United States were frequent destinations. By the close of
the decade, Americans no longer had to abide by train schedules; they
could get nearly anywhere they wanted in their cars.
T H E
1900S
At the turn of the century, the population was shifting away from rural
areas and into cities. The urban areas not only had the possibility for
work, they also had amenities such as telephones, electricity and indoor
plumbing. Even the most poor tenement housing had indoor plumbing,
although one bathroom might be shared by four or five families.
Daily life tended to be fairly consistent for each class. One day was
much like another, except for holidays and the rare special occasion. The
working class worked. Those that managed to find themselves in the
growing middle class worked as well, although the nature of their work
tended to be less grueling than that of the working class. Technology and
industrialization created jobs that needed education and skills that were
usually only available in urban areas. Increasingly, fewer farms could feed
more people. Industrialization was moving the country, and that meant
that the population was shifting to the urban areas.
For the first time in history, large numbers of people were improving
their economic status. It was truly possible for someone who was born dirt
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DAILY LIFE
poor to become a millionaire, but this generally meant that people had to
move to the city. Individuals and families had to work hard, but the poor
could join the middle class and those in the middle class worked to
become wealthy. The rich had somewhat more leisurely lives, but they,
too, had a rather rigid daily schedule. Class distinctions and rigorous rules
of etiquette governed every aspect of social life during the first decade of
the century.
Upper-class women were frequently objects for display. The implication
was that the less work they did, the more leisurely they seemed to be, the
more money their husbands and fathers made. Those families trying to join
the upper classes would work diligently to have their women appear as if they
had nothing to do, even if that was not true. Appearances were important.
Upper-class women were expected to have a variety of activities during the
day. Each activity meant a different outfit; a woman could not be seen at
afternoon tea wearing the same outfit she wore during a morning’s activity.
Fashion at the turn of the century meant clothes that were trouble-
some. A woman could not just ‘‘throw on a dress’’ and be ready to receive
guests or go shopping. There were corsets and garments that required the
attendance of at least one maid. The ‘‘S-bend’ corset, popular at the turn
of the century, forced a woman’s hips back and her bosom forward, pro-
ducing the popular ‘‘S’’ shape. The corset also created what was referred to
as the ‘ monobosom.’’ This corset required at least one maid to help lace
and tighten the corset until the wearer’s figure attained the appropriate
shape. Many physicians complained about this corset, saying that it did
more harm than good to a woman’s bones and internal organs, but weal-
thy women needed to look as if they did not need to worry about such
things. No country farm woman, or any of the working-class women,
could work in this corset. Also, they could not afford a maid to take care
of the corset or the rest of the clothes.
A maid was required to maintain the wardrobe for the lady of the
house. The maid was responsible for the cleaning, mending, ironing, and
general maintenance of a wealthy woman’s wardrobe. The maid would
also have to help the lady dress, because there was no way any one woman
could fasten, attach, and arrange the various garments that the ‘ well-
dressed woman’ of the early 1900s needed. Women may have found some
of the fashion dictates to be uncomfortable and confining, but that was
the point. The ideal in the 1900s envisioned women in a confined role;
they were not supposed to have anything better to do than be ladylike,
manage their households, and raise their children.
Middle- and upper-class women spent much of their day constantly
changing clothes. If a woman were to dress comfortably or be seen in the
The 1900s
91
same outfit twice in one day, she could bring scandal and ridicule onto
her family. At the beginning of the twentieth century, few women were
willing to do this. Subtle changes were occurring and dramatic events,
such as WWI, were on the horizon, so it was not long before this particu-
lar lifestyle would be gone forever.
During the last half of the nineteenth century, technology and indus-
try developed a series of inventions that would change the course of life
more rapidly than in any previous century. Most of these inventions
seemed to become established in the urban areas. Urban areas grew into
large cities, and the residents of those cities demanded the new inventions
and conveniences, such as electric light and indoor plumbing. These con-
veniences helped attract more people to urban areas, which tended to
increase the desire for new technology. One of those initially unassuming
inventions was the telephone.
The telephone was invented in 1876. Whereas its predecessor, the
telegraph, had begun to change how peopl
e communicated across great
distances, the telephone increased the speed of those changes. By the end
of 1909, the telephone was no longer a ‘ curiosity.’’ It was common in
urban areas and allowed news to travel quickly. The leisurely pace of life
began to speed up, and women were less accepting of the time it took to
wear the clothes that had been fashionable a mere decade earlier.
SOCIAL OCCASIONS
For the upper classes, ‘ social’ meant almost anything outside the house.
The rather rigid expectations of daily life that existed in the late 1800s
slid into the beginning of the 1900s. Each different activity occurred dur-
ing a specific time of day, and each required a specific outfit.
The early mornings were usually spent in delegating the day’s activ-
ities. Generally, the men were at work, so the women would be home and
a relatively comfortable, but fashionable, dress could be worn. The after-
noon hours were spent visiting others. Many of these visits were not sim-
ply friendly social calls but calls women made to other women in an
attempt to get on a particular guest list for an upcoming activity. The vis-
its were strictly set for fifteen minutes each, after which another guest
could be expected. These were very formal visits and required a formal
outfit designed for that specific kind of occasion.
At about 5:00 in the afternoon, women could make friendlier visits
that did not require as formal an outfit as the earlier visits. If a woman
was invited ‘‘to tea,’’ then the woman would have to wear something more
formal than if she was simply visiting a good friend. The women would
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DAILY LIFE
Advertising 1900 1910. In the first dec-
page, and the whole look of the ad was
ades of the century, most companies
intended to give the impression of
turned their advertising over to adver-
integrity, quality, and prestige. Multi-
tising agencies. Providing a wide range
ple-plate printing allowed for colorful,
of services, including planning, research,
pictorial-style ads.
ad creation, and the implementation of
This period became the golden age
campaigns, agencies modernized prod-
of trademarked advertising. Agencies
uct advertising. They became focused
developed memorable characters such as
on how well the advertising worked.
the Morton Salt Girl, the Campbell’s
They created basic customer surveys and
Kids, Buster Brown, Planter’s Mr. Pea-
compared how the same ad performed
nut, and Cracker Jack’s Sailor Jack.
in various publications.
Copywriters developed carefully worded
Women became principal targets for
slogans such as Maxwell House’s ‘‘Good
advertisers because women were the pri-
to the last drop,’’ Greyhound Bus’s
mary purchasers of the family’s con-
‘‘Leave the driving to us,’’ and Morton
sumer goods. Food, soap, and cosmetics
Salt’s ‘ When it rains, it pours.’’
advertisements had strong appeals to
During this era, there was an em-
women. They were usually written in an
phasis on health and cleanliness, and
editorial style with claims about the
advertisers focused on these themes. In
product and a coupon or sample. Crisco
1906, the U.S. government passed the
vegetable shortening, Maxwell House
Pure Food and Drugs Act, which
coffee, Ivory soap, and Cutex nail polish
required a listing of ingredients on all
were all advertised in this way.
foods
and
medicines.
Advertisers
A new form of advertising called
included health claims in the copy for
atmospheric advertising emerged during
many products, including Dixie cups
these decades. It created a desirable
and Scott Tissue. Some of the copy
atmosphere around the product through
was sensational with its frank explana-
large stylized images and text that
tion of the health horrors that might
stopped the reader from turning the
befall someone who chose another
page. There were fewer words on the
product.
then leave to return home and change clothes for dinner. If a couple were
going out for the evening, yet another change of clothes was required.
Miscellaneous activities such as walking the dog might require yet another
change of clothes. Women were to be seen, and they needed to be seen in
different outfits. Even on vacation, an upper-class woman could not be
seen in the same outfit twice during a week.
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93
Evening activities usually revolved
around one’s social circle or the arts.
Dinner parties and balls were carefully
arranged. Invitees had to be of a cer-
tain social standing, and great effort
was placed on inviting excellent con-
versationalists and graceful dancers.
Bachelor men with good conversation
skills were seen as a valuable commod-
ity and were often invited to parties as
a fill-in for someone who could not
make it or to entertain spinster aunts.
Theater productions, symphonies, and
operas were other popular evening
activities.
HEALTH AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES
Leisure activities were rare for the ru-
ral population and the urban poor.
Men would work during the day, and,
in the evening, they might join a few
An example of the
friends and go to a local tavern and socialize over a mug of beer. Women
popular S-bend cor-
set. [Library of
would work in the fields or at their jobs during the day, then do house-
Congress]
work or take care of their children in the evening. Urban women who
worked as domestics, especially in the north, would live in the homes of
their employers. Those who were able to go home on weekends or at the
end of the day still had to care for their own families. Live-in domestic
help were always on-call and rarely got any leisure time at all, which
accounted for the high turnover rate.
For the majority of people at the beginning of the 1900s, health was
precarious at best, especially for those living in urban areas. If they did
not get caught in some kind of dangerous activity or a dangerous occupa-
tion, they were susceptible to whatever illnesses might come their way.
Medical science was still in its infancy, and there were few physicians,
most of whom were in the cities. Rural areas relied on the traditions that
their families and communities used for generations.
The growth of urban centers had exploded, and the infrastructure and
engineering had not kept up. Most city dwellers did not have access to
clean water, which led to epidemics, including cholera and yellow fever.
For example, in the beginning
of the century, many New Yorkers still
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DAILY LIFE
relied on pit toilets and outhouses (Marshall 2006, 28). Like New York,
most cities worked valiantly to overcome their sewage problems and saw
much progress in the early years of the new century. Chicago was able to
overcome decades of disease with the opening of its Sanitary and Ship
Canal in 1900. By cleaning up the water and sewer systems, most cities
saw their disease rates plummet.
Diet and exercise were almost unknown in the sense that people use
the terms today. Most of the working class got enough exercise from their
jobs. Those in the upper classes did not see the need for exercise. A slen-
der figure might mean that an individual had to work for a living. People
who had money could afford more food and they had more leisure time.
Having a few extra pounds actually was an attractive feature in some
circles because that could indicate that people had lots of leisure time.
Adult women, especially rich adult women, were not to be seen sweating.
These women would have servants doing any heavy work.
As the middle class and the Progressive party grew more popular, peo-
ple became more conscious of health issues. Slowly, the country learned
and accepted that an individual’s health would suffer if he or she worked
long hours in filthy or hazardous surroundings. Labor unions developed,
and they fought for better working conditions for their members. A better
financial situation for many families allowed them to have more leisure
time. Many young people found that sports were an enjoyable way to spend
leisure time.
For the first time ever, women started to publicly enjoy sports as
much as men did, and they participated in some of the same sports
men enjoyed. The bicycle became exceptionally popular in the late
1800s, and its popularity continued to grow in the new century. It was
acceptable for men and women to ride bicycles and women did, in large
numbers. The bicycle allowed a woman to travel freely, without a man
to help her. The younger women began to go places and do things by
themselves. Many people feared that the bicycle would destroy the fam-
ily structure because women could go places on their own. They also
feared what men and women would do if they were unchaperoned.
Although it did not destroy the family as much as some feared, it did
eventually cause designers to consider clothing that would be more
