And the designing the mare PR campaign, which was found by museum curator and Women's Wear Daily editor, more sturdy and Crawford. Each can't blame yoke upon the last and through close study of their ideology is gold and aesthetics. We can see that the so-called positive american style is intricately woven into the politics and culture of the era in which it was boring. And that even today, these ideas are really still an intrinsic part of American style and American fashion. Before I proceed, I would like to take a moment to recognize that the land for where I'm speaking today, the University of Delaware was and continues to be home to the NAD to code and let me know and I'll be people in order to understand what American fashion for American women was and why it's important. I'm going to give you a little bit of background today on the American fashion industry itself and the Progressive Era. Then I'll kind of talk about American fashion for American women. At the end of the presentation, we'll explore some of the resistance to this campaign, which is a area of research I'm still very much in the process of completing, but it's, it's quite exciting. So why did the American fashion very American women campaign, which from now on I will refer to as APA. And the subsequent dress campaigns emerge during this period. The Progressive Era, which roughly spans from 990s, 1920s, was a period in the United States. That's how widespread social and political action, as well as reform. In many ways. I like to think of this as the era of the problem in period. But whichever formularies are constantly referring to a plethora of problems that they need to fix. It's the industrialization problem, the urban problem, the immigrant problem, the women, and even the dress problem, just to name a few. And by problematizing these different areas in many ways, it was highlighting their ability and their desire to then fix them. Whether or not those fixes were in the best interests of the people they were attempting to aid as a whole nother question. But the Progressive Era is often defined by people like Theodore Roosevelt. Web Du Bois is Jane Addams, Upton Sinclair and I had a typo. It's an era of labor reform. The push rear prohibition and women's suffrage, health and sanitation, as well as transparency and food and drug preparation. It was spearheaded primarily by white American boy and middle-class men and women, many of whom were part of a newly college educated class or a new class of white collar professionals. And we really present emphasis on the importance of expertise, professionalism, and scientific management. The latter being a way to adjust what Clough and make it more economic inefficient. I'm really these three things, expertise, professionalism and scientific management. We're always at the heart of progressive era reformers, both and political actions. And that was spearheaded primarily by these white middle-class individuals. That's not to say that there weren't incredibly important people of color who are also progressive reformers. I actually just talk about a couple before and we'll get to them at the, at the end of this presentation as well. But the progressive era was a time where the country was traveling with an identity braces. It's bookended by the Spanish American and European American wires at the beginning. And Rob Roy want it ends. And the nation at this time is really grappling with its role on a global stage. They're asking if America is going to rural Maine and isolationists or become an empire. And for a lot of people, this was not just political or economic question, but it was one of morals and values and an actual eye, an actual idea of who the nation was and who its citizenry was, and thus, what decision would be made that represented those people. Furthermore, with industrialization in the United States as well as international conflict, immigrations are high records, so on with the rise of Jim Crow, many African Americans were also beginning to move north. Middle-class white citizens fear not only for their place in society, but the laws of what they deem to be this and identity and prevent this wasn't just about a white identity, but specifically an Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning they were tracing their lineage to Germanic, Western Germanic Europe. And ideally even within this group, these true Americans for this, this middle white middle-class should treat, be able to trace their lineage back to the 17th and 18th century colonies in what would become the United States. So this is the political and cultural while in which APHA emerged. Fashion at the turn of the 20th century is particularly interesting. First off, it's mostly when we talk about passion, we're pretty much talking about women's fashion as time. That's not to mean that men's clothing was an important are changing. But fashion as a system as a whole was more concerned with changes within a women's dress. Clothing was still being made by dressmakers or in the home. And the finest clothing that was being made by elite shops in Europe since the 17th century, France had finally how the ground is the arbiter of fashion for both Europeans and Americans. Not only did elite americans belt will proceed a purchase their departments, or have them imported. Almost all styles that were popular at various levels in the United States stem from Parisian designs. Department stores, dressmakers, and pattern companies all have copied what we thought to be designs inspired by French fashions. So in many ways, at this time, people working within the fashion system in the United States actually didn't consider it to be an American fashion system. In many ways, they felt they were part of a larger x intention of this French system. However, as women became more and more active in the workplace and your colleges and began playing sports. A two piece ensemble that was comprised of a shirt waste or what we would call blouse and a skirt became the standard daily outfit for women and particularly young women. And with this, a relatively new manner, making women's fashion is emerging, it was called, but he'd aware already an intrinsic part of men's clothing, ready to wear, which relied on industrial production and requiring standardized sizing, soon became a staple of American women's wardrobes. And because of this industrial production and standardization with this came its simplicity. And so here, this gives us one brief example. We're looking at two garments here, both are high and the one on the left is from the 18, late 18 eighties. And it's made by an English for them that you may have heard of Liberty imposed on every day. And you can see that it's highly detailed, right? It's large, it's folded, it takes up space. There is no real straight line here. Let me look over to this piece on the right. And this isn't even being dress from the early teens. Reservoir is a very famous French arbitrary, a house. And even though this is a piece that's being made by hand in the most elite methods. It still is starting to evoke that simple line that's being split, starting to emerge in ready-to-wear and then really moving forward. And this piece in particular now, the Met was made for an American woman. So you can see that even the French are struggling to tailor their designs to better fit American tastes. Similarly here you see two. Dp says a, both are walking suits or something that you would wear out and about doing your daily activities. And again, with the one on the right, which is actually an American designer, but we don't know who made it. You can see that it has a flow to it. One can move and it's lighter. It's it features these simplified lines and the ornamentation itself is also relatively simple, just having some adjoined lace. The APA campaign really embrace this emerging simplified aesthetic when, when it launched in fall of 190 name. Or they said it was helmed by Edward Bach, the editor released from jail. Bach was a Dutch immigrants and progressive reformer. A strong advocate for Anglo-Saxon is I'm and affirm it nationalist in many ways. He was also across a labor leader and his own rights, as well as a politician or perhaps a lobbyist, is the best way to put it. And by 1909 when he introduced this American fashion for American women campaign, he had already found extreme success in this attempt to create a unique American home. So back here, pictured on the left is putting together a series of articles journal these contemporary architect designed middle-class homes. Some of which you can see here. They were usually in the Colonial Revival arts and crafts style is they incorporated progressive health reform ideas like sleeping Portuguese, sanitary tiles and plumbing Windows designed for maximum airfoil and even scientifically configured efficient kitchens. And what was interesting about these in particular is that a lot of upside is beautiful photos and blueprints. What are the actual dimensions and blueprints on materials that could be purchased to create these spaces. And not only was it the goods to make the house itself, but you would even purchase the interior design selections that you can see in the hall. And these became so popular that Theodore Roosevelt writing of the series that quote, Bach is the only man I ever have been changed for the better the architecture of an entire nation. I need it so quickly and yet. So especially that where he didn't he didn't know it was begun before it was finished and quit. So finding extreme success, what these homes opportunities focus to women's fashion? The creation of this ideal American home that he had focused on was really centered on health reform and efficiency and creating an environment that would produce the best citizens. This domestic space that was designed to create ideal citizens. In other words, this is what homo Economists termed use an x. However, from the star, the APHA campaign was really cemented on ideologies of racial difference, nationalism and eugenic theory, and less on health reform. Here you can see a little splash screen or various coverages that are and some interesting pages that are taking place and being printed during this push for American fashion, very American women with a very top left image being the original cover for the very first American fashion for American women issue. A great deal by idioms and APHA connect the desire to create a distinctly American style, to believe physiological and moral differences between true Americans and pretty much everyone else. Calling February how to French fashions. In 1912, Bach argued that the French were not Anglo-Saxons but about are part of lot more races. And therefore, quote, could not understand or know the needs of an angry person or their body. Organs that are in, that affect the French as part of the Latin race might seem odd to us today, Bach was actually drawing on 18th century conceptions of Latin versus Germanic Europe. Traumatic being the hall and Anglo-Saxons. And Latin Europe being comprised of Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, and Romania. So alpha position to women's fashions as a material manifestation of national identity. They were linked to the true America in a woman's body, which in their mind also then have the capability of producing true American citizens. Again, this fed into the fear that's white middle-class Americans were losing their grip and losing their power. Bi. So this is kind of where the fashion components and women's bodies are less margin to one. And this desire to create groups or categorize as very much in line with progressive reformers, constructions of nationhood and disagree. The progressive era has been seen as a turning away from individualism and the success of the Gilded Age. And instead, Progressives wanted to use scientific management and theories to come to great, rather as a group and create a community or a nation great, a citizenry that was grounded in their political and cultural ideals. And of course, this is, was flawed as the definition of American citizenship was defined very narrowly by these people to say the least. One of the ways that American, that the APA can be in shade this narrative was through their heavy mocking what they saw as the French, french penchant for leisure. The American territorial designs, which APHA believed were epitomized by couture, a Paul Gray and in particular has designed the hobbles for Moscow as both beloved and mocked throughout America and the African being demonized, the foreign fashion as freakish and un-Christian. Miscreant was a variation of the typical tubular style ranking times. And I'm like that this more regular skirt shape that would really roll straight down from the hips the, and narrowed and at the whalers involves the sleeper range from something that was barely visible to a hymn that was cut so close that it would limit their stride. Hence the name hobble. Many satirical caricatures of women in these gowns circulated and companies even how Hubble's heart races for their female employees as an activity that was both challenging and humorous due to the skirts restrictions. On the screen on the right, you can actually see a hobble skirt race women for my, my personal collection. That's from a pharmaceutical company in the early teens in the US. Members of the APA campaign felt that the hobbled skirt epitomized the symptom of the French intentionally taking advantage of American women with absurd styles. And that it was a direct example of the lack of knowledge and a lack of needs and fit for the American women. So in this slide here, you can see two versions of French hobble straight dresses. On the left is an actual Hadassah that's in the collection of the mat and you can see how severe how severely tapered it is at the bottom. And again, this isn't always the case. Some of them were one worldwide and lab for most natural steps. Next you, it is really lovely fashion plate that also is emphasizing is elongated but narrow. Silhouette. At the center is another piece. You're my personal collection that I really love. It was part of a cigarette campaign and it was a, it was a prize that you'd get in packs of cigarettes or sending them away. And they were, it was a whole set of jokes and double entendres that men could weigh on their lapels. And so this one says, I'm the guy that put the hobbles and skirts. You can imagine what that might mean. My personal favorite is this advice to girls postcard, right? And this is really hitting home these ideas that this is a immortality. And it's hugging so close to the woman's body, right, that you can see at all. So this is a postcard that circulated and the tools. And it says, And for those of you who can't read it, don't want hobble skirts, something into fellows imagination and advice to girls. So just like the hottest or APHA really viewed all French fashions as unfit for the man and woman. With this idea of fitness, both in terms of the health and body of as well as one's character. Alpha really came up with a conception of what was appropriate for American garments. And once again here easy Bach and APA, citing physical differences between American women's bodies and minds as compared to everyone else. The APHA campaign argument that American women were built differently, that they were athletic. That their bodies are connected intrinsically to democratic ideas and principles. Whereas the French, their body is women alcohol. You also have this push for fashion through alpha, not just to fit the American woman's body because she's active and athletic. But that it's tailored to specific jobs and roles. And throughout this growing idea and this definition and the shaping of what American style is and who the American Woman is. Have a really leaned into the science of eugenics to support needs beliefs. Eugenics at the time was the meeting of biological and statistical science as well as social politics that was aimed to reduce human suffering and improve the lives of citizens. And fundamentally to better human stop by means of birth control and improvements and reproduction. Today we understand that eugenic here either pseudoscience. However, in the progressive era, it was new and it was a highly influential or scientific theory. So not only do you have a base, many of its claims directly on eugenic theory, but fashioning and genetics, but also regularly found on the same page as being discussed on the same pages of newspapers and magazines were in similar lecture halls during lecture series, text and prescriptive literature. They shared similar pages and often they were even in the same buildings are on display together side-by-side. It's D1 world's fairs. Better baby contests were even how in the same department store tea rooms that just hours before or Africa, fashion parades, or what we would now know was a fashion show would take place. After critics commented that from the beginning of the wild, the science of eugenics and the art of costuming had conspired to produce a particular woman to wear a particular down and clip. And this really sums up some videos. 119 idea of American dash. And in terms of racialized and historicize, it's actually lower than the alpha can be decided that the American dress should be inspired by the nation's history, the campaign. And as designers came to this realization after significant criticism from supporters of French fashion. And this is because initially the aesthetics of the campaign where ill-defined and honestly, they looked incredibly similar to European styles. Methane FAD, this is an American fashion. And Bach himself, when asked, What is American fashion, said? It just feels American. Then he followed up with, but of course it was made for and made by America. And even see here in these two images, on the left is about fashion fat from 1914. And this is, these are all American made. An American designed to pieces. And they're very little differences between anything that would have been coming out of France at the time. And same with the hat on the right. So these are American hats for American women. And other than the fact that they were possibly designed by American dividers, There's, there's nothing that again makes them American. However, beginning in 1813, APHA really narrowed its idea of what distinct American aesthetics was. And they narrowed it down to one singular source, and that was Native American culture. So what do these things look like? For 1913 to 1914, multiple issues, at least Home Journal feed your design by award-winning because maker and artists of all trap Hagen as well, staff member, staff members like Abby underwear. And these articles claimed that crow, Indian aesthetic, one of the most truly American fashion possible. And as you can see here, designers are really appropriating elements from many different cultures and nations and then applying them on contemporary American forms. Fascinated endpoint. You remember that third, 19131914, is when the Boy Scouts of America is really taking a firm hold and growing in the United States, the campfire girls is bounded and starting to spread and really far more popular than Girl Scouts up this time. And all of these organizations are using Native American culture as an and Native American dress, appropriated dress as part of craftiness identity right? Through descriptions and catalog. As we can see that there were some efforts to educate consumers on the history and cultures of various groups of people. In general, alpha viewed Native Americans as a monolithic group from whom they could pick and choose elements they found attractive or significant or balls. But this use of me to inspire design really didn't last long within the APHA campaign. Although it wouldn't make a resurgence after World War One with the designed an American group. Instead, the campaign move quickly on to the wildly popular colonial rival aesthetic. And as another decorative, really it found its form and a pastiche that mix styles and place them on contemporary forms. To the most prolific designers inspired by Colonial Revival where Hey Collins and Lucille Austin and this idea of quoted compromise your contemporaries though he was an American designer from New York and she was an English maturity a really found success in the United States after her survival from the Titanic sinking, in which it's a very fascinating scandal, may suggest anyone to dig into it. But also then see, she also sought refuge in the United States when World War I broke out. In columns, rather widow and inspiration Colonial America when he created this successful George Washington ensemble that you see here in the middle, from 1914. It, along with the George Washington, there were a couple of other obviously colonialist my head garment in this show and creating the job, John Paul Jones and the Paul Revere. On the left you see a portrait of General Washington. And in the middle of the sketch of columns design, I think you can see the very obvious similarity is that Kongzi and inspired by here. Very interestingly, on the right and the right-hand figure in the picture there is First Lady florence Harding. And she's wearing a very similar style. 1920's. The first lady who's actually committed herself to wearing only American meat and design clothing during her time in the White House, was regularly dress by Collins. And as a patron, not only did she purchased designs in line with the APA as aesthetic goals, Pretty me, but she also supported civil and political and cultural ideologies. Mesial chose to use a qualitative eyeball to invoke ideas of a simple wife. So she took elements from the 17th and 18th century and put them on a wedding gowns and she gowns. Again, here are some of these elements, like the swags, the ruffles, the fish shoes, etc. I'm very contemporary 1910s forms. Other times looked more closely to period environments for inspiration. On the left is actually an ad for Lucille by a government that was sold through Sears and Roebuck through a mail order catalogs. On the center is one of her wedding dresses designed for Chicago woman. And on the right is down from the 1880s. That's really reminiscent to the piece from this yellow in the center. So there were times things that she was directly referencing, despite the presence of APHA and both mass and industry media from it from about 1909, 1929. It's hard to tell how successful they truly were. Well, they are well-known designers like columns Lucille, who can be tied to the campaign and its goals, relied heavily on his platform delays on journal to produce patterns for home surveys. And that really epitomized his idea of American fashion for men and women, as well as an asset as aesthetics. They were simple. They were made for a very specific individual and they could be mass produced, right? So not only could they be created nobody to where these patterns could be solved, the home sellers who could make them time and time again. And they could be printed in the thousands and hundreds of thousands. But the home environments and records associated with these patterns barely survive. Also, parish, well, really never lost power. Even with worldwide one, there was only a short period of difficulty or the fresh French fashion industry. However, while Balkan fAh may not have succeeded in creating this distinctly American anesthetic that's identifiably record instantly recognizable. The gone ideologies were still carried forth my future designers. And this was thanks to a shift from public-facing rhetoric to industry change. And ultimately their ideas move forward and we're taught to future generations. Because members of the African campaign created and restructured the design programs all across the United States. A really important part of this story is, and particularly app has limited success, was that there was resistance to these ideas. So coins out of our resistance and criticism from critics and importers and others who were loyal to Parisian fashions. And this included a lot of upper-class only urban women. However, and really insignificantly, African-American dressmakers continued to support not only French styles, but French dressmaking education methods. I'm still early in my research on the subjects. The very same year, 1909 that Bach introduces the APHA can be induced readership. Madam Marry ball back, a French trained African American designer and educator from New Jersey, founded the dressmakers Protection Association of color dressmakers alongside about a dozen other black dress maker as your New York City, dedicated to protection and mutual support for black women, made their livelihood snowing. Within a year, the organization grew to about 300 members who are figured at their first national convention. From the beginning, backs and the other members committed to teaching, selling, and importing French fashions. Every convention back sailed to France to bring back the latest styles, as well as educational materials and new methods of design. To them. Saw these as well as use them at her school by school which operated until at least the 920 years. I think it may have been longer than air on its own. The process of researching this offer both day and night courses. Do you accommodate working women schedules as well as Mothers? She taught courses and cutting, fitting, designing, and tailoring. I'm students came from nearby New York, New Jersey as, but also as far as Florida and South Carolina. And they came to the city to specific, we enroll in Beck's wall and take our variance, which lasted about six months per course. Rather, understanding the need for her, needs for her students. She made it clear that her pupils could learn by making clothes for themselves, their family members. That's why learning the tray. African-american women expanded the wardrobes themselves and their family with the latest fashions. Next in our peers founded the organization and the school because organizations whereby want white women Baird when bond women of color for membership. And often these women had attended the same schools as banks and other black dressmakers who were seen that despite being allowed to enroll, students of color were not given the same instructions are materials and we're not given the opportunities replacements like their white counterparts. Backs and her peers really felt this organization was in incredibly important, not only to women and also winning trades, but specifically dressmakers and educators. I'm really looking forward to continuing to explore the study of Madame backs and her peers who actively push back against the goals and ideologies of a campaign. And I am excited to be able to get back into the archives now that they're open to really be able to dig into this a lot more. So thank you all so much for coming, and I really appreciate it. Thank you, Nora Ephron, anyone have any questions, comments? Just unmute yourself and we go. Any questions from anyone? Know why people here notice. I appreciate you listening to me. I don't have any questions by just wanted to say, thank you for this wonderful talk, Norah. This is really great and also a wonderful like refresher or introduction to the Progressive Era for all of us. So thank you for that. Be scary. Yes, similar thoughts. I know I've read about different elements of the Progressive Era, but I haven't seen it from this perspective before. So that's really neat. I appreciate you bringing that to the seminar series down. So I have a question. It's something that I learned recently. I visited Harpers Ferry for the first time, like three or four months ago. And there's a university there, I think it's called stone min, but I may have maybe pronouncing a rather mis-remembering it. So it was supposed to be the first integrated university in the United States. It was envisioned by free slaves. Web. Du Bois was involved a lot of big heavy hitters. It arose out of the Niagara conference. And okay. So that didn't that didn't work out. They wouldn't know. They wouldn't, they wouldn't, they wouldn't allow an integrated university, but they would allow people of color to, to attend. And so there was this big battle over curriculum and it reminded me of the fights faculty have now at u d, right? Because you've got to fight over curriculum. And the big thing was they, so they were allowed to teach what they were called industrial arts, which included textiles and so forth. The founders were pushing for, was in addition to that, the hard sciences and so forth. But that was deemed sort of, um, you know, yeah, that wouldn't allow that. That was that was going a bit too far. Learning chemistry. Chemistry can just learn how to I like upholstery, English, poetry and furniture making and things like that. And I'm wondering, how does that tie into the fashion industry a little bit, because here, this, this would fall under industrial arts, I think, but it sounds like now they're not being people who are not being allowed to play a major role in that area or arena to sell. That's a really great question. Thank you. It has a very complicated answer, like most things, especially in the progressive era. So at this time There's also a question about what is fashion? Is it R, or is it an industrial good? So that's partially playing a role here. Autologous discussing these design schools that are taking place or swirly, kind of putting an end to the trade of dress maker. So traditionally dressmakers would have apprentice systems or have the school-like matter box put together. And that's how they would learn the trade and become part of the trade. But with these biases of design schools in particular, these questions of, is it an industrial, or is it a fine? Or are we teaching how to make it? Are we teaching how to design it? These are all really important questions that play a part. And so it goes like to CE and hampton are teaching students all the skills that I dress maker, what I've learned. And they're teaching various methods. And the France's Ban Johnson Benjamin photos actually should highlight a lot of the dressmaking courses, which is as interesting. But the numbers of students that are graduating from what I can tell in those specific courses are relatively low, maybe 23 a year. Whereas a lot of African-American women are still learning the dressmaking treat in particular in the apprentice system. And that's just what I have right now. That's we'll see if i with evidence still supports this idea or if it maybe changes my understanding of of this. But that's, that's really the question at play. Is it R or is it an industrial? Good bye. No, I really enjoyed your talk. Thank you so much for this. I'm wondering if you could talk about sort of the end of this research. I imagined that World War One plays into that because there's such a dramatic upheaval. But I wonder if you could talk about sort of how in addition to the resistance, which is a great aspect of, of this research, how you imagine that this would have continued to play out? Yeah, duke's Margaret. Yes. So what happens is as APHA kind of loses steam, then these next campaigns and groups kind of pick up. So f is falling out and fascia at League of America is taking over. And then passionately of America starts to fall out and designed in America takes over. And wow, we're all building on these same concepts and they're all pushing design a sub x. And this definition of what is American, who's American through nationalism and eugenics and nativism and race science. With every subsequent campaign something shift. And they also, all of them are high education systems. So as we're moving along, the restructuring and adding new education systems. So one of the founding members of the faster at League of America plays a significant role with bringing Bauhaus to Chicago. Then designed an America has a huge impact on Pratt and Brooklyn and the Met. And so ultimately, you know, this movement isn't really just go away. It's just morphs into really an educational system that then turns into what historians consider currently considered the birth of American fashion, which is the in our area and the interwar period. And it's the designers and educators from this era that are training people like Bonnie cash and climate card, all Norman heart, all of those people that today we consider the quintessential American designers. And about trackpad and actually taught like Jeffrey Bean. So things like that, like to junior designers, we still know today we're taught that in school. So here, whoops, Magritte. Yes, I mean, again, I think you all for being here. There's a lot of people yeah. In my in my writing. Credit each. Now. Well, thanks for coming. We appreciate your your sharing your work with us in the grad seminar. And I I just did a quick check. I did I did ruin the name. It was Storer cottage, not stone been college if anyone's interested and industrial arts side of things. Anyway. Thank you very much. And one last round of applause, virtual or otherwise. And enjoy the remainder of your afternoon. Thank of AI.
Nora Carleson: Nationalism, Eugenics, and the Politics of American Fashion in the Progressive Era
From Eric Tommer October 21, 2021
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The Progressive Era was a time of social, political, and cultural upheaval. Years of unprecedented immigration and industrialization, the end of Reconstruction and the formation of Jim Crow, growing disparities between rich and poor and “native” and new comer, as well as questions as to the country’s role as a global imperial force in the wake of American wars in Cuba and the Philippines and World War I all raised questions of who and what was American. During this time a group of American designers, educators, industrialists, and journalists came together to promote a new and “distinctly American” style of women’s fashions. This “war of fashion independence” sought to overthrow France as the arbiter of style for American women. Behind the calls for patriotic support of American made and designed clothing were overlapping and contradicting beliefs in nationalism, nativism, suffrage, white supremacy, and eugenic theory which guided the actions of a campaign and its supporters and the styles of clothing they made. Through the campaigns for an “American Fashion for American Women” we see how our clothing both revealed and shaped political and cultural thought in America’s Progressive Era.
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