1920s

Step back in time to the Roaring Twenties and explore the revolutionary changes in 1920s history and fashion. Dive into the iconic styles of the Jazz Age, from the liberating silhouettes of flapper dresses to the timeless elegance of 1920s wedding gowns. Discover the glamour of Old Hollywood, browse through vintage fashion advertisements, and get a glimpse into everyday life with our collection of historical photographs. We also feature a look at the automotive revolution of the era with classic car ads and more. Whether you’re a history buff, a fashion enthusiast, or simply captivated by the allure of the 1920s, you’ll find a wealth of information and inspiration here.

Rare Plus Size Antique 1920s Dark Brown Drop Waist Dress | Art Deco Embroidered Wrap Dress | Flapper Era Tubular Day Dress XL 1X

Vintage Dresses

Step straight out of the 1920s with this incredibly rare, plus-size antique day dress! Featuring a rich dark chocolate brown worsted fabric, a classic drop-waist tubular silhouette, and exquisite gold and green Art Deco embroidery, this dress has absolute main character energy.

Please note that this is a near 100-year-old survivor and is being sold as a wearable project or display piece. The interior silk lining has shattered (a common occurrence with 1920s weighted silk) and will need to be carefully removed.

Measurements (Doubled):
Bust: 44″ (leave room to drape)
Waist: 41″
Hips: 47″
Length: 46″
Fits a modern XL / 1X.

1920s Shoe Advertisements: Women’s shoes, children’s shoes, and mens shoes.

1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant, Old Magazine Scans

7 shoe advertisement scans from 1924. Business to business marketing for shoe manufacturers in St. Louis, and old advertisements for shoes!

1920s Dresses, Millinery, Coat, and Textile Ads

1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant, Old Magazine Scans

Discover the thriving world of 1920s fashion through authentic advertisements from the 1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant. These vintage ads showcase dress manufacturers, millinery companies, luxury fur dealers, and textile suppliers that operated along Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis during the height of the Jazz Age. Learn about the businesses, products, and economic forces that shaped American fashion during one of the most iconic decades in style history.

The 1924 Sales Manual: Selling Cars by Face ShapeThe 1924 Sales Manual That Matched Cars to Face Shapes: A Bizarre Chapter in Automotive HistoryThe 1924 Sales Manual: Selling Cars by Face Shape

1924-1925 Character Reading Magazine, Old Magazine Scans

In 1924, Durant Motors trained its salesmen to do something extraordinary: sell cars based on facial features. Round face? You needed comfort and padded seats. Pear-shaped face with a pointed chin? You craved beauty and luxury (but might not make your payments). This wasn’t one salesman’s quirk—it was official corporate policy, codified in a training manual by character reading expert Edna Purdy Walsh. Step into the strange world where jawlines determined which automobile you’d drive home, and discover how pseudoscience shaped the cutthroat competition of the Roaring Twenties auto industry.

Mother or Actress? The 1924 Struggle for Identity

1924-1925 Character Reading Magazine, Old Magazine Scans

In 1924, American women faced an unprecedented identity crisis. Just four years after winning the right to vote, they were caught between the glamorous “New Woman” ideal and traditional domesticity. A remarkable article from Character Reading magazine offered surprising wisdom: courage isn’t about being fearless everywhere—it’s about finding the role where you truly belong. Explore this timeless message about authenticity, confidence, and the struggle to be yourself in a world demanding you be everything to everyone.

1920s Lincoln Automobile Ads

Automobile Ads Scrapbook, Misc. Ephemera

Explore a captivating collection of 1920s Lincoln automobile ads highlighting luxury, craftsmanship, and innovation. Featuring iconic models like the Berline Landaulet, Cabriolet, and 4 Passenger Coupe, these vintage ads capture the elegance and technological spirit of the roaring twenties, solidifying Lincoln’s status as a leader in the era’s luxury automotive market.

Old Car Ads: Willys Knight, Wills St. Claire and Stutz Car Ads

Automobile Ads Scrapbook, Misc. Ephemera

Here are the last pages from the old guy's scrapbook of old car ads! These last illustrated automobile ads from the early 1900s include 8 pages of Willys Knight Automobile ads that appear to be from the 1920s, a Stutz automobile ad which...

The Greatest Adventure is Your Neighbor: A 1924 Manifesto for Introverts and People-Watchers

1924-1925 Character Reading Magazine, Old Magazine Scans

A 1924 manifesto for introverts: W. Thomas Walsh’s poem about finding adventure in neighbors, not travel. Jazz Age psychology meets modern personality typing.

1920s advertisements – mainly mens fashions

1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant, Old Magazine Scans

These illustrated fashion advertisements from 1924 are so interesting! These ads seem primarily directed to retailers, rather than the consumer…. I’ve not peeked thru the pages further than I’ve scanned them, and I’ve not researched the Saint Louis Fashion Pageant yet, so maybe it was more of an industry thing like NYC Fashion Week?

1920s Mens Fashion and Hat Ads

1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant, Old Magazine Scans

This starts out with a full page ad for The Snugset Clothes Company, which has an illustration of a fashionable man in a suit and alot of text (Men’s clothes that wear as well as they look!). Lion Hats by Langenberg Hat Co lets the picture do the talking. Bettmann-KleinHause Clothing Company (at 1204 Washington Ave.) has a full two page advertisement spread illustrating men and boys, and having on display: men’s suits, men’s overcoats, children’s suits, children’s knee pants, young men’s overcoats, young men’s suits, men’s and young men’s pants, and more.

Franklin and Essex Car ads

Automobile Ads Scrapbook, Misc. Ephemera

Here are ads for Franklin cars and Essex cars. I think, judging by the ladys’ cloche hats in the Essex automobile advertisement, that these old car ads are from the very early 1920s.

History of Lingerie advertisements from the 1800s to the 1950s

CheeseCake Pinup Magazine 1953, Old Magazine Scans

Here are shown some lingerie and shapewear ads from the 1800s-1950s. The chemise replaced the corset cover by 1918, although shape wear was still worn in the 1920s to achieve that stylish “boyish” form. The inflatable bra of the 1950s replaced the “Victoria” bosom pad of 1879… such changes in lingerie styles and advertisements!

Vintage 1970s Navy Floral Shirt Dress by Alleri – Rayon Feel, Button Front, Lounge or Belted Fit (Size 44)

Vintage Dresses

Step back into the 1970s with this vintage navy floral shirt dress by Alleri, embodying the charm of 1930s–1940s-inspired house dresses. Featuring a soft rayon-like fabric, button-front closure, and a swingy silhouette, it’s perfect for lounging or belting to define the waist. While a few flaws, including missing cuff buttons and a light bleach mark near the hem, reflect its storied past, this piece retains its timeless appeal for retro enthusiasts and vintage collectors.

Measurements:

Bust: 18” flat (36” around)
Waist: 18” flat (36” around)
Length: 42” from shoulder to hem

St. Louis Fashion Advertisements from 1924

1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant, Old Magazine Scans

Here’s a captivating look at the August 1924 issue of the St. Louis Fashion Pageant, a local society and fashion magazine that reflected the roaring twenties in all its stylish glory. Featuring advertisements for flapper dresses, children’s shoes, and elegant coats, this issue highlights the city’s role as a hub of fashion and innovation. Many fashion companies were based on Washington Avenue, the heart of St. Louis’ bustling garment district, showcasing trends like beaded dresses, wash frocks, and non-wrinkle neckwear. Explore this unique time capsule filled with illustrations, ads, and photography from a pivotal era in American history!

1930s Wedding Photos, and How to Date old photos by hair style

Old Photo Scans

Take a step back in time with these stunning 1930s wedding photos. Captured by St. Louis photographer J.J. Belka, these portraits reveal timeless elegance during the Great Depression. Learn how hairstyles, like the iconic pin curls, can help date old photos. Discover the fascinating intersection of vintage fashion and history through wedding photography trends of this era.

Snake Oil & Success: The Wild World of 1924 Advertisements

1924-1925 Character Reading Magazine, Old Magazine Scans

Step into the wild world of 1924 advertising, where Americans could purchase brain-hacking courses promising 1,000% salary increases, follow diets based on eye color, learn telepathic mind control, and train for glamorous hotel careers. These extraordinary advertisements from Character Reading magazine reveal how the Roaring Twenties birthed modern self-improvement culture—complete with Pelmanism, iridology, “Pep Cocktails,” and correspondence courses promising to transform desperate strivers into successful elites. Discover how snake oil salesmen, legitimate opportunities, and pseudoscientific schemes competed for consumers’ dollars and dreams in an era before advertising regulation, when anything seemed possible and everyone had a secret to sell.

The 7 Rooms of Your Mind: A Guided Tour of Your Own Head

1924-1925 Character Reading Magazine, Old Magazine Scans

Step inside the mind as 1924 imagined it: a seven-room house where energy, intellect, artistry, and spirituality each occupy their own space. This captivating article from Character Reading magazine reveals how the Roaring Twenties understood personality through the now-debunked science of phrenology—offering a fascinating glimpse into vintage psychology, self-improvement culture, and the American obsession with scientific success.

What Your Handwriting Reveals: A 1920s Graphology Workshop on T-Bars and Loops

1924-1925 Character Reading Magazine, Old Magazine Scans

Step into a 1920s graphology workshop where your fountain pen strokes reveal hidden truths. Handwriting expert Hall Cameron’s 1924 analysis decoded personality through T-bars (the “barometer of courage”), the letter F (business mogul or missionary?), and disconnected script (surprise—you’re psychic!). Explore how Jazz Age Americans used handwriting analysis to understand themselves in an era of rapid social change, and discover what your own handwriting might reveal according to vintage personality science.

Do You Have the “Mental-Motive” Temperament of a High-Powered Attorney?

1924-1925 Character Reading Magazine, Old Magazine Scans

Before the LSAT and law school rankings, there was phrenology. This remarkable 1924 article from Character Reading Magazine reveals how career counselors determined legal aptitude by examining skull shape and facial bone structure. Real estate lawyers needed prominent “Locality” organs to avoid getting lost, criminal attorneys required heightened “Secretiveness,” and trial lawyers needed “Combativeness” bumps behind their ears. Explore this fascinating glimpse into Jazz Age vocational guidance, when your professional destiny was literally written on your face—and discover what the “Mental-Motive” temperament supposedly revealed about high-powered attorneys of the Roaring Twenties.

1920s Baby Readings: Determining a Career Before They Can Walk

1924-1925 Character Reading Magazine, Old Magazine Scans

In 1924, anxious parents didn’t just worry about milestones—they sent baby photographs to Character Reading magazine to discover if their infant was destined to become a banker, surgeon, or concert pianist. Explore the fascinating world of 1920s baby character analysis, where phrenology met parental ambition and editors confidently predicted careers based on skull shapes and facial features. From “Baby Dan the banker in the bud” to dietary prescriptions for chemical deficiencies diagnosed from photos, these vintage readings reveal the hopes, anxieties, and pseudoscientific beliefs of Jazz Age parenting. A charming and slightly unsettling glimpse into how every generation tries to unlock their children’s futures.

The “You and I” Faculty: Why Some Men Are Different When You Get Them Alone

1924-1925 Character Reading Magazine, Old Magazine Scans

In December 1924, Character Reading Magazine explored a fascinating concept called “Conjugality”—the brain faculty that supposedly explained why certain men seemed dull at parties but transformed into attentive, passionate companions in private. Rooted in phrenology, this “You and I” faculty offered Jazz Age women a seemingly scientific way to understand selective love, marital compatibility, and the distinction between romantic passion and parental devotion. While the skull-reading science has been thoroughly debunked, the behavioral observations reveal timeless insights about introversion, attachment styles, and the search for lasting love. Explore this captivating glimpse into 1920s relationship psychology and self-improvement culture.

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