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.
By the early 1950s, beauty and publicity had become almost ridiculous, as evidenced by the crowning of Potato Queens (Marilyn Monroe), National Soybean Queen (and Miss Missouri), Sourkraut Queen, Queen Pickle.
This first article about the history of women in sports seems to claim that women are 2 inches taller (in 1953) than they were in 1850 because they’re free to exercise and play sports!
Here’s a 1920s article on gifts to give at Christmas. Because it’s from a fashion magazine, ofcourse the gifts are all wearable. Flapper hats and purses and accessories. A friend of mine scanned these pages from his personal collection, or had them scanned, and then died. I’m sorry.
I’m not sure what building was being built, or torn down, but here are some interesting construction, street scene, and architecture photos. One is obviously of the Old Rock House Saloon & Restaurant, and there are photos of two plaques: The Nichols-Howard Building – Landmark of the Great Fire of 1849, and The Old Rock House.
What did the St. Louis riverfront look like before the Arch was built? These pictures include riverboats on the Mississippi, the St. Louis skyline and riverfront, and laborers taking breaks from working.
These were in a mixed album of early 1900s St. Louis photos that I scanned. One of these shows the civil courts building under construction, with just the steel beams up, which was completed in 1930 (so this picture would have been c. 1929). Another old photo is dated 1910 and appears to be a group photo of men in the Teamsters Union.
This article claims that Annette Kellerman was groundbreaking in making more practical swimwear acceptable… and did you know that shorts for women were invented in the 1930s?
These next few pages of old pictures are a history of chorus girls and showing skin on stage, from Can Can girls, to to Mae West, to the Zigfield Follies, and the Rockettes.
Here’s an intriguing look into the history of how tobacco advertisements used glamorous pinup models and women to market cigarettes. From the rise of Turkish cigarettes in the early 1900s to the post-war pinup culture of the 1950s, cigarette brands cleverly broke societal taboos and redefined smoking as glamorous and sophisticated. Discover how Chesterfield, Marlboro, and Camel pioneered strategies that linked cigarettes with freedom, beauty, and modernity, capturing the cultural shifts of each era.
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!
Explore the rich St. Louis Muny Opera history through these pages from the 1943 St. Louis Municipal Opera program. This archive includes the comprehensive Municipal Opera Productions Directory (from 1919-1942), offering a detailed glimpse into the evolution and milestones of the Muny Association, a cornerstone of St. Louis’ cultural heritage.
Pinups thru out history have been used to sell everything from cosmetics to real estate. Sometimes, they had their origins in the scandalous worlds of peepshows and erotica. The scandalous Gilda Grey, famous for popularizing The Shimmy with her signature song The Shimmy Shewabble, helped sell a reducing cream in 1923. In 1925 she did the shimmy after a meeting to interest buyers in buying Coral Gables properties in Florida. The Shimmy, for which Gilda Grey was famous for, reportedly could be danced properly only with great difficulty and was considered primarily an exhibition dance. Similarly, the Cat Dance by Lilly Christine, had its origins in the realms of peepshows, but she crossed over into mainstream pinup model popularity and helped sell products.
This is a very interesting article in the 1950s pinup magazine about the history of how politics and politicians shaped women’s fashions during the first half of the 20th century. The early feminist movement asked for many changes, among them suffrage, easy divorce, property laws, and equal education. This resulted in a fashion trends that were mannish, including the no-curves, flat chested, flapper girl of the 1920s. This article goes on to call Victoria Claflin Woodhull a “political freak” (who ran for presidency in 1872), and pacifist Jeanette Rankin whose only winning two terms in congress corresponded with declarations of war (1917 and 1941). The caption under Woodhull says that she ran on a free love ticket.
From Jane Russell’s legendary bustline in The Outlaw to the 1950s fixation on the derrière, this article traces how pinup art has cycled through busts, legs, backs, and bottoms. Discover the origins of cheesecake pinups, the role of humor, and how early television reshaped our ideas of feminine allure.
hoopskirts to bathing suits, this Cheesecake Pinup magazine takes a look at the history of sexual innuendo in humor and media.
One of the first cartoons is from the 1860s, showing the wind blowing up a dress to reveal the hoopskirt underneath and (gasp) the sexyness of the woman’s ankels! Then came the peepshows in the Kinetoscopes of the 1890s (as examples are The Bedroom Farce, and a womens’ wrestling). Then, the late 1890s cinema came along, and in the early 1900s, Hollywood and the Keystone comedies and the scantily clad “big names wearing too little” and sensual Femme Fatale Movie Stars of the 1920s…
It’s interesting to see the types of skirts, sleeves, and sportswear illustrated and defined! Hopefully this helps you in identifying and describing vintage clothing… I can’t help but read thru this fashion dictionary and learn as I scan and post these pages!
These pages contain many useful fashion terms and definitions! Illustrated is a directoire costume, Dolly Verde Costume (1870), different types of dots (differentiating between those applied chemically, woven, or embroidered), and more.
Different types of coats, illustrated and defined. These include the Box Coat of the 1930s, the Blouse coat of the 1920s, coachmens’ coats, 17th century buffcoat, coolie coat, Balmacaan, Duster early 1900s, Raglan coat, Women’s Cutaway Coat, MacFarlane, and more types of coats.
These pages also cover different types of coifs and collars, including the Bertha collar of the 1920s, the Chin Collar of 1916, and the Buster Brown collar.
Here are some ideas on finishing edges and making attractive collars. Illustrated and described are Venetian Lace collars, “new look” collars (which foretell the later 1920s “art deco” look), elaborate frills on a collar, an antique Hebedo design, simple shirtwaist collars and cuffs, and dainty needlework designs on collars.
The next page is full of instructions on how to hand make punched work on scrim, covered in darning, to give the effect of openwork embroidery. Pictured on this page are lingerie pillows, peacock motifs, a chair back design, and edging. Great inspiration and instructions!
These last pages of the 1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant contain the list of participating St. Louis fashion houses and an index of advertisers, as well as general business to business ads and misc. fashion advertisements. What an interesting glimpse...
Step back in time to witness one of the most ambitious fashion presentations of the Jazz Age. The 1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant wasn’t just a fashion show—it was an epic theatrical production featuring twenty-foot mechanical peacocks, revolving spheres, perfumed smoke, and sophisticated lighting effects that transformed Forest Park into a wonderland. Discover how St. Louis’s ready-to-wear manufacturers, skilled IATSE union stagehands, and theatrical innovators created a democratic spectacle that rivaled the fashion capitals of New York and Paris. Explore the technical innovations, cultural significance, and forgotten legacy of this remarkable event that showcased American fashion as performance art.
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