Edwardian-era vintage crafts and fashion from The Modern Priscilla (1917) offer a rare glimpse into everyday life during World War I, where filet crochet patterns, Red Cross knitting, and elegant hairstyles reflected both beauty and duty. These 1917 magazine articles, photographs, and advertisements capture the transition from late Edwardian style into early 20th-century modernity, blending domestic arts with patriotic work for soldiers at the front. From bridal linens and doilies to family wedding portraits and housekeeping advice, this collection reveals how women’s creativity, home life, and fashion were shaped by wartime needs and changing cultural values.
Advertisement for a Gibson Girl pyography pillow. This ad promises to send the buyer a Naan Plush Pillow Top in gold, tan, or light green, stamped with the Gibson girl design shown and ready for burning! This also has a special offer for a pyography kit for only $1.65.
Did you know that Charles Dana Gibson drew characterchures and cartoons? From these sketches, it seems that he was quite the observer of every day life in Victorian and Edwardian America.
Here are some more turn of the century advertisement scans that my boyfriend’s dad made. I’m not sure which old magazine he got these out of, but he left the CD on my desk while I was out yesterday.
These 8 turn of the century advertisements are in color and for brands still remembered today or barely forgotten:
Here are the last of the scans I made of the Gibson Girl prints from 1906. They’re captioned:
The Debutante
“A winning wave deserving note, is the tempestuous petticoat, a careless shoestring, in who’se tie I see a wild civility – do more bewitch me than when art, is too precise in every part.”
The Wall Flower
No Time for Politics
Explore the timeless beauty of three iconic sketches by Charles Dana Gibson, featuring his elegant Gibson Girls playing musical instruments. These Edwardian-era illustrations capture the poise, charm, and cultural sophistication of turn-of-the-century women. Each piece—a harpist, a cellist, and a violinist—showcases the artistry and societal ideals of the time, celebrating both musical and feminine elegance.
Here are the first four Gibson Girl prints from the portfolio “Twelve New Gibson Girls, hitherto unpublished” that I scanned for the Carondelet Historical Society as part of their efforts to digitalize their collection.
Here’s a newspaper clipping from 1966 about an 86 year old former Gibson Girl model, Mrs. Josephine Gibson Knowlton, the sister of Charles Dana Gibson. She was “the original Gibson Girl”.
Here’s ZiZi modeling an Edwardian Lace Dress. I’ve posted a few untouched close ups of the dress so you can see the intricate details in the lace. It was an amazing piece and required minimal styling to bring a turn of the century mood. I especially loved her poses with the violin.
I have no idea what South St. Louis pharmacy or drugstore is pictured here, but these pictures that I scanned are fascinating! You can see all the glass bottles and vials of medicine neatly on shelves behind the counter, and signs saying: “Frog in your throat? 10 cents – the Greatest Cough ??? on Earth”, Adams Black Jack Gum, Humphrey’s Specifics, Abbey’s ?? Salt… and more.
Take a step back in time with these fascinating early 1900s photos of Seymour’s Regiment Band and vivid street scenes. Charles Seymour, a famed conductor and soloist in St. Louis, might have led the band seen posing near a picturesque gazebo. Another snapshot captures the liveliness of an early 20th-century market, while the final image showcases local tradesmen and children in front of John Sydow Tin Shop. These slides, digitized from the 1960s, preserve a glimpse into a rich cultural past
Pictures of the 1911 Central Rowing Club and the Busiek’s BaseBall team of St. Louis! How fun. I think the picture of the Busieks Baseball team is probably from the early 30s, looking at it closer…
These pictures were labeled “Civil War or Spanish War Veterans”. They’re actually slides from the 1960s, when someone had tried to copy or preserve the originals. Pretty interesting to see the elderly soldiers standing in formation. I wonder what event this was for?
These pictures of a bakery shop had the note “c. 1917 or 1918” and the names of the husband and wife who owned it. I think it’s interesting to see how bakery shops were arranged, and there are pictures of the racks and “behind the counter” at this shop.
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.
“Today’s musical comedy stars replace the Grecian bend of The Florodora Girls with abandon, and little else” reads the headline. It mentioned the famous gals who have come from the anonymity of chorus lines, including: Eva Tanguay, Ann Held, Bebe Daniels, Ruby Keeler, Barbara Stanwyck, and Lucille Ball.
Here are some pictures of air planes used in World War I, and even one of a dirigible guarding the English coast! Military use of airplanes was still very new at this point, and shown are a picture of an English plane crashed into a tree and a German plane that was brought down near Marne. I think the photo of a raider dropping a bomb is just amazing for this time period, the caption says the photo was captured by an accompanying plane. Another interesting arial photograph is one of a World War I American Air Squadron in flight.
I am not sure why I didn’t buy this photographic history book… It has some really good pictures of World War I in it, and I believe it was written and published before World War II.
Here are the final pages of the July 1913 issue of The Modern Priscilla. It wraps up and concludes the fashion and cooking articles, as well as shorter articles, including the Priscilla Juniors section and article about Summer Food for Children. These last pages are also chock full of ads for interesting things
Honestly, the best thing about these pages are the advertisements. These pages contained a small ad for maternity corsets, which I found particularly interesting.
Also advertised were canned sardines, The Alaska Freezer, Jello, Coffee Jelly, Maternity Apparel, Karo Syrup, Hair Dye, and a variety of “Make Money from Home” ads.
How One Woman Made a Success at Dressmaking by Zola Norris from The Modern Priscilla - July 1913 is a true turn of the century success story of how a woman, left widowed with two small children at the age of 30, became a seamstress and then started...
Step back in time with this glimpse into the July 1913 issue of The Modern Priscilla! This collection of vintage advertisements includes everything from adjustable dress forms and elegant perfumes to Blue-Jay corn plasters and affordable hotel rooms in NYC for just $2 a night. The “Everyday Housekeeping” section shares delightful tips for summer porch entertaining, complete with lace tablecloths, floral arrangements, and exotic sandwich fillings. Plus, explore instructions for crafting embroidered collars and crocheted accessories — a testament to the creativity and elegance of Edwardian homemaking.
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