The Meaning of a Mustache
To shave or not to shave? At the start of the twentieth century, a trend away from facial hair reflected dramatic social and economic shifts.
Why India Once Led The Fashion Industry
India led the fashion world in the 16th and 17th centuries through cotton fabric, design motifs, and its customer-centric market system.
Why Women Burned Their Stockings in the 1930s
The average 1930s American woman bought up to 15 pairs of silk stockings a year—until, that is, women boycotted the fabric behind an essential garment.
How the Victorians Went Camping
If you’re going camping this summer, will you rough it on a wilderness hike, or relax in a ...
“Give Us Bread!”
In 1917, a food riot erupted in Brooklyn over the prices of staples. These forms of protest, sadly, are not quite yet ready for the dustbin of history.
Selling the Men’s Wedding Ring
How changing mores, cultural pressures, and, yes, the jewelry industry made two-ring wedding ceremonies the norm in America.
How America Tried (and Failed) to Solve Its “Servant Problem”
In the early part of the twentieth century, most middle-class American homes had at least one servant. Then the "servant problem" arose.
When Dieting Was Only For Men
Today, we tend to assume dieting is for women, but in the 1860s, it was a masculine pursuit.
Babies on Display
In the mid- to late nineteenth century, people showed off their infants at baby shows.
