In the 20th century, swimwear evolved dramatically as fashion trends quickly changed and the Victorian era’s constrictive rules gave way to fresh ideas of freedom and utility. Mirroring the fashion worn by males and subsequently guiding the simplified designs used in the first years of the Olympic Games, early in the century one-piece swimsuits became common wear for women. These…
Vintage Wonders
Wearing what would seem to us like quite conservative swimwear today, the women were being detained for violating a restriction on public wearing of their ‘short swimsuits’. Early in the 1900s, modesty rules were quite rigid and mandated that most women wear stockings in addition to long one-piece clothing. The mayor of Atlantic mayor, New Jersey barred even the males…
Motorcycles have an interesting beginning anchored in the 19th-century technological developments. Their family history begins with the “safety bicycle,” which had a pedal-crank system to drive the rear wheel and equally sized front and rear wheels. Reflecting a shared vision of mechanized transportation, the evolution of the motorbike was molded by the concurrent efforts of engineers and inventors across Europe…
With a fascinating mix of historical inspirations and avant-garde invention, the 1930s represent a turning point in the growth of house interiors and design ideas. Two main design senses held sway throughout this transforming time: the lavish embrace of Art Deco and the continuing appeal of traditional aesthetics. With its geometric forms, strong lines, and elaborate embellishments, Art Deco captured…
The exciting Art Deco movement was significant in bathroom design during the 1920s. Emphasizing its strong geometric patterns, luxurious materials, and modern luxury, Art Deco had a significant impact on all aspect of the design. This impact was clearly seen in bathrooms by the use of complex mosaic tiles covering walls and floors. Often in strong monochromatic or opposing color…
Western dress changed dramatically in the 1920s. Women’s clothes moved from the ornate and constrictive Victorian and Edwardian eras. Rather, fashion welcomed looser, more comfortable clothing that showed more of the arms and legs. About a decade earlier, hemlines rising to the ankle and the transition from the S-bend corset to the simpler, columnar shapes of the 1910s began this…
Flappers were a group of young women in the West who rose to fame after World War I and became well-known during the 1920s.Flappers were known for their unique style, with knee-length skirts, bobbed hair, and a love for jazz music. They broke social norms by wearing makeup, drinking, smoking in public, driving cars, and having a more relaxed view…
On May 23, 1914, the SS Komagata Maru, a steamship carrying 376 passengers mainly from Punjab, arrived on the west coast of Canada. Due to strict immigration laws aimed at limiting the entry of Indians, Canadian officials considered the passengers illegal immigrants. Consequently, the ship and its passengers were denied entry and detained in Vancouver Harbour for two months. Eventually,…
In 1889, Paris had a big event called the World’s Fair to celebrate 100 years since the French Revolution. Over 100 artists made plans for a big monument to be the entrance of this event, which would be built in a park called Champ-de-Mars in the middle of Paris. A company called Eiffel et Compagnie, owned by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, won…
The washing machine made a big difference for women in the 20th century, more than birth control or the right to work or vote did. Before washing machines, people used communal areas to do laundry. In Europe, villages that could afford it built places called washhouses (lavoirs). Water from a stream or spring would flow into these buildings, which usually…