Archive for July, 2006

Description of a Bungalow from 1926

THE term “Bungalow” provides a curious example of how we Americans overwork a word that is euphonious and the meaning of which, because of the word’s comparatively recent assimilation into the language, is somewhat uncertain. One hears nearly every type of country or suburban home called a bungalow, provided only that the house is somewhat [...]

1929 Movie “Hallelujah”

HUNDREDS OF PLANTATION HANDS were gathered on the bank of a Southern river to take part in a scene of exhortation and baptism. Converts in white robes were marshaled in long lines to wait for the ecstatic privilege of wading out into midstream one by one, and receiving the baptismal rite. Meanwhile the evangelist, a [...]

Renee Prahar, Sculptor - 1922 Article

A PioneerÂ in the fantastic and the grotesque, is what Henry McBride, the art critic, calls Renee Prahar, the sculptor. And a New York gallery is showing so much of her work as to support the attribution.
“Nothing could seem stranger in descriptionâ€”to prove so beautiful when seenâ€”than the ‘monkey room,’ one of three interiors which will [...]

Problems facing Pres. Harding in 1921

An article taken from “The Literary Digest” of March 5, 1921.
“Just a few” of the complicated diplomatic problems that Warren G. Harding is facing are listed as follows in a Washington dispatch to the New York Tribune (Rep.):

“The Japanese situation growing out of the California land laws, an attempt to smooth over which already has [...]

The Bobbed Hairstyle of the 1920’s

Here is an excerpt from a twenties book on hairstyling:
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“The present bobbed hair vogue began during the World War. Practically all the women who drove ambulances had their hair cut for reasons of sanitation and convenience. Gradually other women in French civil life, as well as those engaged in auxiliary military duties, Red Cross Work, [...]

Life expectancy increase in 1921

An article from “The Literary Digest” of 1921 has been added to the web-site.
THE SAVING OF LIFE, especially that of children, is beginning to show in the statistical tables. Great Britain’s population has increased 13 million in the past fifty years, yet the annual deaths are less by 50,000 than in 1871. The average life [...]

A Short Story from 1929

Reading was a popular past-time and magazines of the twenties are full of short stories. Although radio’s were increasing in popularity they were still expensive and so reading was a common activity.
Books sold in large numbers and successfulÂ authors could make a lot of money. Consequently many people aspired to become authors. Their path to fame [...]

Decorative Draperies 1929

“Decorative Draperies and Upholstery” by Edward Thorne was first published in 1929 and contains 64 stunning inspirationalÂ illustrations.
We have just added a couple of sections from the book to our web-site. These relate to the history of drapery, and living room drapes.
At this stage there are no illustrations but the different decorative schemes are well described [...]

Hybrid Petrol-Electric Car 1929

The Toyota Prius is claimed to be the world’s first commercially mass-produced and marketed hybrid vehicle. It was first sold in Japan in 1997 and then world-wide in 2001.
However, hybrid vehicles were experimented with back in the 1920’s.
Electric powered vehicles were quite common in the twenties but were limited in their range by the capacity [...]

Interior Decorating

Many homes ofÂ the twentiesÂ were decorated in the Arts & Crafts style, variations of traditional Georgian and Colonial styles, or Art Moderne which embraced the marvels of the Machine Age of the 1920’s and 1930’s.
Movies had a big influence on homesÂ by giving ordinary people a glimpse of the interiors of homes of the rich and famous, [...]