A team of three students conducted research on women in the 1920s and created this museum exhibit

1. An exhibit of the imagery
of women in the 1920s
With special consideration to the
striking contrast between Flappers
and Mothers

2. it

5. With a stern expression and unattractive face,
this “Threatening Mother-in-law postcard
displays the “no-nonsense” personality of
mothers in the 1920s. Postcards show the
popular feelings of a period, and are usually
based on pop culture, rather than commercial
use. It was accessioned into the museum's
collection for US $7.00.
Popular 1920s Postcard

6. The contrast between the stylish woman
and the more traditional mother, makes the
claim that using this detergent will turn a
“dirty” i.e., flapper, into a “cleaner” more
acceptable Woman. Pay attention to the
phrase “It is just a scientific blend of two
old, well known household helps” as it
reinforces the idea of not only cultural
ideas based on science and fact, but also
the “older” and more “traditional” features
are best. It was accessioned into the
museum's collection for US $9.69.
1926 Advertisement for Ammo Cleaner

7. This ad for an oil stove that is supposed to
ease the burden of housework on the
modern woman, but the opposite is
displayed here. The woman works at her
“station,” busily spending her time on
cooking and chores rather than individual
improvement. It was accessioned into the
museum's collection for US $5.91.
1929 Florence Stove Advertisement

8. This ad shows three women, all
appearing as well-dressed and of good
fortune. This makes the refrigerator
seem as an appliance of luxury, rather
than that of housework, an important
distinction for women. Housewives,
while cooking and cleaning, should
never believe their chores as drudgery,
but rather as pleasant work. It was
accessioned into the museum's
collection for US $4.95.
1928 General Electric Refrigerator Advertisement

9. This booklet cover displays one important
aspect of housewives’ depictions, which is
their homogeny. By creating the image of
every woman appearing the
same, advertisements urged women to
conform into one singular identity, rather
than find individualism. Recipe books are
particularly useful for museums when
purchasing items on EBay, as they show
what exactly is the perfect mother image.
It was accessioned into the museum's
collection for US $34.99.
1930 Jell-o Recipe Booklet

10. This advertisement delineates an important
distinction for the housemother, which is a
focus on “purity” and “cleanliness.” Museum
researchers love finding a piece like
this, that focuses on aspects of gender
roles, popular culture, and plausible racism.
It was accessioned into the museum's
collection for US $5.91.
La France Laundry Detergent from 1922

11. This Wilson Brothers Clothing Magazine Ad was
featured during the 1920s in the "Saturday Evening
Post". It gives insight into the American culture
during the 1920s with its homely images that were
appealing to all of a couple. This particular
advertisement pertains to the summer clothing
season through indication of its title "Shirts that
give Summer comfort with distinction". It is then
followed by a description of the company Wilson
Brothers. It was accessioned into the museum's
collection for US $7.20
Wilson Brothers Clothing Magazine Ad 1920s

12. This was the typical style of many flapper dresses
during the 1920s. Women were often wearing this
style of dress for particular kinds of outings. They
would have accessories that matched and were
often found to be in different night clubs, dance
halls, and other areas of entertainment. This dress
was created by Charles A. Stevens in Chicago, U.S. It
was accessioned into the museum's collection for
US $95.00.
Antique 1920s Flapper Dress – Charles A.
Sevens Chicago

13. Not only does this hat show the
fun, modern look of flappers in the Jazz
Age, but also illustrates the items a
museum historian encounters on EBay.
Hats and other accessories last longer than
bigger items, such as dresses, so their
presence in an exhibit adds a flair of reality
and fashion. It was accessioned into the
museum's collection for US $189.99.
1920s Flapper Cloche Hat

14. This style of dress was common for a
homemaker or young lady. It was a
conservative cut that would typically be worn
to different special occasions due to the
material that was used in its creation. Floral
patterns were popular during the 1920s. The
style is a sweet party dress as indicated in its
title. This item was accessioned into the
museum's collection for US $95.00.
Vintage Silk Floral Print Bias Sweep Party Dress
– 1920s

15. This item is an original sewing machine
from Bullet Bobbin Winder during the
1920s. it was often used with sewing
patterns that homemakers would use to
create clothing. These kinds of sewing
machines were found in many American
homes during the 1920s. It includes the
mounting bracket, rod and screws. This
item was accessioned into the museum's
collection for US $20.00.
Vintage Sewing Machine Bullet Bobbin Winder
– 1920

16. A fashionable flapper had short sleek hair, a
shorter than average shapeless shift dress, flatten
her chest, wore make up, smoked cigarettes, and
rebelled against the traditional look of a women
of that time. Depicted here are women of lower
to middle class, enjoying the fashionable style.
This was accessioned into the museum's
collection for US $5.91.
1928 Walter Field Co Dress Fashion Ad

17. Ads were leaning more towards sexier
women, opposed to the traditional stay at
home mother. These ads caught more
attention, and stirred up a lot of buzz. The
women seen in the ad had the typical flapper
style, the short hair, the boxed shape
dress, very fitted and very short, for the time
period Flapper style showed women in a new
light, they didn’t just have to be the stay at
home wives, they could also be seen as sexy
women embracing their feminism and enjoying
life. This was accessioned into the museum's
collection for US $3.25.
1920s Absorbine Jr Advertisement

18. High fashion typically had been for the
richer class, but because making a flapper
styled dress was less complicated than
other styles, many women were able to
recreate the style at home. Silk dresses like
the ones shown in this newspaper ad were
geared more towards the upper class, but
the lower class were able to join in one the
new emerging style. It was accessioned
into the museum's collection for US
$19.99.
Fitzgerald’s 1920s Fashion Ads

19. Using beautiful fashionable women in ads was
a way to get women to want to buy their
products so they could be like the women in
the ad. With this new style they were able to
create many different looks, like these stylish
foot saver shoes. The ads show a young chic
woman, wearing and enjoying these
shoes, draws attention to their product. This
was accessioned into the museum's collection
for US $4.95.
1920s Foot Saver Shoes Advertisement

20. The flapper fashion style flourished among the
middle classes negating differences between
themselves and rich, but continuing to
highlight some differences with the really poor.
Every class of women was able to enjoy this
style in their own way. In the 1920s flapper
style, seen in the picture above, the women
are very covered up. The dresses were calf
length to below the knee, which was quite
short for most of the decade. A misconception
of the flapper style usually comes from moving
films, where you see women dancing showing
very visible knees and legs. This was
accessioned into the museum's collection for
US $6.95.
1920s John LaGatta advertisement

21. This concludes the museum
exhibit. Press “ESC” to
exit, or the arrow to return
to the beginning.