Clara Bow came into my life when I was a teen. My parents had a coffee table book about actors of the first half of the 20th century. It had a provocative cover featuring many stars of early Hollywood. Some I recognized from the old movies shown on television on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but [...]
Josephine Newcomb, Forward-thinking Philanthropist Josephine Louise Lo Monnier was born on Halloween, 1816, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her father was a wealthy businessman and she was educated mostly in France. However, the family's fortune declined after the death of her mother in 1831. She ended up living in New Orleans where her older sister settled after [...]
The Freedom Machine When the bicycle gained popularity during the late 1800s, women were still tangled up in the fashion of the day, making enjoyment of this new mode of transportation prohibitive. The push toward dress reform, also known as the rational dress movement, had been around since the mid-19th century. Once the bicycle became [...]
by Donna Klein Part 1 Post-Edwardian Aftermath Lily's shyness and lack of confidence were so pronounced that she suffered from paralyzing stage fright. Although she had a string of hits following the run of The Merry Widow, she often missed performances because she was unable to overcome her fears. She became known as 'a part-time [...]
by Donna Klein Little Elsie - talent and beauty Lily Elsie came into this world as Elsie Hodder on April 8, 1886. Her mother was Charlotte Elizabeth Hodder, a dressmaker who operated a lodging house in Armley. Leeds, Yorkshire. Less is known about her father, although the obituary of Arthur Borrows, a one-time opera tenor, [...]
French Minister of Fashion While Charles Worth is considered the 'Father of Couture,' it all started with Rose Bertin, the French 'Minister of Fashion.' This was a name given to her by her detractors, but that is because she was a woman and she was powerful. She was ambitious and fashion was her ticket out [...]
Lucy Grows into Lucile Lucy Christiana Sutherland was born in London in 1841. Her mother moved back to Ontario, Canada, after the death of her father. The family moved to the Isle of Jersey when her mother remarried. Lucy married James Stuart Wallace in 1884 and gave birth to a daughter, Esme, in 1885. The [...]
By Donna Klein Coco Chanel - setting trends A contemporary of Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel is also credited with freeing women from corsets, and the unnatural silhouette of the Victorian era. She was way ahead of the curve when it came to setting fashion trends in the 1910s and 1920s. Chanel came from [...]
by Donna Klein The other day I was talking with a friend of mine who is a nurse and the subject of Florence Nightingale came up. I thought I would write a post about her, but as I was doing my research, I became fascinated by Mary Seacole. She truly embodied the pioneer spirit; she [...]