{"id":5361,"date":"2019-11-07T08:30:27","date_gmt":"2019-11-07T15:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/?p=5361"},"modified":"2019-11-07T13:28:56","modified_gmt":"2019-11-07T20:28:56","slug":"artifacts-from-american-fashion-the-great-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/2019\/11\/07\/artifacts-from-american-fashion-the-great-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Artifacts from American Fashion: The Great War"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Heather Vaughan Lee<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the coming weeks and months, I’m planning to give you a sneak-peek into my new book <\/em>Artifacts from American Fashion<\/a> (Available November 30), as well as the research behind it. Some of you might recognize some of the research and topics from my #52weeksoffashion<\/strong> tag on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The book offers readers a unique look at daily life in twentieth-century America through the lens of fashion and clothing.<\/em> The book <\/em>covers forty-five essential articles of fashion or accessories, chosen to illuminate significant areas of twentieth-century American daily life and history, including Politics, World Events, and War; Transportation and Technology; Home and Work Life; Art and Entertainment; Health, Sport, and Leisure; and Alternative Cultures, Youth, Ethnic, Queer, and Counter Culture. Through these artifacts, readers can follow the major events, social movements, cultural shifts, and technological developments that shaped our daily life in the U.S.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

W<\/strong>orld War I, originally known as the Great War, was the defining event of the early twentieth century. Primarily a European conflict, it was fought between the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allied forces (Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, and Japan). United States President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) did his best to keep America out of the war until 1917. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end of this “<\/strong>War to end all Wars” falls on November 11, 1918 (originally known as Armistice Day) and it is why we have Veterans Day<\/strong> as a Federal Holiday on November 11 each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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American Red Cross Uniform consisting of a dress, apron, and a cap that date to 1917-18.
Daughter\u2019s of the American Revolution (DAR) Museum. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cBrodie\u201d style World War I combat helmet, 93rd<\/sup> Infantry Division of the United States Army, active between 1917-1918. (Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Artifacts from American Fashion<\/a>, several of the entries discuss the impact of WWI on the daily lives of Americans. The World War I Combat Helmet <\/strong>(see above) not only explores the development of the “Brodie” style helmet, American wartime economy and culture, but also highlights what returning soldiers experienced at the end of the war. By the time the war ended in 1918, the United States had solidified its role as a world power. Many citizens wanted to return to the peaceful years of isolation before the war, but that was not to be. The returning soldiers had seen parts of the world that most Americans had never visited. Women who had taken on traditionally male tasks and jobs during the war were not interested in returning to a role that limited them to the kitchen and soon would gain the right to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More significantly, the entry takes a deep dive into the experiences of the 93rd Infantry Division of the United States Army, a segregated African American Division comprised of four infantry regiments active between 1917-1918. Despite Jim Crow segregation, and their initial assignment to menial labor duties, the 369th Division of the 93rd earned the nickname, “Harlem Hellfighters.” They were awarded medals by the French, but their own American government failed to acknowledge their sacrifices. The 93rd<\/sup> Division began the journey home in late January 1919, arriving back to the United States in mid-February. The 369th Infantry had the honor of marching down Fifth Avenue in New York City before being demobilized on February 28 at Camp Upton, New York. <\/p>\n\n\n\n