May 2010
theme of the week: get your forks and knives...
This week’s theme (5/29-6/7) is all about cooking up a savory meal. From breakfast tea to lavish dinner party courses, this week will provide insight into culinary tastes and kitchen decor delights between 1900 and 1950.
In addition to posting the usual photographs, illustrations, and articles, this week will also feature various recipes that may just inspire you to whip up something your...
Historiful has undergone some late spring...
My dears, I am excited to share the new, polished Historiful with you all! It is amazing to think of how far Historiful has come in only two and a half months! This new layout features a more detailed sidebar with contact links and a list of my own personal favorite vintage sites. What do you all think?
I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your Memorial Day weekend. I will be...
“I want to believe in something inspirational, that has courage, that you can...”
– Esther Ralston (1902-1994), contrasting silent and modern film techniques, 1978.
A Silent Actress's Personal Recipe: Butterless...
As a college student, I spend a lot of time staring at my fridge’s contents to seek out any sort of sustenance. This recipe, originally crafted by famed silent actress Gloria Swanson (1898-1983), is both a unique way to complement this week’s leading lady theme, and a perfect way to satisfy an aching sweet tooth. Bon appetit, lovelies!
Recipe: Gloria Swanson’s Butterless...
To my lovely followers:
Let’s gather around the dinner table…
…… I just wanted to say how wonderful you all are! What would I do without you guys? Champagne all around!
Who is your favorite silent actress and why?
To complement this week’s silent leading ladies theme, I’d like to know who your favorite silent actress is and why. Spill, darlings!
“We had individuality. We did as we pleased. We stayed up late. We dressed the...”
– Clara Bow (1905-1965)
“Make them laugh, make them cry, and hack to laughter. What do people go to the...”
– Mary Pickford (1892-1979)
"Rediscovering Norma Talmadge"
Silent actress Norma Talmadge (1893-1957) captivated audiences with her charming, playful air and humble personality. Talmadge’s peak came with the release of Sidney Franklin’s 1922 film, “Smilin’ Through,” but she was also recognized for exemplary artistry in Frank Borzage’s film “Secrets,” in 1924. The following article, compiled by Greta de...
“There is no other occupation in the world that so closely resembled enslavement...”
– Louise Brooks (1906-1985)
“All they had to do was put my name on a marquee and watch the money roll in.”
– Gloria Swanson (1899-1983)
"Appreciating the Flapper Who Put the "It" in an...
Silent actress Clara Bow (1905-1965) is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated individuals of the silent era as well as the leading sex symbol of the 1920’s. Raised in poverty in Brooklyn, New York, Bow became an example of the classic American “rags to riches” story. Bow represented the era with her artistry and spirited presence. In this article, Nora Sayre of the New York...
“Say anything you like, but don’t say that I ‘like’ to work....”
– Mabel Normand (1894-1930)
theme of the week: leading ladies of the silent...
Hello lovelies! I am excited to be back from finals and for a new theme. The semester has ended and it’s time for summer adventures and hitting the shores! I hope all of you have been taking care of yourselves and, for fellow students, studying hard.
This week’s theme (5/21-5/29) will feature dazzling leading ladies from the silent era between 1900 and 1930, including portraits,...
Historiful has been redesigned! Thoughts?
I spent this evening redesigning Historiful from the ground up. In turn, I would appreciate any feedback or concerns regarding the new layout. I’m loving it!
I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week, and that you are enjoying this week’s city life theme. As always: be lovely, my fellow historians!
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Victorian City
The following excerpt is from “The Sign of Four,” published by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) in 1890:
“It was a September evening, and not yet seven o’clock, but the day had been a dreary one, and a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city. Mud-colored clouds drooped sadly over the muddy streets. Down the Strand the lamps were but misty splotches of diffused...
“The history of Los Angeles, is the history of its booms. The boom of the 1920s...”
– Carey McWilliams (1905-1980)
"Urban American Life During the 1920s: Contrasts...
The following article discusses the changes in American cities at the dawn of the 1920s in regards to postwar social attitudes and the growth of an urban “threat” towards rural values.
“BY 1920, America had become an urban nation. The census figures for that year demonstrated for the first time that more Americans lived in cities than in the rural countryside. The rise of an...
“By the mid 1920s the typical American town was in full sexual bloom. The change...”
– John Leo (b. 1935)
"Women and Urban Life in Victorian Britain" by...
Throughout the nineteenth century, a “respectable” woman remained distant from an urban lifestyle. The “public” city sphere, a dangerous environment filled with poverty, crime, and disease, would allow a woman to subvert her traditional role in the domestic sphere and corrupt her morals. The following article, written by Lynda Nead of BBC History, briefly explains the...
