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How 1920s high society fashion pushed gender boundaries through ‘freaking’ parties

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dominic-janes-347508">Dominic Janes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/keele-university-1012">Keele University</a></em></p> <p>The 1920s brought about a rise in androgynous fashion among a high society set that broke boundaries and caused controversy. This drew on a subculture that had existed for decades, perhaps centuries, but after the first world war gender-bending fashions became front page news.</p> <p>It was a time of upheaval. Established regimes were toppling across Europe. In Britain, women over 30 had finally been given the vote and there was widespread concern about the new hedonism of their younger “flapper” sisters.</p> <p>There was also a new market for novels, such as Radcylffe Hall’s <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/stories/articles/2019/4/1/radclyffe-hall-well-of-loneliness-legacy#:%7E:text=On%20November%2016%2C%201928%2C%20Biron,its%20immediate%20removal%20from%20circulation.">banned book</a> <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20221121-the-well-of-loneliness-the-most-corrosive-book-ever">The Well of Loneliness</a> (1928) that focused on, rather than merely hinted at, queer lives. Daring male university students <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/tcbh/hwab036">started wearing makeup</a>. One of these was <a href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/cecil-beaton-an-introduction">Cecil Beaton</a>, the future celebrity photographer, who <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/ht24wj66t">delighted in cross-dressing</a> both on stage and off.</p> <p>Beaton became part of a set of high society socialites who were known as the “<a href="https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/cecil-beaton-bright-young-things/exhibition">bright young things</a>”. They were often socially privileged, many of them were queer and their antics were <a href="https://djtaylorwriter.co.uk/page10.htm">widely followed in the media</a> with a mixture of horror and fascination.</p> <p>The “things” took partying seriously and paid great attention to their outfits. They dressed to transgress. In 1920, high society magazine <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/freak-to-chic-9781350172609/">The Sketch reported</a> that what it termed “freak parties” were suddenly in vogue with the younger set.</p> <p>Before the war, <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/freak-to-chic-9781350172609/">articles had appeared</a> condemning unusual styles as “freak fashions”, but suddenly “<a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/freak-to-chic-9781350248083/">freaking</a>” was all the rage.</p> <p>Until this point, menswear had been heavily circumscribed. Black was the default colour for formal occasions and tweed for informal settings. But suddenly there was a circle who were keen to try out new looks, no matter how bizarre – or queer-looking – the results.</p> <h2>Queer parties, queer fashions</h2> <p>These styles were often worn as fancy dress, but they borrowed looks from marginalised queer communities such as feminine-styled queer men, some of whom made a living by selling sexual services.</p> <p>One such man was Quentin Crisp, whose memoir <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/324730/the-naked-civil-servant-by-quentin-crisp/">The Naked Civil Servant</a> (1968) was dramatised as a <a href="http://www.crisperanto.org/news/NCSusa2007.html">pioneering TV drama</a>.</p> <p>Another source of inspiration was the <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo3682948.html">freak show</a>. These displays, horrifying from a 21st century point of view, were a popular element of circuses at the time. They featured such stock characters as the muscled giant and the bearded lady, some of whom <a href="https://www.thehumanmarvels.com/annie-jones-the-esau-woman/">became celebrities</a> in their own right.</p> <p>Masquerade and fancy dress parties had long been a feature of urban social life, but the bright young things innovated in that they impressed less through the expense of their outfits and more through their queer implications.</p> <p>Many such parties were themed, such as a Greek-themed freak party that was hailed as the greatest “Dionysia” of 1929 (Dionysus being the Greek god of sex and pleasure). Androgynous and cross dressing looks were common and men such as Beaton designed their own frocks.</p> <p>In July 1927, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Her-Husband-was-a-Woman-Womens-Gender-Crossing-in-Modern-British-Popular/Oram/p/book/9780415400077">one magazine declared</a> that an event attended by Beaton’s friend Stephen Tennant dressed as the Queen of Sheba and bisexual actress Tallulah Bankhead dressed as a male tennis star was: “one of the queerest of all the ‘freak’ parties ever given in London”.</p> <h2>The party’s over</h2> <p>The Wall Street crash of 1929 led to a rapid shift in public mood. Economic recession led people to favour sobriety over flamboyance. Money for the parties ran out and media attention faltered.</p> <p>Gender-bending style vanished from the fashionable arena, although it persisted on inner cities streets. Quentin Crisp’s mode of <a href="https://bodleianshop.co.uk/products/british-dandies">queer dandyism</a> was daring for its time, but it only became extraordinary by virtue of his unwillingness to modernise.</p> <p>Seemingly he, and pretty much he alone, continued to wear the queer looks of the interwar period into the television age. He duly <a href="http://www.crisperanto.org/news/AnEnglishmanInNYmovie.html">became a transatlantic celebrity</a> late in life when he became the inspiration for Sting’s song <a href="https://www.sting.com/discography/album/189/Singles">Englishman in New York</a> in 1987.</p> <p>Cecil Beaton, meanwhile, became a leading photographer for Vogue magazine and was commissioned to take official <a href="https://www.rct.uk/cecil-beaton-1904-80">coronation portraits of Elizabeth II</a>. He also designed the fantastic dresses worn by Audrey Hepburn in the film <a href="https://www.tatler.com/article/in-cecil-beatons-show-stopping-designs-for-my-fair-lady-lies-a-story-of-tantrums-and-top-hats">My Fair Lady</a> (1964), inspired by the gowns he and his compatriots had dreamed up for themselves some 40 years earlier.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205893/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dominic-janes-347508">Dominic Janes</a>, Professor of Modern History, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/keele-university-1012">Keele University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty </em><em>Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-1920s-high-society-fashion-pushed-gender-boundaries-through-freaking-parties-205893">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Rare images of 1920s airship released

<p>Rare images of life inside an R-100 airship in the 1920s have been released.</p> <p>A decade before the Hindenburg disaster, airships represented the height of luxury for wealthy tourists, sort of like the modern equivalent to a cruise liner, but in the skies.</p> <p>The R-100 was originally constructed to allow people in the British Empire to reach distant colonies quickly. She had a capacity of 100 passengers and 37 crew, and was propelled by six petrol engines and buoyed by more than 5 million cubic feet of hydrogen. That’s a lot of gas!</p> <p>The R-100 was described as a “small hotel” in the sky for passengers, and while life was luxurious in some ways in others it was not. The ship had three decks with a main salon, which doubled as a dining area. Passengers could enjoy tea and view the surroundings through panoramic windows, but also had to content with the cramped two-berth and four-berth cabins at bedtime.</p> <p>After a few minor hitches on the R-100’s maiden voyage to Canada, tragedy struck on the voyage to India where the bad weather caused the airship to crash in France, unfortunately killing 48 of the 54 passengers and crew, including several major figures of British aviation.</p> <p>The R-100 was grounded, steamrolled and sold for scrap metal. These pictures provide an illuminating insight into what life must’ve been like on these early aircraft.</p> <p><em>Scroll down to see more:</em></p> <p><em><img width="500" height="344" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10801/r100-1_500x344.jpg" alt="R 100-1"/></em></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="325" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10802/r100-2_500x325.jpg" alt="R 100-2"/></strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="340" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10803/r100-3_500x340.jpg" alt="R 100-3"/></strong></p> <p><strong><img width="497" height="355" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10804/r100-4_497x355.jpg" alt="R 100-4"/></strong></p> <p><strong><img width="499" height="625" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10805/r100-14_499x625.jpg" alt="R 100-14"/></strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="635" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10806/r100-13_500x635.jpg" alt="R 100-13"/></strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="622" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/10807/r100-15_500x622.jpg" alt="R 100-15"/></strong></p>

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Rare colour photos of 1920s England

<p>National Geographic has published a captivating sequence of rare colour photos that provide a curious insight into day-to-day life in 1920s England. The images were taken by photographer Clifton R. Adams and were designed to life in England from the farms to the towns and the cities.</p><p>Adams used the Autochrome process to take these images, which was quite innovative for the time. Here, tiny grains of dyed potato starch coat a glass plate. The gap between the grains is filled with lampblack, and the coated layers allow the exposure to capture a colour image of the scene.</p><p>Adams’ images provide a fascinating look at everyday life in the 1920s, where farming was still a very significant part of life and British women had only just achieved voting equality with men.</p><p>He was 38 when he took these images and went on to work for National Geographic in many other European countries, as well as Central and North America until his death in 1934, aged just 44.</p><p><strong>Related links:</strong></p><p><a href="/news/news/2015/10/astronaut-tweets-photos-of-australia/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Astronaut tweets photos of Australia from space</strong></em></span></a></p><p><a href="/news/news/2015/10/polluted-lake-in-india/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>This lake in India is highly toxic</strong></em></span></a></p><p><a href="/news/news/2015/09/glimpse-into-queens-private-world/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Previously unpublished photos offer rare glimpse into Queen’s private world</strong></em></span></a></p>

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Rare colour photos of 1920s England

<p>National Geographic has published a captivating sequence of rare colour photos that provide a curious insight into day-to-day life in 1920s England. The images were taken by photographer Clifton R. Adams and were designed to life in England from the farms to the towns and the cities.</p><p>Adams used the Autochrome process to take these images, which was quite innovative for the time. Here, tiny grains of dyed potato starch coat a glass plate. The gap between the grains is filled with lampblack, and the coated layers allow the exposure to capture a colour image of the scene.</p><p>Adams’ images provide a fascinating look at everyday life in the 1920s, where farming was still a very significant part of life and British women had only just achieved voting equality with men.</p><p>He was 38 when he took these images and went on to work for National Geographic in many other European countries, as well as Central and North America until his death in 1934, aged just 44.</p><p><strong>Related links:</strong></p><p><a href="/news/news/2015/10/astronaut-tweets-photos-of-australia/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Astronaut tweets photos of Australia from space</strong></em></span></a></p><p><a href="/news/news/2015/10/polluted-lake-in-india/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>This lake in India is highly toxic</strong></em></span></a></p><p><a href="/news/news/2015/09/glimpse-into-queens-private-world/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Previously unpublished photos offer rare glimpse into Queen’s private world</strong></em></span></a></p>

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In pictures: how eyebrows evolved since the 1920s

<p>It may only be the hair atop our eyes but eyebrows have long been a fashion statement for women. We look at how eyebrows trends have evolved – sometimes dramatically – through the years.</p> <p><strong>1920s</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="615" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6982/1920s_500x615.jpg" alt="1920s"/></strong></p> <p>In the 1920s, the trend was pencil-thin eyebrows that angled downwards. As seen on socialite Clara Bow here, the downward angle made women appear constantly sad.</p> <p><strong>1930s</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="625" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6983/1930s_500x625.jpg" alt="1930s"/></strong></p> <p>It was all about the shocked look in the thirties. Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich reportedly shaved off all her eyebrow hair and then drew them on with a pencil above her natural brow line.</p> <p><strong>1950s</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="499" height="630" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6984/1950s_499x630.jpg" alt="1950s"/></strong></p> <p>Eyebrows started to take on a much more natural look thanks to stars like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. While the starlets used pencil to define the shape, they largely stuck to the “bushy” brows that nature gave them.</p> <p><img width="499" height="630" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6985/1950s-part-2_499x630.jpg" alt="1950s Part 2"/></p> <p><strong>1960s</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="499" height="690" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6986/1960s_499x690.jpg" alt="1960s"/></strong></p> <p>It was back to strong, thin eyebrows in the 1960s, epitomised by actress and model Mia Farrow.</p> <p><strong>1970s</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="635" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6987/1970s_500x635.jpg" alt="1970s"/></strong></p> <p>Women began forgoing the eye pencil opting instead for the natural look. However, many, like Twiggy, struggled to overcome the heavy plucking of the sixties.</p> <p><strong>1980s</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="499" height="740" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6988/1980s_499x740.jpg" alt="1980s"/></strong></p> <p>The 80s were known for its “power brow” with women like Madonna and Brooke Shields showcasing the dark and bushy look.</p> <p><img width="500" height="635" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6989/1980s-part-2_500x635.jpg" alt="1980s Part 2"/></p> <p><strong>1990s</strong></p> <p>The tweezed look came back with a vengeance with supermodel Kate Moss’s eyebrows the aim for many women.</p> <p><img width="500" height="603" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6990/1990s_500x603.jpg" alt="1990s"/></p> <p><strong>2000s</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="499" height="830" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6991/2000s_499x830.jpg" alt="2000s"/></strong></p> <p>The scouse brow – a highly-styled brow – became the vogue for the noughties.</p> <p><strong>2010s</strong></p> <p><strong><img width="500" height="744" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/6992/2010s_500x744.jpg" alt="2010s"/></strong></p> <p>In the last few years, there has been a return of the busy, less-styled brow, as championed by actress Lily Collins here.</p>

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