History Adventuring

This photo of a billboard on the Duke University site ROAD (Resource of Outdoor Advertising Descriptions) caught my eye, because I really hadn't heard the term "Physical Culture" before. And now I'm thinking about physical fitness, especially as it pertains to women. If you're already snickering, or giggling, I'm sorry, I've lost you. If you aren't, and understand that both men and women can be interested in physical fitness (or physical culture, as it says on the billboard), you'll see what I'm talking about. Speaking for myself, I've always been an active and athletic man, and to me having intelligence isn't mutually exclusive with that. I've been fortunate enough to know a lot of wonderful women in my life who have enjoyed having a fit body, intelligence, and of course having stylish shoes. I'm no expert on women's shoes, but from what I've seen the more stylish a woman's shoe is, the less it works with physical f...

Let's time-travel to 1948, and visit the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I've never been there IRL (In Real Life) but I've seen a lot of photos on the Duke University site ROAD (Resource of Outdoor Advertising Descriptions) and it's becoming familiar to me. I'll show you around, come on! The first thing that caught my eye is the sign for the General Motors Exhibit. Wow, would I like to get in there and see that! Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Cadillac, Frigidaire, Fisher Body, Delco. The era of the greatest automobile design was beginning, right after World War II, the fifties. But let's do some girl-watching, I mean people-watching. I know nothing about women's fashion, so if you do, could you tell me what's going on here with these ladies' coats? Was this a trend at the time? Anyway, let's keep looking. Oops! I think this guy turning around is saying "what are you looking at?" Quick, look away, and try to look casual. ...

Let's time-travel to 1949 and look for some auto parts at the Pep Boys in Atlantic City. Why Atlantic City you may ask, and why 1949? And why the Pep Boys? Well, it's only because I found this cool old photo on the Duke University site ROAD (Resource of Outdoor Advertising Descriptions) and it caught my eye. Just for fun! Oh yeah, and before I forget, I would like to send a big thank you to my top history adventurer (who prefers to remain anonymous here on the web) for identifying the location, which is Atlantic Avenue and Ohio. OK, let's go. Not surprisingly, I'm already in there, looking around at the 1949 auto parts and supplies. I see that you have wandered next door, to Green's Army and Navy store. I presume that you'll be buying a new hat, which is something you usually do. I'm gonna look around here. Looks like they have seat covers. I wonder if anything would fit my old Rolls K'nardly? Look! Here's something for you - bicycles! Yes, I'm s...

  Time-travel with me, and let's go to the Atlantic City boardwalk on a blustery day in 1923. This photo is from the Duke University site ROAD (Resource of Outdoor Advertising Descriptions), and their interest is in historical advertising. My interest is how these photos make me feel. And I feel cold! I've never been to Atlantic City, and in fact I've never seen the Atlantic Ocean, but I spent enough time near the Pacific to know how it feels when the tide is high and the chill is coming in from the sea. No one in their right mind wants to be there, which is why my best guess is that these people are tourists. I know that sounds a bit snooty, but really, who would want to be down by the shore unless they were on vacation? If you lived there, you'd wait for some nicer weather. I mean, look at where the tide is, all of the way up on what's usually the beach! Brrrrrrr! If that were me standing there I'd have a nice warm scarf wrapped around my face, and probably be...

Although I've been a grownup for a long time now (longer than I care to admit!), my point of view tends to that of a kid, and of course I'm always looking at dogs. Today I'm looking at kids and dogs in a photo from the Duke University site ROAD (Resource of Outdoor Advertising Descriptions), which is all about historic advertising - because grownups look at that kind of stuff. I'm a kid, and I look at dogs, and things that interest kids. It's 1946. If you're a serious historian, I'm sure that you'll be seeing stuff that I'm gonna pass by today. I'm the kid in the foreground, holding the hand of his big brother and being wary about the dog there on the leash. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, but I know that they can be startled.  I've never been bit by a dog, but I know kids who have been, so I'll keep my distance if the dog doesn't look friendly. The other dog, up ahead, looks more relaxed, maybe if we catch up with those people I...

Let's time-travel to 1924, and look around the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I'll be your tour guide today! But really, I don't know much, so I won't do as much explaining as asking questions. Come on! This image, as you can see from the watermark on the upper left, is from the Duke University. They have  a site called ROAD (Resource of Outdoor Advertising Descriptions), which is dedicated to the study of historic billboards (yes, that's a thing). And while I'm interested in advertising, as an old graphic designer, I'm mostly interested in just looking around. And the first thing that catches my eye is the guy on the ladder: Whenever I see someone on a ladder it makes me nervous, so hopefully he is observing all safety precautions required in 1924. Not sure what he's doing? Painting? I don't see a paint can. Anyway, the ladies in the fur coats don't seem to be interested, so I'll just look at something else. Hmmm... Steel's Fudg...

As a history adventurer, time-traveler, and girl-watcher, I take notice of the ladies. I'm no expert on women's fashion, but I'm now realizing that there was a gradual change of what was acceptable for them to wear on the beach. And maybe not so gradual, if you compare the very revealing swimsuits of the 1950s to the more modest bathing costumes of the 1920s, even 30s. Of course, it all started changing after the war. And I'm not talking about bikinis here, I'm just talking about swimsuits, what most women nowadays would consider very modest, and call a "one piece". These must have taken a lot of nerve to wear, even before "itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie yellow polka-dot bikinis". And as you can see from the billboard there in Atlantic City in 1950, it would take a bit of convincing. The headline there says "When all you're wearing is a swim suit, be sure it's a Sea Nymph (a particular brand). Hang on a second here, I'll go into my fil...

It's 1919, and we're in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, and there are a lot of women wearing white, which we've been seeing for quite a while now. The fashion for women is still black, but white has a special meaning, support of something that is about to happen in the United States, women's suffrage, that is, the right for women to vote, which will happen in 1920. Yes, this post is going to be political. And it's a reminder that sometimes in ordinary scenes are extraordinary things. Look again. Yes, white was a popular color, especially in the summer by the sea, but if you look through the eyes of history you can see that there may have been something going on there! Of course, not everyone agrees politically, that's how it works. And just because a woman may be wearing white, or not, didn't necessarily advertise her feelings about votes for women. But there was something in the air that women had been fighting for for a very long time, and in a quiet way w...