Articles from 1918
On page one of this three page guide, you will find some essential notes and illustrations from the editors of Vanity Fair regarding the good taste of 1918 (as well as the simply awful).
The Well Dressed Man Confronts Bad Taste (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1918) Read More »
There are various reasons for Woodrow Wilson’s present preëminence. For one thing he represented, for years, the rights, under International Law, of the nations which were not in the war, and whatever his private opinions may have been as to an attitude of strict legality….Then, further, he is at the head of a nation which had no selfish motives in coming in. America wants for herself no new territory, no new spheres of influence. France wants Alsace and Lorraine. Italy wants ‘Italia Irridenta’. England, though she declared war to save France from being overrun through losing the channel ports, has gained incidentally all German Africa and the German islands of the South Seas…
Click here to read a 1913 article about Woodrow Wilson’s Under Secretary of the Navy: Franklin Delano Roosevelt…
The Wartime Leadership of Woodrow Wilson (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1918) Read More »
In the bad-old days of World War I, author Andreas Latzko (1876 – 1943) served as a line officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army. While at the front he was affected by the horrors of combat until he found that he had seen enough and chose to desert. Even before the war had ended he managed to create an anti-war novel and get it to press before the Armistice. Digitized here is the 1918 review of his book, Men In War
Disillusionment and an almost morbid sympathy with mental and physical suffering are outstanding features of the book.
‘Men in War” by Andreas Latzko (Current Opinion, 1918) Read More »
Some well-chosen words by L.L. Jones, one of the many forgotten Suffragettes of yore, who looked longingly to new day:
So far as political equality is concerned I believe I could adjust myself quite readily to a society governed by United States presidentesses, State governesses, and city mayorines, alderwomen, chairwomen, directrices, senatresses, and congresswomen, and I believe I should be just as happy if clergywomen preached to me, doctrices prescribed for me, and policewomen helped me across the street, and chuffeuresses ran the taxis which on rare occasions I can afford to take.
Read a 1918 article about the women’s city.
‘When Women Rule”(Vanity Fair, 1918) Read More »
This small notice appeared in The Stars & Stripes at the very end of the war and described how German Prisoners of War, while in the care of the American Army, would be clothed.
After the Armistice a minority of German prisoners would remain in U.S. hands to dig the graves of American soldiers and Marines.
The Uniform of German POWs in World War I (The Stars and Stripes, 1918) Read More »
Fed-up with decades of articles and editorials declaring that he and his Confederate comrades fought tirelessly for four years in order to preserve and advance the cause of slavery, elderly Southern veteran, James Callaway, put pen to paper in order explain that this was not the case. Equipped with numerous passages from A Soldier’s Recollections and an artificial Lincoln quote, Calloway argued that it was Northern aggression that swelled the Confederate ranks.
Why The Rebels Fought (Confederate Veteran Magazine, 1918) Read More »
A very moving column from the front page of the November 15, 1918 Stars and Stripes describing the joyous pandemonium that characterized the city of Paris when World War I came to a close:
And all Paris laughed the laugh of happy children after a day’s glad play. And the next day, and the next night, Paris sallied forth to romp and play again.
Click here to read about the W.W. II liberation of Paris.
Paris Exults After Four Years of War (The Stars and Stripes, 1918) Read More »
Written during the closing weeks of the war, this Vanity Fair article was penned by a rather sly, witty scribe who was astounded to find that those areas closest to the front, yet just outside the entrances to the reserve trenches, were jam-packed with all manner of civilian tourist groups (ie. The American Woman’s Bouillon Cube Fund, The Overseas Committee of the New and Enlarged Encyclopedia, The National Mushroom Association of the United States); an exercise in creative writing? You tell us.
Sight-Seeing at the Front (Vanity Fair, 1918) Read More »
The military influence on feminine fashion predates the conflict of 1914-1918 by a long shot and the evidence of this is undeniable. These 1918 fashion illustrations show the influence that the war was having on American designers during the final year of W.W. I.
Click here to read about the fashion legacy of W.W. I…
To read about one of the fashion legacies of W.W. II, click here…
Click here to read about the origins of the T-shirt.
The Great War and It’s Influence on Feminine Fashion (Vanity Fair, 1918) Read More »
Contrary to those trust-fund babies who lord over the Harper’s Bazaar of today, the editors and stylists of that magazine during World War I understood quite well the vital rolls American women were needed to fill while their country was struggling to attain proper footing in a state of total war. The attached file will show you seven photographs of various accessories recommended for W.W. I women war volunteers as well as two illustrations of various practical coats for winter.
From Amazon: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War
Christmas Shopping for Women in Service (Harper’s Bazaar, 1918) Read More »
