The first thought that comes to mind when I think of the 1920s is the mass violence and organized crime in Chicago. I find it fascinating that the 18th Amendment was, in part, implemented to stop violence associated with alcohol, but crime increased when it was ratified. I also think of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. I recently read a book that explained how this massacre is connected with the beginning of using ballistics to solve crime. I also associate corruption, with politics and the police this time period, which is linked with organized crime.
Throughout my school career I took numerous classes that discussed the 1920s. I learned about the Jazz Age, Robert Goddard’s liquid-fueled rocket, The Jazz Singer, flappers, and prohibition. Learning about Robert Goddard’s rocket was one of the more interesting topics I learned about that occurred in the 1920s. The class was not a history class, but I enjoy when history connects to other subjects. I had previously not associated technology like rockets with the 1920s. I also enjoyed learning about flappers. Flappers are one of the very few times I learned about women in history class.
On Google, a large majority of pictures associated with search “the 1920s” are black and white photos taken during the decade. Many of these pictures reminded me of objects or information that I knew but did not necessarily remember. There are also a couple pictures of cars from the 1920s. These pictures reminded me of how primitive car safety was. I am fascinated by how cars have evolved. Along with automobiles, the Google page featured other inventions of the time, such as the traffic signal. There were also advertisements that featured products sold during this time. I found the design interesting when compared with advertisements of modern day. The few color pictures show how people in modern day take inspiration from the Roaring Twenties. It also shows how the culture of the 1920s has been interpreted.
There are a multitude of pictures featuring flappers and the social life of those living in the 1920s. These pictures confirm the impact flappers had on history and their popularity in the 1920s. The multiple pictures showed how differently they dressed, expanding on my knowledge of how women dressed. I am surprised at the lack of pictures associated with organized crime. I had previously thought that was the most famous topic associated with the 1920s. There were some pictures of families of the 1920s. I thought the contrast of fashion between the featured wives/mothers and flappers was intriguing. One of the most interesting pictures I saw were of women working. I had previously associated women in the workplace with the World War II/ the post war era. It was interesting to learn that women were working in this time period.
Overall, I felt that looking at pictures of the 1920s provided me with more accurate knowledge of what life was like. The images provided more insight into the different cultures and communities of the time. I feel that some media created today that portrays the 1920s does not paint an actual picture of what life what like.
Bibliography
Ford Media Center. 2018. “Rouge Vehicles (1920s to 1960s).” Media.ford.com. September 27, 2018. https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/multimedia/album/history/rouge-vehicles–1920s-to-1960s-.html#.
McDowell, Erin. 2021. “Vintage Photos Show How the Role of Women in the Workforce Has Evolved in the Last 100 Years.” Business Insider. March 4, 2021. https://www.businessinsider.com/vintage-photos-of-women-working-factories#in-the-wake-of-the-industrial-revolution-more-women-than-ever-began-to-leave-the-household-and-go-out-to-work-1.
Michelle Kukan is a spring 2023 student of Discovering Digital History at Ramapo College. She is a sophomore studying history, American studies and museum & exhibition studies. She is a volunteer for Mahwah Museum’s Veterans Project and works on the Jane Addams Paper Project.
