Welcome to the first post in the First Ladies of the 20th Century series! Some of the most fashionable ladies in the history of the United States have been our first ladies. They have almost all had a dominating influence on the fashions of their era. Constantly in the public eye, they have found the need to always look their best and almost all have arisen to the task beautifully! The first First Lady of the 20th Century was Ida Saxton McKinley, wife of President William McKinley(1897-1901). Born in Canton Ohio in 1847, Ida was the eldest daughter of prominent banker James A. Saxton. Ida attended local schools and a finishing school and was then sent on a grand tour of Europe. Upon return, Ida began working in her father's bank as a cashier. While there, she caught the attention of Major William McKinley who had come to Canton in 1867 to establish a law practice. The two fell deeply in love and were married on January 25th, 1871. William and Ida had two daughters, Katherine "Katie" and Ida, but both died in childhood. It was around this time that Mrs. McKinley became seriously ill. By 1876, she was a confirmed invalid with Phlebitis and epileptic seizures. While William was a Congressman and Governor of Ohio, Ida spent most of her time in a rocking chair crocheting slippers as gifts for friends, veterans, orphans, and charitable causes. It's said that she crocheted over 4,000 pairs! When her husband became President, she took on many of the responsibilities of First Lady with little regard to her handicap. (Although some of her duties had to be done by the Vice President's wife) At formal receptions she would sit in a blue velvet chair beautifully and elegantly dressed and receive her guests. Contrary to normal protocol, she was seated next to her husband at state dinners and with any sign of a seizure the President would drape a napkin or handkerchief over her face to hide her contorted expression. After the attack, the two would carry on as if nothing unusual had happened. Although she was older and suffered from many seizures, she was always fashionably dressed. Her gown for McKinley's first Inaugural Ball was made of Venetian lace over ivory silk with gold trim at the waist and her use of a feather brought about much disapproval by members of the Audobon Society. The gown was constructed using only American-made products and was rumored to have cost over $600, which in today's money is over $18,906! After the assassination of her husband in 1901, Mrs. McKinley seemed to lose her will to live. She couldn't even bring herself to attend the Presidnet's funeral.
Her health soon started to fade after she returned to Canton to be cared for by her younger sister. Ida visited the President's grave daily until her own death in 1907. She was buried next to him and thier two daughter's in the Canton McKinley Memorial Mausoleum. Although not a fashion influencer in the typical meaning of the term, Ida McKinley always strove to look her best and to represent her husband and nation well! Have a lovely day! -Emma
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One of my favorite vintage movies, starring my absolute favorite actor, is Mr. Smith goes to Washington! The combination of admirable courage, superb acting, and humor make a truly fascinating and inspiring story! Director Frank Capra brought together two of his favorite actors, Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur, whom he had already cast opposite each other in the 1938 film "You Can't Take It With You". Also starring are Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, and Harry Carey. The film's writer, Sidney Buchman, based the story on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished book "The Gentleman from Montana". Although fictitious, the story was loosely based on the life of Montana Senator Burton Wheeler who underwent a similar experience when he was investigating the Warren Harding administration. When the governor of an unnamed western state has to pick a new Senator to replace one that has just died, his political boss, Jim Taylor, wants his hand-picked man while others want reformer Henry Hill. The governor's children want him to pick the leader of the Boy Rangers, Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart). The governor decides to pick Jefferson Smith believing that he will please the people, but at the same time be too naive to mess with Taylor's political machine. The young Senator is taken under the wing of popular, but crooked Senator Joseph Paine. Smith looks up to him and also develops an immediate attraction to his beautiful daughter, Susan. Upon arrival in Washington, the city's reporters immediately take advantage of him and try to tarnish his reputation. To keep Smith busy, Paine suggests that Smith create a bill with the help of his secretary, Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur). The two stay up all night working on Smith's bill to create a national boy's camp in his home state. However, when Smith proposes his bill the next day in the Senate, he is met with immediate opposition by Paine and the Taylor machine who have already included the proposed campsite in their own dam-building graft. Smith is framed when fraudulent evidence is produced that he already owns the land in question and is trying to use the boy's camp for personal profit. With the help of Saunders, Smith launches a filibuster to postpone the appropriations bill and prove his innocence. What follows is truly an inspiring and courageous fight against a corrupt political system! Nominated for 11 academy awards, the movie won the Best Writing, Most Original Story award. The film was an immediate box-office success, however, some Senators did not approve of the corrupt way the US Senate was portrayed. A few Senators even tryed to buy the film to prevent its release.
The film was banned in Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy. When a ban on American films was announced in German occupied France in 1942, many theaters chose Mr. Smith goes to Washington as the last American film to be run as a protest. Against all this opposition, Mr. Smith goes to Washington has remained an important showcase of what one individual can do to make a difference! Have a lovely day! -Emma Hello Everyone! I've got a fun announcement to make - From February 9th through the 14th, the entire shop will be 10% off! No minimum purchase necessary. Happy Valentines Day!!
-Emma Although I've never been a golfer and never played any more intense form of the game besides miniature golf, I've always enjoyed perusing old pictures of golf games. I don't know if it's the excitement of the game or the style of the golfers, but I've just always enjoyed viewing pictures of this sport. I thought it might be fun to share some vintage photos of golfers from the 1900s-1960s with y'all today! Hope y'all enjoyed these photos!
Have a lovely day! -Emma |
AuthorHi everyone! I am Emma, the owner of The Lovely Shoppe Co. I share shop updates, vintage outfits, and vintage photos of everything from fashion to sports to travel to music to cars to actors and everything else! Archives
September 2021
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