Browse Items (7 total)

Although I've stated in my primary description that I'm uninterested in viewing 1930s beauty through the lens of Hollywood, I realized about halfway through my process of compiling exhibit items that it might underscore my examination of beauty for…

This image from 1936 depicts a young woman in Minnesota learning to sew in order to be able to work in the textile industry and thus become better able to provide for her family.

According to the National Women's History Museum…

This YouTube video contains the audio file for an original broadcast of "The Penthouse Serenade," a radio show created by the founder of Maybelline, Tom Lyle Williams.

In the show, Williams himself would speak, and would simulate the sound of an…

The Great Depression was a great time for nail polish. In 1933, Cutex's advertising agent announced a 28% increase in sales since the onset of the Depression.

As someone who is very familiar with many different types of cosmetics, this doesn't…

During the 1930s, Maybelline produced mascara which was extremely popular (enough so to allow the company not only to survive but to expand to Canada and Europe) and extremely affordable.

It's interesting to note that in this advertisement, the…

The tendency for spending on cosmetics and other small luxuries to increase during times of economic hardship.

This phenomenon is brought to life when one recalls the used jalopy dealership inter-chapter of "Grapes of Wrath." While the Lipstick…