“Machinal” Dramaturgy
WHO WAS SOPHIE TREADWELL? Sophie Treadwell is a famous writer who had many successes in her career as a playwright who had written over thirty plays, seven of which were produced on Broadway between 1922 through 1941. Her other career roles include journalist, novelist, producer and sometimes director and actress. She has also written various journalistic articles, fictional stories, and novels. She was born on October 3, 1885 in Stockton, California to the parents of Alfred and Nettie Treadwell. Her father, Alfred, was a lawyer, city prosecutor, justice of the peace and judge. Growing up, Treadwell saw first hand the struggles of marriage and saw her parents separate in the 1890s. Her parents did not legally divorce, making her childhood difficult as she lived with both her mother and father. Treadwell attended the University of California – Berkeley where she began to explore her passions and early development as a playwright. Her involvement at the university included activities such as drama club, foreign language, and editor of a college humor magazine. Here she received her Bachelor’s of Letters in French in 1906. Following her studies at the university, she began her career as a journalist working for the San Francisco Bulletin. It was here where Treadwell met her husband, William O. McGeehan, a fellow journalist and sports writer. The two married in 1910 and were married for nearly two decades. As Treadwell’s career began to take off as an investigative journalist and serial writer in San Francisco, McGeehan left the Bay Area and headed to New York to work at the New York Evening Journal i n 1914. In the following year, Treadwell followed her husband and was employed as a writer at the New York American. It was in New York where Treadwell began to join political movements by involving herself in organizations in support of women’s equality and rights. She participated in marches that advocated women’s suffrage demanding the right to vote and also was a member of the Lucy Stone League, an organization in support of women’s rights. It was here where she began to introduce herself by her maiden name. Additionally, Treadwell was also supportive of sexual freedom for women and even had an affair with painter, Maynard Dixon, for a short period of time between the years 1916 through 1919. Treadwell’s best--known work is the play titled, Machinal. It was directed and produced by Arthur Hopkins at the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway on September 7, 1928, which ran for ninety--one performances. This piece is remarkable in the expressionist efforts that Treadwell uses to tell a common story about an everyday woman. Her inspiration for Machinal stems from her career as a journalist and reporter covering murder trials of women, including the Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray murder trial, and her personal experiences. Throughout Treadwell’s life it is evident that her career inspired her to write and experience the most for her life. On February 20, 1970, Sophie Treadwell passed away.
Works that Treadwell wrote include the following:Gringo (1922), O Nightingale (1924), Machinal (1928), Ladies Leave (1929), Lone Valley (1933), Plumes in the Dust (1936), and Hope for Harvest (1941).
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION An early landmark moment in the Industrial Revolution came near the end of the eighteenth century, when Samuel Slater brought new manufacturing technologies from Britain to the United States and founded the first U.S. cotton mill in Beverly, Massachusetts. Slater’s mill, like many of the mills and factories that sprang up in the next few decades, was powered by water, which confined industrial development to the northeast at first. The concentration of industry in the Northeast also facilitated the development of transportation systems such as railroads and canals, which encouraged commerce and trade. The technological innovation that would come to mark the United States in the nineteenth century began to show itself with Robert Fulton’s establishment of steamboat service on the Hudson River, Samuel F. B. Morse’s invention of the telegraph, and Elias Howe’s invention of the sewing machine, all before the Civil War. Following the Civil War, industrialization in the United States increased at a breakneck pace. This period, encompassing most of the second half of the nineteenth century, has been called the Second Industrial Revolution or the American Industrial Revolution. Over the first half of the century, the country expanded greatly, and the new territory was rich in natural resources. Completing the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 was a major milestone, making it easier to transport people, raw materials, and products. The United States also had vast human resources: between 1860 and 1900, fourteen million immigrants came to the country, providing workers for an array of industries. The American industrialists overseeing this expansion were ready to take risks to make their businesses successful. Andrew Carnegie established the first steel mills in the U.S. to use the British “Bessemer process” for mass producing steel, becoming a titan of the steel industry in the process. He acquired business interests in the mines that produced the raw material for steel, the mills and ovens that created the final product and the railroads and shipping lines that transported the goods, thus controlling every aspect of the steelmaking process. Other industrialists, including John D. Rockefeller, merged the operations of many large companies to form a trust. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust came to monopolize 90% of the industry, severely limiting competition. These monopolies were often accused of intimidating smaller businesses and competitors in order to maintain high prices and profits. Economic influence gave these industrial magnates significant political clout as well. The U.S. government adopted policies that supported industrial development such as providing land for the
construction of railroads and maintaining high tariffs to protect American industry from foreign competition. American inventors like Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Alva Edison created a long list of new technologies that improved communication, transportation, and industrial production. Edison made improvements to existing technologies, including the telegraph while also creating revolutionary new technologies such as the light bulb, the phonograph, the kinetograph, and the electric dynamo. Bell, meanwhile, explored new speaking and hearing technologies, and became known as the inventor of the telephone. For millions of working Americans, the industrial revolution changed the very nature of their daily work. Previously, they might have worked for themselves at home, in a small shop, or outdoors, crafting raw materials into products, or growing a crop from seed to table. When they took factory jobs, they were working for a large company. The repetitive work often involved only one small step in the manufacturing process, so the worker did not see or appreciate what was being made; the work was often dangerous and performed in unsanitary conditions. Some women entered the workforce, as did many children. Child labor became a major issue. Dangerous working conditions, long hours, and concern over wages and child labor contributed to the growth of labor unions. In the decades after the Civil War, workers organized strikes and work stoppages that helped to publicize their problems. One especially significant labor upheaval was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Wage cuts in the railroad industry led to the strike, which began in West Virginia and spread to three additional states over a period of 45 days before being violently ended by a combination of vigilantes, National Guardsmen, and federal troops. Similar episodes occurred more frequently in the following decades as workers organized and asserted themselves against perceived injustices. The new jobs for the working class were in the cities. Thus, the Industrial Revolution began the transition of the United States from a rural to an urban society. Young people raised on farms saw greater opportunities in the cities and moved there, as did millions of immigrants from Europe. Providing housing for all the new residents of cities was a problem, and many workers found themselves living in urban slums; open sewers ran alongside the streets, and the water supply was often tainted, causing disease. These deplorable urban conditions gave rise to the Progressive Movement in the early twentieth century; the result would be many new laws to protect and support people, eventually changing the relationship between government and the people.
WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRIAL AGE Women began getting even more involved in the workforce throughout the 1920s and there was a growing appeal to work. However, the concept of "pink collar" jobs was introduced into society during this time as well. Society was accepting women into average jobs, however, most assumed that it was necessary for women to work feminine type of positions. These
occupations were those such as secretary work or telephone operators. They were also highly underpaid at that time for the amount of work they were doing but equal payment laws weren't yet in effect. Thus it was excusable at the time. The pink collar status was still relevant in post-college level careers as well. At this point in history women had already been accepted as educated and college educated, however career options for women were more focused on education, nursing, fashion, and social work. Still there were some women who found successful careers as lawyers, journalists or doctors however it was difficult and rare for a woman to find these fields as successful as men. Many women through the 1920s managed to work and mange the home, however the majority of women remained in the house as housewives or mothers. This time in society also believed that women should raise children according to how psychiatrists and doctors advise them rather than previous parenting methods. With the passage of the 19th Amendment, women were given the right to vote in 1920, but voting remained an upper- and middle-class activity. No new opportunities in the workplace arose, and the momentum of the women's movement at the beginning of the decade was eventually swallowed by the rise of consumer culture.
NEW YORK IN THE 1920s The period of the 1920s was widely regarded as an era of prosperity. Unemployment amongst urban workers remained, on average, under 7 percent. Per capita income grew by a third during a decade of economic expansion that remained relatively unmarred by inflation and recession. The standard of living improved across the board for the employed sector of the economy. Such improvements were measured not only in increases in earnings between 1922 and 1929, but in living conditions. A 1929 Bureau of Labor Statistics study of Ford Motor Company employees found, for example that industrial workers lived in far more salubrious conditions than they did at the turn of the century. Employed workers lived in houses that provided, on average, one room per person. They enjoyed electricity, central heating, and inside running water, and toilets. The notion of abundance and consumerism became a means of establishing American unity. In some sense, though, little changed for the industrial worker. Unemployment in this period was, indeed, lower than it had been in previous decades, but continued high unemployment and job turnover characterized the industrial working experience. A continued labor surplus fueled not by immigration but Black migration and migration from the farm to the city along with the displacement of both skilled and unskilled workers with machines insured continued levels of high unemployment and job insecurity along with limited improvements in wages and working conditions. The gap between the City's infrastructural capacity and its population once again widened. The City's roadways did not keep pace with the rapidly increasing popularity of the automobile.
Between 1918 and the end of the 1920s, there were more than a half a million new motor vehicles on the streets yet there had been no new highway construction within the City, choking the City with traffic.
The 1920s was also the era of Prohibition, when the 18th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution banned the sale, manufacturing and transportation of alcoholic beverages. This invited the interest of bootleggers and highlighted the age’s burgeoning gang culture. Ethnic gangs–particularly Italian-American ones–vied for bootlegger business, ushering in a sophisticated but sordid era of smuggling, money laundering and the bribing of police and other public officials in New York in the 1920s. During this time, the Mafia flourished in New York City, which unsurprisingly came to be known as the world capital of crime.
RUTH SNYDER TRIAL In 1927, the Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray murder trial caused a sensational media frenzy for newspapers and reporters publishing photographs and recordings for the public to take part in. Within just three months 1,500,000 words were written on the case and it is noted that 180 reporters were assigned to report on it. The case also received attention due to Snyder’s fate of being the first woman to be sentenced to death by the electric chair in the state of New York.
On March 20, 1927, Albert Snyder was found murdered in his bedroom. He had been beaten in the head with a blunt object, chloroformed, and strangled with picture wire. His wife, Ruth Snyder, was found alive bound and gagged outside of their daughter’s bedroom. When police arrived at the scene the house had been turned upside down, drawers emptied, and Ruth’s jewelry stolen. The police became suspicious when they found Ruth’s stolen jewelry under a mattress. Upon hearing that her husband had died, it was said by police that Snyder surprisingly shed only a few tears. After spending almost twenty--four hours in questioning, Snyder confessed to killing her husband with the help of her lover, Judd Gray, a corset salesman. She had beaten him with the help of Gray in their bedroom all while her nine--year--old daughter was sound asleep in her room next door. Both Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray were convicted of murder and was executed at the Sing Sing prison in New York on January 12, 1928. Ruth Snyder, a discontented Long Island housewife, convinced her lover, Judd Gray, that her husband was mistreating her. The pair killed him with a sash weight. Their trial was a media frenzy, attended by such celebrities as film pioneer D.W. Griffith and evangelist Billy Sunday. The jury was out 98 minutes before it returned with a guilty verdict. Gray was executed first on January 12, 1928. Snyder followed just a few minutes later. A clever photographer from the New York Daily News, with a camera strapped to his ankle, snapped a picture of her as the juice coursed through her body. It sold 250,000 extra copies and is the iconic image of the 1920s.
MAJOR THEMES ●
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During the 1920s, the radio was considered the most powerful way of communication. By the end of the decade, nearly 60% of American homes had a radio to listen in on current events right as they were happening. They began broadcasting things like popular music, classical music, sporting events, lectures, fictional stories, newscasts, weather reports, market updates, political commentary, religious stories/events, and even operas during certain seasons. In order to pull people into reading the magazines/newspapers, writers often wrote about thrilling and sensational stories or created tabloids to hook their readers. Jazz and tabloid journalism charted a new era of sensationalism focusing on sex and crime. Newspapers helped create a common popular culture - everyone read them and could share in the news of the day. Power structures ○ Employer v. employee; husband v. wife; judge v. convict; prison v. prisoner; doctor v. patient; doctor v. nurse; man v. woman; law v. citizen; system v. human
EPISODE I - At Business
Adding machine - a class of mechanical calculator, usually specialized for bookkeeping calculations ○ Adding clerk - the person who operated the adding machine ● Filing clerk - keep files and documents organized for companies. File clerks work with both paper documents and electronic files, and do routine tasks like data entry, organization, cross-referencing, scanning, copying and retrieval. ● Stenographer - a person whose job is to transcribe speech in shorthand. ● Telephone operator at a switchboard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWDpqa1EhgU https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/1920s-woman-supervises-line-of-telephone-stock-vid eo-footage/2005-36 ●
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“Hot dog!” - exclamation of delight/enthusiastic approval “Hew to the line” - uphold, closely conform; a line marked along the length of a log indicating where to chop in order to shape a beam. “Haste makes waste” - acting too quickly may result in slowing things down; in the person’s rush, they may forget to do things “It gives a line” - to lead someone on Neckers - a girl who wraps her arms around her boyfriend’s neck Petters - “pet” = “neck” = “passionate kiss”; passionate kissers Sweet papas Women in the workplace ○ Society was accepting women into average jobs, however, most assumed that it was necessary for women to work feminine type of positions. These occupations were those such as secretary work or telephone operators. They were also highly underpaid at that time for the amount of work they were doing but equal payment laws weren't yet in effect. At this point in history women had already been accepted as educated and college educated, however career options for women were more focused on education, nursing, fashion, and social work. Still there were some women who found successful careers as lawyers, journalists or doctors however it was difficult and rare for a woman to find these fields as
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successful as men. Hierarchy of Business ○ https://www.hierarchystructure.com/business-organization-hierarchy/
EPISODE II - At Home ●
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Mother/Daughter relationships in the 1920s ○ There was a culture of “smother love” and mothers not letting their daughters breathe. Writer John Watson warned against mothers coddling their children and suggested that mothers avoid physical contact and that their behavior towards them should “always be objective and kindly firm.” ○ Dr. L. Emmett Holt published a book on child rearing in 1894 that discouraged physical contact and emotional involvement from the mother. Holt theorized that mothers should not pick up crying babies because they would become spoiled if overly handled. He wrote, "Babies under six months old should never be played with; and the less of it at any time the better for the infant." Diet in the 1920s ○ The intense consumer culture projected the illusion that people should constantly want more and better for themselves than what they had or looked like. Certain products would make people happier, more complete, healthier, more successful. This led to a culture of getting “slimmer” and more “perfect.” It was believed that the way people looked and what products they used had an intrinsic value to them ○ “Reducing” was the main diet fad - special creams, soaps, and tablets were created as fat reducing products Marriage was not as common in the 1920s as it had been in previous eras. Women started to openly claim their independence and desire for freedom. 8 out of 1,000 marriages from the ‘20s ended in divorce. Married women were expected to be submissive to their husbands because they were already considered “good enough” to marry. Men were expected to provide the income that women used to uphold the home. If a woman didn’t have a job, she had to rely on a man to support her. Most married women became housewives and their primary focus was taking care of their children. They were expected to not have jobs and focus solely on supporting the household. Mother song Home song Hand care in the 1920s ○ Nails - the most popular nail polish brand was a formula derived from glossy paint for cars that was discovered by Michelle Manard. This eventually became the
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formula used by the nail polish brand Revlon. and the “moon manicure” was the big style trend. This style was a result of the emergence of the Art Deco movement. Women favored bold but feminine colors such as bright pinks, bold reds, and light purples
Bleaches were recommended to lighten the skin on hands, especially during the evening when hands would like brighter.
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To protect their hands, women were advised to wear gloves when venturing outdoors and to apply soothing or softening preparations overnight. The use of “cosmetic gloves,” was widespread and women wore them while they were sleeping. They were designed to soften and whiten the skin and required a formula that was to be brushed on the inside of gloves, typically made of dog skin. ■ 2 egg yolks ■ 2 tablespoons of sweet almond oil ■ 2.5 teaspoons of tincture of benzoin ■ 1 tablespoon of rose water
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Beat them well together, and keep in a closely corked bottle. The gloves should be freshly painted every night, and the same pair should not be used longer than two weeks. http://cosmeticsandskin.com/fgf/hand-creams.php https://www.inspirationail.com/history-20s/ Filth How women crossed their legs (both standing and sitting): http://glamourdaze.com/2014/03/1920s-fashion-flappers-look-to-your-legs.html $0.25 = $3.49 Salary of garbage man was $240 ($3,413.14 today)
EPISODE III - Honeymoon ●
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Husband’s stories ○ Pullman porter - men hired to work on the railroads as porters on sleeping cars. ○ Tart - a woman who dresses or behaves in a way that is considered tasteless and sexually provocative. $12 = $153.29 Women were expected to know nothing about sex before their wedding night. The less a woman knew, the more attractive she was to her husband. The husband was supposed to introduce his wife to sex. It was also believed that the presence of married sex kept women sane. “It is necessary that the virgin should not enter the married state without even theoretical knowledge of sex. Those who counsel such unenlightenment are unconsciously guilty of cruelty. Many young wives have considered themselves the subjects of outrage on the bridal night. There have been cases of sudden disappearance and flight on the eve of wedding. Now and then one reads a painful report of suicide at this crisis in a girl's life.” (Psychology of Marriage) http://theweek.com/articles/457268/advice-wedding-night-from-100-years-ago Garter - a band worn around the leg to keep up a stocking or sock
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Racy jokes/limericks in the 1920s Sophie Tucker ○ Sophie Tucker was a comedian, actress, and radio personality. ○ After leaving producers who forced her to wear blackface during her performances to distract from her size, she became popular by integrating “fat girl” humor and her Jewish heritage into her acts. She was also one of the first singers to bring jazz to white vaudeville audiences. ○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEAPbn7rgU8 Atlantic City in the 1920s ○ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/real-boardwalk-empire-gallery-1.9027 0 ○ Enoch L. “Nucky” Johnson was a gangster who ran Atlantic City and monitored all of the illegal booze, prostitution, and money flowing in and out of the boardwalk. ○ Nucky and other crime bosses met in Atlantic City in 1929 to discuss organizing the world into a “National Crime Syndicate.” This is considered one of the earliest “crime summits” held in the U.S. ○ Atlantic City was the birthplace of the beauty parades and bathing suit pageants that would lead to the famed Miss America contest.
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It was also home to the Atlantic City Speedway where car races took place. Atlantic City attracted people who were down on their luck, mobsters, B-list celebrities, and other criminals in general, especially ones who were on the run.
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Window treatments were either fabric shades or Venetian blinds. Blinds were more common in offices, however.
EPISODE IV - Maternal ●
“In 1921, approximately 18,000 American women died during childbirth. In 1920, 248,432 American children under the age of five had died. The harsh reality that childbirth was a potentially deadly proposition and that youngsters were susceptible to a range of possibly fatal maladies resulted in swift government action. Child hygiene information was made available to parents. Public health and infant welfare services
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were established. Six national health groups united to form the American Child Health Organization. President Herbert Hoover helped raise funds to support health education.” Young Woman most likely gave birth in the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital in the Jersey City Medical Center, which was the biggest maternity hospital in the world at the time. Construction on the Maternity Hospital started in 1928 and was finished in 1931. It was built to combat the shortage and inconvenience of maternity care facilities beforehand Treatment of patients had just moved from the setting of the home to hospitals. Hospitals were considered more scientific institutions than places of care. It was believed that spontaneous labor was harmful for the mother and child. Young Woman “was most likely to be attended by a doctor who believed childbirth was a ‘pathologic process’ and that ‘normal deliveries’ were so rare that every procedure must be used, according to Dr. Joseph DeLee, author of the most frequently used obstetric textbook of the time. Hence, doctors routinely forcibly dilated the cervix, gave ether during the second stage of labor, cut an episiotomy, delivered the baby with forceps, extracted the placenta, gave medications for the uterus to contract and then stitched up the episiotomy.” (Cosmopolitan) Women were usually confined to their beds for 2 weeks after giving birth How to check a pulse: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3756652/ Healthcare/insurance was highly privatized and available mainly to the upper classes. Women weren’t allowed to hold jobs during their pregnancy. The first epidural wasn’t done until 1931 and injections weren’t common until the 1980s. Husbands typically weren’t allowed in delivery rooms, as the doctors found them distracting. Both parents found this unfavorable and a movement began to form to advocate for fathers to be in the delivery room during birth. Postpartum depression - the type of depression you may get after you have a baby. It can start any time during your baby’s first year, but it’s most common for you to start to feel its effects during the first 3 weeks after birth. If you have it, you might feel sad, hopeless, and guilty because you may not feel like you want to bond with, or care for, your baby. In the 1800s, doctors didn’t hold much power and it was seen as an “eclectic” career. It only became more important in the public’s eye towards the end of the 1800s. By the 1920s, it was seen as a disciplined, state-licensed, but still self-regulating profession “which had consolidated its social and political power and established a virtual monopoly over health care.” (The Power of the Doctors) “The American College of Surgeons (ACS) was founded which imposed strict standards of membership. Of 692 large hospitals examined in 1918, only 13% were approved by ACS, but by 1932, 93% of 1600 large hospitals examined met ACS requirements, again an improvement that came with an overall increase in medical cost. A typical physician in 1913 averaged only $500 to $700/year, only a little more than the income made by the American manual laboring classes.”
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The ACS educated doctors and imposed stricter requirements, better facilities, higher fees, and tougher standards. This was originally advocated by Abraham Flexner of the Carnegie Foundation. ○ $500 = $6,977.80 ○ $700 = $9,768.92 After World War I, nurses were in high demand to help fight off tuberculosis, improve maternity and infant care, and taking healthcare to rural areas. Nursing schools were crowded and the field soon became oversaturated with nurses. By the end of the 1920s, the number of working nurses had almost doubled from 150,000 to 294,000. ○ Timeline of nursing history in the 1920s: https://www.wsna.org/about/centennial/1920s Graves’ Disease - an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones. Symptoms include anxiety/irritability, fine tremor of hands/fingers, heat sensitivity/increase in perspiration, reduced libido, fatigue, palpitations. Women during the early twentieth century claimed to have suffered from nervous disorders such as hysteria and neurasthenia, and some believe that it had been caused by the stress of the rapid changes in a modern society. Common symptoms of hysteria include sleeplessness, anorexia, irritability, nervousness, and desire. Treadwell suffered from neurasthenia. Electrotherapy was commonly used to help relieve patients of these nervous symptoms. Treadwell spent time in a sanitarium where she was treated for her condition. References in end monologue ○ St. Peter - Peter, who was also known as Simon Peter of Cephas, is considered the first Pope. Despite his papacy, Peter had humble beginnings and became one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Keeper of the keys to the kingdom; guard of Heaven ○ Vixen - In Greek mythology, the Teumessian fox, or Cadmean vixen, was a gigantic fox that was destined never to be caught. It was said that it had been sent by the gods to prey upon the children of Thebes as a punishment for a national crime. ○ Mary - a 1st-century BC Galilean Jewish woman of Nazareth, and the mother of Jesus, according to the New Testament and the Quran ○ Puffie - mythical monster/creature that had children
EPISODE V - Prohibited ●
Prohibition Era (1920 - 1933) - when the 18th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution banned the sale, manufacturing and transportation of alcoholic beverages. This invited the interest of bootleggers and highlighted the age’s burgeoning gang culture. ○ Speakeasy - also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages.
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LGBTQ+ culture in the 1920s ○ Gay men and women led flourishing, open lives. Beginning in the 1890s, gay life was a huge part of the social culture of many neighborhoods in New York. Gay and straight people mingled at speakeasies, cabarets, and saloons. They even hosted drag balls to entertain both gay and straight patrons. ○ There was a strong cultural world that had its own language, customs, and history. Gay writers, actors, and musicians performed distinctive gay literature and art. They even performed on Broadway in the late ‘20s. ○ Gay culture even made its way into blues music. Some lyrics reference homosexual behavior, and while it wasn’t celebrated, it certainly wasn’t degraded. It was accepted as a part of sexuality, which the blues often made reference to. ○ Speakeasies usually allowed gay and straight patrons to mingle, but there were quite a few speakeasies in Harlem specifically for the gay population. ■ Edmond’s Cellar ■ Lulu’s Belle - popular hangout for drag queens ■ Hot Cha - popular among gay black men ■ Harry Hansberry’s Clam House - the most popular of all gay speakeasies; featured Gladys Bentley, a lesbian performer Illegal abortion was responsible for at least 14 percent of the nation's maternal mortality “Fairy” - derogatory term for flamboyant gay man Sherry - fortified after fermentation with high-proof brandy, to about 16–18 percent alcohol, depending upon type. The main styles of sherries, listed from driest and palest to sweetest and darkest are fino, manzanilla, amontillado, oloroso, cream, and Pedro Ximénez. Amontillado - 17.5% alcohol “They’re stung!” - to cheat or take advantage of, especially to overcharge Bird - girl/young woman; especially a girlfriend Edgar Allan Poe - American writer; potentially queer? Paul-Marie Verlaine - French poet; met a man and abandoned his wife and child; poems were about his lover and missing his wife; also fell in love with one of his students One room apartment in the West 40s: $179.14 - 214.97 $0.50 = $6.39 How women crossed their legs (both standing and sitting): http://glamourdaze.com/2014/03/1920s-fashion-flappers-look-to-your-legs.html
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Social etiquette ○ Leave items (hats, umbrellas, coats, etc.) in the hallway. However, unlike men, women weren’t required to do this. Hats were often pinned to their hair and considered part of the outfit and they were allowed to move in and out of different spaces with their hats on. Women would usually take their hats off in places they were comfortable. Women also usually wore hats to the office. ○ Gloves were only removed if the lady was going to eat. They were also considered part of the outfit. ○ Only shake a lady’s hand if she goes to shake it first ○ Never stare at objects or people ○ Open the door for a woman, even if it means crossing the room ○ Men were not to show visible signs of emotion ○ https://prezi.com/i0pq2sj8jbpb/social-etiquette-of-the-1920s/ ○ Kissing someone’s hand was very uncommon in the U.S. and usually only done in foreign courts
EPISODE VI - Intimate ●
“Cielito Lindo” - is a popular Mexican song from a Spanish copla, popularized in 1882 by Mexican author Quirino Mendoza y Cortés. It is roughly translated as "Lovely Sweet One". Although the word cielo means "sky" or "heaven", it is also a term of endearment comparable to sweetheart or honey. Cielito, the diminutive, can be translated as
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"sweetie"; lindo m eans "cute", "lovely" or "pretty". Sometimes the song is known by words from the refrain, "Canta y no llores" or simply the "Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay song". ○ https://www.youtube.com/embed/U5RC3BJ2PMo "Song for Hal (Every Little Wave Had Its Nightcap On)" by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards. It's a nursery rhyme about washing your hair. It probably dates back to 1890 and there's no official recording. ○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwPqK33CvM4 ○ http://machinalclass.tumblr.com/post/76334066756/song-for-hal-or-every-little-wa ve-had-its ○ https://fajrdrako.dreamwidth.org/1108718.html Dago - an ethnic slur referring to Italians and people of Italian origin or ethnicity and sometimes Spaniards and the Portuguese Tar weed - a flower in the sunflower family that is known for its sticky leaves and smell, which has been likened to paint thinner
Volupte - rich and intense pleasure, especially sexual pleasure; in Roman mythology, Voluptas or Volupta, according to Apuleius, is the daughter born from the union of Cupid and Psyche. She is often found in the company of the Gratiae, or Three Graces, and she is known as the goddess of "sensual pleasures", "voluptas" meaning "pleasure" or "delight". Twin Peaks, San Francisco, California
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Chinese water lily - native to central and eastern Asia
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Rio Grande - one of the principal rivers in the southwest United States and northern Mexico. The Rio Grande begins in south-central Colorado in the United States and flows to the Gulf of Mexico
EPISODE VII - Domestic ●
Divan - a sofa without a back or arms
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Davenport sofa - the name of a series of sofas made by the Massachusetts furniture manufacturer A. H. Davenport and Company, now defunct. Due to the popularity of the furniture at the time, the name davenport became a trademark
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Revolutions below the Rio Grande Huckster - a person who sells small items, either door-to-door or from a stall or small store.
EPISODE VIII - The Law ●
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Crime in the 1920s ○ Due to prohibition, organized crime was very common and the leaders of these organizations, such as Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, and John Dillinger, were looked at as heroes. Organized crime and gangsters provided alcohol in speakeasies. They also operated speakeasies. Due to this, there was an explosive growth in crime. Although prohibition ended in 1933, the power and wealth organized crime had gained continued to have influence long into the future. ○ Jobs were scarce and joining a gang was a dangerous, but easy way to make money. ○ Bribing government officials was also common. ○ 66-75% of all murders in the 1920s remained unsolved. There were no crime labs or sophisticated technology used to look at evidence today. Fingerprinting was relatively useless unless you had a suspect already imprisoned. However, if someone did commit a murder, it was relatively easy for them to leave and never be found. There were no social security numbers, credit cards, or communication between police departments in different states. Law clerk - an assistant to a judge, typically a recent law-school graduate, whose function is to do legal research, help write opinions, and provide general assistance Bailiff - an official in a court of law who keeps order, looks after prisoners, etc. Lawyer for defense - 1) the attorney representing the defendant in a lawsuit or criminal prosecution. 2) a lawyer who regularly represents defendants who have insurance and who is chosen by the insurance company. 3) a lawyer who regularly represents criminal defendants. Attorneys who regularly represent clients in actions for damages are often called "plaintiff's attorneys." ○ Defendant - an individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law Lawyer for persecution - the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial against an individual accused of breaking the law. Court reporter - a person employed to transcribe speech from legal proceedings, typically via stenography “Modern idea of separate beds” ○ Some late 19th century doctors claimed that sleeping in separate beds reduced the risk of disease transmission.
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In the ‘20s, this arrangement took on a political aspect - it showed that men and women were equal and that their relationship was based on more than just sex. The moon was full on June 3, 1928. ○ https://www.calendar-12.com/moon_phases/1928 Rubber gloves - refer to Episode II research Affidavit - a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation, for use as evidence in court Notary - a person authorized to perform certain legal formalities, especially to draw up or certify contracts, deeds, and other documents for use in other jurisdictions Consul - an official appointed by the government of one country to look after its
commercial interests and the welfare of its citizens in another country ●
Guanajato, Mexico
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Subpoena - a writ ordering a person to attend a court Stigma of divorce in 1928 - see Episode II Paramour - a lover, especially the illicit partner of a married person Peignoir - a woman's light dressing gown
EPISODE IX - A Machine ●
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Religion’s role in the 1920s ○ After World War I, people began to rediscover old values. Fundamentalist Christianity emerged. ○ However, the War also caused many people to turn from religion. A debate sprung up between evolutionists and the religious population. ○ Most notably, the Scopes Trial occurred in 1925, which accused high school teacher John Scopes of teaching human evolution. This was in violation of Tennessee’s Butler Act (1925), which banned evolution from being taught in state-funded schools. Scopes was nominally arrested on the charge. Matron - a woman who acts as a supervisor or monitor in a public institution, such as a school, hospital, or prison. Negro spiritual - Spirituals are generally Christian songs that were created by African Americans. Spirituals were originally an oral tradition that imparted Christian values while also describing the hardships of slavery. Aeronautic advancement in the 1920s ○ World War I hastened aeronautic development. After the war, pilots would fly to small towns and fairs and show off their flying skill. They would also charge people for short rides. ○ By the early 1920s, they were much more durable and able to travel farther with heavier loads. ○ In 1927 the first “airport” was set up in Dearborn, Michigan. It consisted of a waiting room and a ticket booth. Most existing airports were just open fields. By 1929, various passenger terminals were built in a few commercial airports. ○ In 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh flew the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight from Long Island to Paris in a tiny plane called “The Spirit of St. Louis.” Prisons in the 1920s ○ There were only state prisons ○ From 1925 to 1939, the nation’s incarceration rate climbed from 79 to 137 people per 100,000 ○ To reduce the cost of overcrowding prisoners, sometimes prisoners would be sent to different state prisons. ○ “Donald Clemmer published The Prison Community (1940), based upon his research within Menard State Prison in Illinois. Clemmer described the inmates' informal social system or inmate subculture as being governed by a convict code, which existed beside and in opposition to the institution's official rules. He also outlined a process of socialization that was undergone by entering prisoners. Clemmer defined this prisonization as "the taking on in greater or less degree of the folkways, mores, customs, and general culture of the penitentiary."
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Adding machine - a class of mechanical calculator, usually specialized for bookkeeping calculations Adding clerk - the person who operated the adding machine Affidavit - a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation, for use as evidence in court Amontillado - 17.5% alcohol Bailiff - an official in a court of law who keeps order, looks after prisoners, etc. Bird - girl/young woman; especially a girlfriend Chinese water lily - native to central and eastern Asia “Cielito Lindo” - is a popular Mexican song from a Spanish copla, popularized in 1882 by Mexican author Quirino Mendoza y Cortés (c. 1862–1957). It is roughly translated as "Lovely Sweet One". Although the word cielo means "sky" or "heaven", it is also a term of endearment comparable to sweetheart or honey. Cielito, the diminutive, can be translated as "sweetie"; lindo m eans "cute", "lovely" or "pretty". Sometimes the song is known by words from the refrain, "Canta y no llores" or simply the "Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay song". ○ https://www.youtube.com/embed/U5RC3BJ2PMo Consul - an official appointed by the government of one country to look after its
commercial interests and the welfare of its citizens in another country ● ● ●
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Court reporter - a person employed to transcribe speech from legal proceedings, typically via stenography Dago - an ethnic slur referring to Italians and people of Italian origin or ethnicity and sometimes Spaniards and the Portuguese Davenport sofa - the name of a series of sofas made by the Massachusetts furniture manufacturer A. H. Davenport and Company, now defunct. Due to the popularity of the furniture at the time, the name davenport became a trademark Defendant - an individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law Divan - a sofa without a back or arms Edgar Allan Poe - American writer; potentially queer? “Fairy” - derogatory term for flamboyant gay man Filing clerk - keep files and documents organized for companies. File clerks work with both paper documents and electronic files, and do routine tasks like data entry, organization, cross-referencing, scanning, copying and retrieval. Garter - a band worn around the leg to keep up a stocking or sock Graves’ Disease - an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones. Symptoms include anxiety/irritability, fine tremor of hands/fingers, heat sensitivity/increase in perspiration, reduced libido, fatigue, palpitations. “Haste makes waste” - acting too quickly may result in slowing things down; in the person’s rush, they may forget to do things “Hew to the line” - uphold, closely conform; a line marked along the length of a log indicating where to chop in order to shape a beam.
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“Hot dog!” - exclamation of delight/enthusiastic approval Huckster - a person who sells small items, either door-to-door or from a stall or small store. “It gives a line” - to lead someone on Law clerk - an assistant to a judge, typically a recent law-school graduate, whose function is to do legal research, help write opinions, and provide general assistance Lawyer for defense - 1) the attorney representing the defendant in a lawsuit or criminal prosecution. 2) a lawyer who regularly represents defendants who have insurance and who is chosen by the insurance company. 3) a lawyer who regularly represents criminal defendants. Attorneys who regularly represent clients in actions for damages are often called "plaintiff's attorneys." Lawyer for persecution - the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial against an individual accused of breaking the law. Mary - a 1st-century BC Galilean Jewish woman of Nazareth, and the mother of Jesus, according to the New Testament and the Quran Matron - a woman who acts as a supervisor or monitor in a public institution, such as a school, hospital, or prison. Neckers - a girl who wraps her arms around her boyfriend’s neck Negro spiritual - Spirituals are generally Christian songs that were created by African Americans. Spirituals were originally an oral tradition that imparted Christian values while also describing the hardships of slavery. Neurasthenia - a nervous disorder that some believe had been caused by the stress of the rapid changes in a modern society. Common symptoms include sleeplessness, anorexia, irritability, nervousness, and desire. Notary - a person authorized to perform certain legal formalities, especially to draw up or certify contracts, deeds, and other documents for use in other jurisdictions Paramour - a lover, especially the illicit partner of a married person Paul-Marie Verlaine - French poet; met a man and abandoned his wife and child; poems were about his lover and missing his wife; also fell in love with one of his students Peignoir - a woman's light dressing gown Petters - “pet” = “neck” = “passionate kiss”; passionate kissers Postpartum depression - the type of depression you may get after you have a baby. It can start any time during your baby’s first year, but it’s most common for you to start to feel its effects during the first 3 weeks after birth. If you have it, you might feel sad, hopeless, and guilty because you may not feel like you want to bond with, or care for, your baby. Prohibition Era (1920 - 1933) - when the 18th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution banned the sale, manufacturing and transportation of alcoholic beverages. This invited the interest of bootleggers and highlighted the age’s burgeoning gang culture.
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Pullman porter - men hired to work on the railroads as porters on sleeping cars. Rio Grande - one of the principal rivers in the southwest United States and northern Mexico. The Rio Grande begins in south-central Colorado in the United States and flows to the Gulf of Mexico Sherry - fortified after fermentation with high-proof brandy, to about 16–18 percent alcohol, depending upon type. The main styles of sherries, listed from driest and palest to sweetest and darkest are fino, manzanilla, amontillado, oloroso, cream, and Pedro Ximénez. "Song for Hal (Every Little Wave Had Its Nightcap On)" by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards. It's a nursery rhyme about washing your hair. It probably dates back to 1890 and there's no official recording. ○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwPqK33CvM4 ○ http://machinalclass.tumblr.com/post/76334066756/song-for-hal-or-every-little-wa ve-had-its ○ https://fajrdrako.dreamwidth.org/1108718.html Speakeasy - also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages. St. Peter - Peter, who was also known as Simon Peter of Cephas, is considered the first Pope. Despite his papacy, Peter had humble beginnings and became one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Keeper of the keys to the kingdom; guard of Heaven Stenographer - a person whose job is to transcribe speech in shorthand. Subpoena - a writ ordering a person to attend a court Tar weed - a flower in the sunflower family that is known for its sticky leaves and smell, which has been likened to paint thinner Tart - a woman who dresses or behaves in a way that is considered tasteless and sexually provocative. “They’re stung!” - to cheat or take advantage of, especially to overcharge Vixen - In Greek mythology, the Teumessian fox, or Cadmean vixen, was a gigantic fox that was destined never to be caught. It was said that it had been sent by the gods to prey upon the children of Thebes as a punishment for a national crime. Volupte - rich and intense pleasure, especially sexual pleasure; in Roman mythology, Voluptas or Volupta, according to Apuleius, is the daughter born from the union of Cupid and Psyche. She is often found in the company of the Gratiae, or Three Graces, and she is known as the goddess of "sensual pleasures", "voluptas" meaning "pleasure" or "delight".