Soldier Poets (from 'Songs of the Fighting Men': 1916)The attached essay by Galloway Kyle (b.1871) concerns World War I poetry and served as the preface for his 1916 anthology titled Soldier Poets: Songs of the Fighting Men . David Lloyd George (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)An article that served to introduce American readers to the new British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George (1863 - 1945), who replaced the incompetent wartime leader Herbert Henry Asquith (1852 - 1928).
The article concentrates primarily on the radical instinct and liberal leanings of the new premier, who is often remembered as the Prime Minister who laid the foundations of the British nanny-state.
In 1940 Lloyd George wrote an editorial in which he condemned the leaders of Europe for procrastinating rather than dealing with Hitler when Germany was still weak Click here to read it.
An Interview with Woodrow Wilson (Collier;s Magazine, 1916)In 1916 Ida Tarbell (1857 - 1944) interviewed President Woodrow Wilson and came away with these impressions:
"The common things of life interest him, and this fact somewhere strengthens enormously the estimate which any candid examination of his career forces, and that is that here at last we have a president whose real interest in life centers around the common man and on whom we can count to serve that man so far as his ability goes." Gaudier-Brzeska (Literary Digest, 1916)Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891 - 1915) was an avant-garde sculptor of the Vorticist school. Prior to the war he resided in London and broke bread with the talented Bohemians of that burg, and this article is composed of snippets of text from a remembrance written by his close friend, Ezra Pound.
To read more about Gaudier-Brzeska, click here The British Aristocracy and the Great War (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)The 1914 social register for London did not go to press until 1915, so great was the task of assessing the butcher's bill paid by that tribe. The letters written from camp and the front by those privileged young men all seemed to give thanks that their youth had been matched "with this hour" and that they might be able to show to one and all that they were worthy.
"...For not even in the Great Rebellion against Charles I did the nobility lose so many of its members as the list of casualties of the present war displays. In the first sixteen months of operations no less than eight hundred men of title were killed in action, or died of their wounds, and over a thousand more were serving with the land or sea forces."
A similar article can be read here...
Click here to read about the W.W. I efforts of Prince Edward, the future Duke of Windsor.
Click here to read another article about the old European order. Masculine Shopping (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)1916 was a poor year if you happened to be a German sailor off the coast of Denmark; it was a simply awful year if you were in the infantry on the Somme or near Verdun; but if you were an American fellow enjoying his nation's neutrality and you happened at some point to have been shopping for the the perfect riding suit on Madison Avenue, then OldMagazineArticles.com is quite certain that 1916 was a great year for you! Attached, you will find a wonderful article about the 1916 offerings for the horseback riding man. If you would like to read another article about men's equestrian attire, please click here. The Experiences of a Bombardier in the Young French Air Corps (Vanity Fair, 1916)In this letter from the artist Bernard Boutet de Monvel (1884 - 1949) the fellow explains thoroughly his thoughts and adventures as a bombardier in a Vosin bi-plane; experiences which contrast greatly with his days in the trenches and he writes well on the feelings of loneliness that an aviator can experience at 2000 feet. For those who are interested in learning about the living conditions and daily life of World War One pilot officers this article can only help you. The Tennis Blazer (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)This article dates to a the dear, dead days when tennis balls were white and landscapers (rather than diesel machinery) were relied upon to make tennis courts; it was also a time when the abilities of a skilled tailor were required for tennis clothing. These court-side stylists would not simply monitor the drape of tennis trousers but they would anticipate the unspoken needs of their tennis dandies - and in so doing, the tennis blazer was born. A Very Short English French Dictionary of Shopping Terms (Soldier's French Course, 1916)Here is a seventeen word offering of English to French fashion terms for those wishing to improve their early Twentieth Century Paris shopping abilities; accompanied by a terribly charming illustration. W.W. I and French Women (Vanity Fair, 1916)Here are five quick sketches by the French artist Rabajoi depicting the women of France fulfilling their various obligations as "Mariannes", as sweethearts and as family members.
World War I Fashions in the Spring of 1916 (Strauss Magazine, 1916)Assorted dry observations regarding what the women of Gotham were sporting that last American Spring of peace (Congress would declare war on Germany during the April of 1917). Trench French (Soldier's French Course, 1916)Here is a collection of French phrases and military vocabulary terms uttered in the combat zones of W.W. I. Translated expressions include the standard commands as well as such bon mots as "shell the fort", "the walls are shattered", "the place is evacuated" and for all those World War Two re-enactors, "Retreat!".
Click here to read about a case of French Friendly-Fire... Above Verdun (Cambridge Magazine, 1916)ARBEITER ZEITUNG, a Viennese newspaper, quoted the following swelled with hubris recalling his flight over crushed French Village in the Verdun sector: "I felt like a king, loaded with my bombs... I flew over Saint Privat quite low, so that I could see all the houses, and if I dropped my bombs there, I should have been able to to destroy half the village..." The Critics of the Russian Ballet (Vanity Fair, 1916)Man of letters and all-around swell-guy Frank Moore Colby (1865 - 1925) had a good time reading the flowery writing of the Ballet Connoisseurs who write for the New York papers...
Silent Films and the Lexicographers (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916)This small notice appeared on the pages of the March, 1916, issue of MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE reporting that the overwhelming popularity of the new entertainment medium, and the public's curiosity with the manner in which they are produced, is beginning to have an impact on the everyday language of the English-speaking world:
"When a thing takes hold of a whole people its idiom enters the language; its individual verbiage begins to limber-up the common speech."
"So the idiom of active photography has entered the English language, at least wherever the English language is Americanized. The self-conscious valedictorian is told not 'to look into the camera'. The reporter writing of a street murder terms his description of the underlying cause a 'cut-back'." - and most interestingly, one of the most popular elements of Hollywood verbiage is mentioned as having been noticed by the lexicographers: "close-up".
The N.Y. TIMES reported that the verb "to film" was entered into the dictionary in 1914,. Mary Pickford: An Appreciation (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916)I haven't a clue as to whether California lawyers had the "Restraining Order" as one of the tools in their arsenal back in 1916; but if they had, Mary Pickford might have chosen to deploy just such a legal measure in order to defend herself from this obsessed fan who wrote the following essay for the editors of MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE:
"She is adorably feminine, from her curls to her toes. In Tess , Caprice, the forlorn waif of the desert island in "Hearts Adrift", she is feminine in everything she does. She can storm, but she storms like a warm-hearted, human woman, not a virago; she can coquette , but it is never the cold blooded type of flirting; Mary Pickford couldn't be cold blooded if she tried. Men of all ages, women of all types, children of both sexes respond to this wonderful little girl in a manner no other star is able to arouse. They are all good and have done some wonderful work, but Mary is child, sweetheart and friend of the whole world, and no one can ever take her place in our hearts."
Click here to read a 1923 comparison between Norma Talmadge and Mary Pickford. Sniper Scopes Compared (Literary Digest, 1916)By enlarge, this article is a mildly technical piece that compares the German sniper scopes used during W.W. I to those of the British; happily, the amusing part of this essay is contained in the opening paragraph in which a British Tommy returning from the front, is quoted as exclaiming:
"German snipers are better shots than the English because their rifles have telescopic sights that are illuminated at night."
Equestrian Attire (Vanity Fair Magazine 1916)1916 was a poor year if you happened to be a German sailor off the coast of Denmark; it was a terrible year if you were in the infantry on the Somme or near Verdun but if you were an American man fond of horseback riding and you happened to have been shopping for the perfect riding suit on Madison Avenue, then OldMagazineArticles.com is quite certain that 1916 was a great year for you! If you would like to read another article about men's equestrian attire, please click here. Music's Debt to the Ballet (Literary Digest, 1916)"Some of our music critics look askance at the Russian Ballet, and apparently, only deign to notice it at all because the music employed is such as falls within their province to review. Having the task forced upon them, they relieve their feelings by deploring the forced association of, for example, Schumann and patterning feet..." Harsh Words for the Futurists (Vanity Fair, 1916)Writing for one of the earliest issues of VANITY FAIR, playwright and culture critic Mary Cass Canfield slammed some nails into the Futurist coffin a wee bit prematurely in this critical essay titled "The Passing of the Futurists".
*Watch a Color Slide Show Featuring the Paintings of Gino Severini* Butlers (Vanity Fair, 1916)Some witty words on the topic of butlers; what to expect from butlers, the treatment of butlers and how exactly one should be butled "It is not easy to butle, but it is still more difficult to be butled to..." Augustus John on the British Homefront (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)A war-time interview with the Welsh painter Augustus John (1878 - 1961). Sergei Diaghilev and Russian Art (Vanity Fair, 1916) Grim Determination on the German Home Front (Literary Digest, 1916)This report, filed from Switzerland, stood in stark contrast to hundreds of other articles previously published by the Allied presses that reported how regretful the Germans were for having provoked war and how economic privations were making them even more-so. This unnamed journalist insisted that the German home front that he saw in 1916 was composed of a proud and determined people who were fully prepared to see the war through to a German victory.
The Noises of Battle (The Cambridge Magazine, 1916)This letter is very short and was composed by a German soldier who is simply identified as "a socialist". Writing to his wife from the war-torn Eastern European front in Moldavia, he describes what the man-made Hell of industrial war was like - the gas shells, the grenades, the ceaseless rattle of machine guns and the never ending groans of the wounded. The soldier concludes that if only the kings who were responsible for the war could witness this carnage for only fifteen minutes, then surely the war would end.
Click here to read about the foreign-born soldiers who served in the American Army of the First World War. Movie Ushers (Vanity Fair, 1916)A word on movie ushers and those darn flash lights...
Wars Affect the Art of a Nation (Literary Digest, 1916)Various musings concerning the influences that war has had on art through the centuries are discussed in this article, with particular attention paid to the historical belief that wars are won by those nations that host the more vibrant and original arts communities. Liquid Fire (Literary Digest, 1916)- A well-illustrated article which sought to explain to American readers the workings of one of the most heinous inventions of the First World War:
"This idea of projecting upon the adverse trenches and their occupants a rain of liquid fire was no sudden afterthought of the German mind. It was conceived, studied, and perfected for several years before the war, and its history may be traced in the German patent office." War Poet Charles Hamilton Sorely Reviewed
(Times Literary Supplement, 1916)THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT reviewed the third edition to Charles Hamilton Sorely's (1895 - 1915) collection, Marlborough and Other Poems, with particular attention paid to an addition to that volume called "Illustrations in Prose".
Sorely reminisced about his days before the war when he was briefly enrolled as a student at the University of Jena. During the war Sorely served in the Suffolk Regiment and was killed in the battle of Loos during the autumn of 1915. Trench Warfare Tips from a Veteran (NY Times, 1916)An experienced Canadian trench fighter wrote the attached columns offering sound advice to the American National Guardsmen he knew were bound to enter the war at some point.
"Men enthuse over descriptions of bayonet charges. They are no idle pastimes, so it behooves all soldiers not only to become absolutely perfect in bayonet exercises, but to practice getting under way, keeping abreast with your mates and having a firm hold on your rifle. The soldier may say, 'Oh, that bayonet exercise isn't practical in a charge." No? Very well, that may appear right to some, but I should advise every one knowing every parry, thrust and counter so thoroughly that after they become second nature you can then do whatever your intuition at the moment directs."
Top-Drawer Golf Accessories (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)A quick look at some of the golf shoe offerings from the spring of 1916. Ties for the sport are also pictured, as is a portable ash-tray for use on the links. ''Dogs of Battle, Dogs of Mercy''
(Vanity Fair, 1916)We are happy to say that in the course of performing our daily duties, the scanning and posting of historic magazine articles, no dogs were harmed in any way; but sadly no such boast can be made by any participant of the Great War. Published during the bloodiest year of that conflict, this VANITY FAIR MAGAZINE article lists a good many of the particular services dogs were trained to perform on behalf of their belligerent masters.
"The French war dogs are divided into five classes, each of which performs a special type of work. There are sentinel dogs, patrol dogs, ambulance dogs, dispatch dogs and drought dogs. In all these departments of military activity they have proved their worth."
Men's Clothing for the Spring of 1916 (Strauss Theater Magazine, 1916)"Twelvemonth ago, the war had sobered 'le monde ou l'on s'amuse' like an icy douche. Europe rang with the clump of tramping feet. Forked lightening seemed to lurk in the sky. In club cars of limited trains and smoke rooms of trans-Atlantic liners heads were put together and the air was as tense as a fiddle string... Fashion tipsters, with long ears and short sight, said that the world would put on black, and style was knocked in the head, and look for the deluge, and so on 'ad nauseum'"."
Blanche Sweet Interviewed (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916)An interview with the silent film actress, Blanche Sweet (1895-1986) who, at that point in her career, had been a "photoplayer" (ie. an actor) for only six years. Prior to her contract with The Lasky Company, where she was obliged to perform at the time of this interview, she had toiled in the vineyards of such studios as Reliance and Biograph (where she was nick-named, "The Biograph Blonde"). Unlike her co-swells in that young industry, who liked to read and re-read their recent interviews from Motion Picture Magazine while loitering around the sets, we read that Blanche Sweet was very fond of reading Tennyson, Kipling and the novels of Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946). During the course of her career she had appeared in well over one hundred films. Click here to read magazine articles about D.W. Griffith.
Click here to read articles about another Hollywood blonde: Marilyn Monroe. W.W. I and British Women (Collier's Magazine, 1916)"Woman's hour has come! One of the splendid things that have come out of the bloody carnage of war to challenge the admiration of the world is the heroic exhibition of physical strength and courage shown by the women of the belligerent countries. They are doing more than merely substituting at men's work. In England they are winning their struggle for equality with men."
Click here to read about the lot of French women during the First World War.
Obsessed with Hollywood Stars (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916)Attached is a single page cartoon from 1916 that illustrated quite clearly that the relationship between movie fans and their film star magazines have not changed at all during the past ninety years. Reprimand from the Trenches (Cambridge Magazine, 1916)This letter was clipped from a German newspaper and subsequently appeared in a British magazine some months later; it was written in response to a letter from a 13 year-old German girl who wrote to her brother at the front. She encouraged him in his sad, murderous work in her letter that was positively dripping with an affected air of trench-swagger. Outraged that his school-age sister should make such a vulgar suggestion, the soldier's response was admirable and seemed much like the prose of Erich Maria Remarque. Shopping for the Well-Dressed Golfer (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916) While so many European men were suffering on the Somme and at Verdun, some American fellows were having a swelligant time on the golf links; beautifully attired in linen golf clothes that are pictured in the accompanying attachment. Letter from a Veteran (NY Times, 1916)An experienced Canadian trench fighter gives some tips to an American Guardsman.
"Men enthuse over descriptions of bayonet charges. They are no idle pastimes, so it behooves all soldiers not only to become absolutely perfect in bayonet exercises, but to practice getting under way, keeping abreast with your mates and having a firm hold on your rifle. The soldier may say, 'Oh, that bayonet exercise isn't practical in a charge." No? Very well, that may appear right to some, but I should advise every one knowing every parry, thrust and counter so thoroughly that after they become second nature you can then do whatever your intuition at the moment directs." P.G. Wodehouse on the Virtues and Vices of Artists (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)Written under the pen name "P. Brooke-Haven", this very funny essay was in fact written by Vanity Fair's drama critic, P.G. Wodehouse, who attempted to understand the criminal nature of artists. Winston Churchill Steps Down as First Lord of the Admiralty (Vanity Fair, 1916)After the British withdrawal from Gallipoli it was time for the architect of the disaster, Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, to resign his office. Wishing to still play a part in the Great War, Churchill assumed the rank of Major with his old regiment, the Oxfordshire Hussars:
"To have been ruler of the King's Navy, and then to take a subordinate place in a trench in Flanders, involved a considerable change even for one whose life had been full of startling and dramatic moments".
Click here to read a review of Churchill's remembrance of World War I .
Click here to read about FDR as Under-Secretary of the Navy.
Scenario Writers and Plagiarism (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916)The attached is one from a series of articles that appeared in MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE penned by a Hollywood insider during the high-fashion days of silent film. The reader will be alarmed to read that even as early as 1916, "plot-stealing" and other forms of Hollywood plagiarism were in full swing.
A few weeks earlier, a California Representative had introduced an anti-plagiarism bill to Congress.
Click here to read about the Hollywood plagiarism game of 1935. Charlie Chaplin's Brother (Motion Pictur Magazine, 1916)It must have been a slow news week when the industrious reporters at MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE opted to write this piece about Sydney Chaplin (1885 – 1965),businessman, aviator, actor,(thirty-four films between 1914 and 1928) and occasional business partner to his younger super-star brother, Charlie: "Charlie Chaplin is small and thin. Sidney is tall and husky. Charlie is dark, with curly hair like a boy. His big brother is light, and looks like a big lumberman. Here is contrast indeed. Their natures are as different as the natures of a flee and a bee. To see them together one would not take them brothers..." Three years after this article was published, Syd Chaplin would started the first domestic airline company in the United States: The Syd Chaplin Airline, Co., which he saw fit to close when the U.S. government began to regulate pilots and all commercial flight ventures. A Predictable Silent Movie II (Punch Magazine, 1916)This cartoon is yet one more piece of evidence on this site that serves to show that silent movies, although compelling and at times addictive, were still recognized by some of the brighter members of society, to be highly predictable form of entertainment.
-an additional article from the 1920s defaming silent film can be read here...
Constantine Brancusi (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)An appreciative five paragraph essay saluting the Modernist sculptor Constantine Brancusi (1876 - 1957), accompanied by one black and white image of the artist's work, "The Doves". Much of the review concerns the poor relationship Brancusi had with Auguste Rodin (1840 - 1917) who
had been his teacher in earlier days.
Five French Cartoons (La Baionnette, 1916)Five remarkable color cartoons from France. Modern Satirical art at this time was exceptional. KEY WORDS: La Baionette 1914-1918,Cartoons 1916,French Cartoon 1916,Modern Satirical Art 1914-1918,Satiric Art 1916,Crown-Prince Wilhelm Cartoon 1916.
Click here to see how weird the first car radios looked. W.W. I and the Advancement of Prohibition (Literary Digest, 1916)Since the earliest days of World War I, the European combatant nations made some adjustments in regard to the sale of alcohol and the hours in which pubs could operate. When the U.S. entered the war in April of 1917, Congress decided that they had better do the same - but they were far more harsh on the topic - closing bars entirely and outlawing all wines and spirits - except for their use in religious sacraments. In the attached article journalist gathered data from various newspapers that were located in states that were already dry in order to study how the experiment was proceeding. New Portrait Busts by Jo Davidson (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)This single column reported on the 1916 busts that were created by the American sculptor Jo Davidson (1883 - 1952), during his tour of war-torn Europe.
By the end of the Twentieth Century, much of his work would be in the collections of many of the finest art museums, such as the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the U.S. Senate Art Collection and the National Statuary Hall, both in Washington. The Action-Back Jacket for the Golfing Man (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)Those young bucks who golfed and participated in other field and blood-sports during the early Twentieth Century were the lads who benefited most from the tailor's craft. Pictured here are details of the pivot-sleeve (later to be called the 'action-back'): a four button, deep-vented, self-belted, pleated golf jacket with matching knickers.
Also featured is a terribly natty English cheviot golf hat. Crepe de Chine Makes it's Appearance on the Tennis Court (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)In 1916 Coco Channel was not a household word in American fashion circles yet, but judging by this fashion editorial that appeared in Vanity Fair magazine, one can assume that her presence was being felt. Charlie Chaplin's Salary and Other Concerns (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916)This short column appeared in 1916 answering the question for so many concerning the salary of Charlie Chaplin who served as his own inspiration for his famous character, "the Little Tramp".
With the Germans on the Somme (The Cambridge Magazine, 1916)Throughout much of World War I, the German-American war correspondent Karl Von Wiegand (1874 - 1961) reported on the goings-on within the Kaiser's Army for an American new syndicate. As "luck" would have it, he happened to be in a front line German trench when the British Army launched their enormous attack on July 1, 1916. Here is one of his earlier dispatches from the German side:
"We stood awe-stricken. Mankind, like Frankenstein, was being devoured by the monster it had created". A Look at at What the Prohibition Amendment Might Look Like (The Outlook, 1916)Two years before the Prohibition Amendment would be passed, the New York State Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League, William H. Anderson (1874 - 1959), wrote this piece defending a draft of the amendment that was, at that time, sitting before Congress. Greenwich Village Bohemians (Vanity Fair, 1916)Robert Benchley (1889 - 1945) drama critic, humorist and actor. Upon graduating from from college (1912) he began his career writing for a number of New York papers. At the time this witty anthropological study of Greenwich Village wildlife was printed, Benchley was serving as a contributing editor for Conde Nast's 'Vanity Fair'. Click here if you would like to read a 1934 profile of Robert Benchley. World War I Fashions: Summer, 1916 (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)Ignoring the general unpleasantness taking place outside of town, the taste-makers of Paris soldiered-on as best they could, creating garments for the summer of 1916 that were both original and feminine and bore the mark of Paris' characteristic opulence.
Click here to read about the New York fashions of 1916. Paul Thevenaz: Rhythmatist Painter (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)A one page article regarding Swiss-born painter Paul Thevenaz (1891 - 1921) and his thoughts on the relationship between dance and modern painting. The article is accompanied by four of his portraits; the sitters were Jean Cocteau, Igor Stravinsky, the Comtesse E. De Beaumont and Comtesse Mathieu De Noailles.The profile was written by the novelist Marie Louise Van Saanen. Read a 1937 article about another gay artist: Paul Cadmus. Israel Zangwill and the Great War (The North American Review, 1916)Israel Zangwill (1864 - 1926) was a member of the Jewish literary society in Britain; he was an prominent lecturer, journalist, novelist and playwright. Today, however, he is mostly remembered for his efforts on behalf of the Zionist movement to establish a Jewish homeland. The following is a luke-warm book review from 1916 covering his collection of essays about World War I, The War for the World . The German Occupation of Manhattan (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)The famed Conde Nast illustrator from days of old, Ann Fish, assumed the nom de guerre, "Hello" in order to impart to her well-fed audience the terror of German Prussianism. In this cartoon, she illustrated what a German invasion of Manhattan would look like. Paris Fashion: Summer, 1916 (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)Paying no mind to the continuing unpleasantness that was taking place somewhere around the Somme (ie. W.W. I), the taste-makers of Paris soldiered-on and created garments for mid-summer that were original and feminine and bore the mark of Paris' characteristic opulence.
Legendary fashion designer Christian Dior had a good deal of trouble with people who would illegally copy his designs; click here to read about that part of fashion history.
Seussue Hayakawa (Photoplay Magazine, 1916)The attached article is about Sessue Hayakawa (1889 – 1973), the first Asian actor to achieve star status in Hollywood:
"No, Sessue Hayakawa, the world's most noted Japanese photoplay actor, does not dwell in a papier-mache house amid tea-cup scenery. He is working in pictures in Los Angeles, and he lives in a 'regular' bungalow, furnished in mission oak, and dresses very modishly according to American standards."
A Letter from a Bombardier in the French Air Corps (Vanity Fair, 1916)In the attached letter from the artist Bernard Boutet de Monvel (1884 - 1949), the artist explains thoroughly his thoughts and adventures as an bombardier in a Vosin biplane; experiences which contrast greatly with his days in the trenches and he writes well on the feelings of lonliness that an aviator can experience at 2000 feet. For those who are interested in learning about the living conditions and daily life of World War One pilot officers this article can only help you. Click here Pictures of Charlie Chaplin (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916)Attached are five assorted photographs of Charlie Chaplin as they appeared on the sleekly printed pages of a 1916 issue of MOTION PICTURE MAGAZINE. *Watch a Clip from a Charlie Chaplin Movie* ''Paul Verlaine in London'' (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)British poet and literary critic Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945) remembered the time French poet Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896) was his house guest.
The 1921 book review of Paul Verlaine can be read here...
Anti-Plagerism Legislation Introduced (Photoplay Magazine, 1916)Attached is a small column that credited U.S. Representative Charles Hiram Randall (1865 – 1951) of Los Angeles for having proposed legislation before Congress that sought copyright protection for the benefit of scenario writers in Hollywood:
"Congressional Randall [Prohibition Party] of California has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives for the protection of scenario authors, by providing for the issuance of a copyright on the scenario upon reciept of two typewritten copies to the proper department in Washington." New York Fashions for Spring (Strauss Magazine Theatre Program, 1916)Before it was called Playbill it was called the Strauss Magazine Theatre Program and Cora Moore was their fashion critic. During the early spring of 1916 Mrs. Moore took a serious look at the fashion parade on Fifth Avenue and recognized that much of it had been seen before. She offered no thoughts as to why so much from the past was being borrowed but she liked it just fine nonetheless. Typical American Films... (Vanity Fair, 1916)The Conde Nast cartoonist Ann Fish wanted her swank readers to know that she was another Brit who recognized the reoccurring formula that young Hollywood relied on all too often and even though the film business was still in it's infancy, there was such a thing as "a typical American movie". Women Win Office in 1916 (The Nation, 1916)A brief account of the 1916 November elections in the United States and how well women candidates fared, particularly in the West where gains where strongest: "The continued election of women to minor offices may be taken as showing that suffrage has increased the number of those from whom fit choices can be made."
1924 was a very important year for American women in politics... Robert Henri (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)A VANITY FAIR MAGAZINE profile of the American painter Robert Henri (1865 - 1929): "Robert Henri does not sympathize with the artists who throw their work in the face of the public with a 'There, take it or leave it.' Indeed, he has an almost hieratic belief in the power of the fine arts, not merely to delight, but to improve, to uplift and to educate the masses." Click here to read further about the 1913 Armory show. Madame X by John Singer Sargent (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)In order to mark the New York arrival of "Portrait of Madame X" by John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1924), VANITY FAIR's editors chose to run this anecdote concerning the 1884 creation of the work as well as a reproduction of one of the pencil studies for the profile head of the sitter, Madame Gauterau.
Armored Cars and Trucks (Vanity Fair, 1916)The American trucks and armored cars pictured here were not created specifically for the Great War, but no doubt they were sold to the French and British; a year later these trucks arrived with the A.E.F.. The bull dog that has for so long adorned the hood of the Mack truck dates to this conflict -"the bull dog" was the nick-name bestowed upon that vehicle by the Tommies.
Recognizing the importance of armored vehicles, a group of American Millionaires, among them Henry Clay Frick (1849 - 1919), pooled their money and donated a number of such items to the New York National Guard. Vanity Fair Magazine followed this story and produced this article as it developed with a thorough review of each of the donated military vehicles. Although the trucks are photographed, few are named. *Watch a Film Clip About the Rolls Royce Armored Car, 1914 - 1948* Charlie Chaplin and His Imposters (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916)With the popularity of Charlie Chaplin (1889 - 1977) came a large number of artificial, bootlegged Charlie Chaplin movies and a host of fraudulent 'Charlies'. All the fake Chaplins were clad the same and all answered to the same name yet all had different biographies and were not terribly funny in the slightest degree. Chaplin No. 1 did not care for this one bit and did not hold back while talking to this correspondent from "Motion Picture Magazine". *Watch this Chaplin Clip* American Trucks & Armored Cars (Vanity Fair Magazine, 1916)Recognizing the importance of armored vehicles, a group of American millionaires, among them Henry Clay Frick (1849 - 1919), pooled their money and donated a number of such items to the New York National Guard. VANITY FAIR MAGAZINE pursued this story and produced this article as it developed with a thorough review of each of the donated military vehicles. Although the trucks are photographed, few are named. Woodrow Wilson on Lincoln (Collier's Magazine, 1916)Here is a paragraph that was pulled from an interview with President Wilson in 1916 in which the bookish president remarked upon the various interesting aspects of President Lincoln:
"He was not fit to be president until he was president." 'Poilu' is not the Right Word! (NY Times, 1916)The novelist, journalist, anti-Semite and French Academy member Maurice Barres (1862 - 1923) had some opinions regarding the word "Poilu" (the popular and affectionate slang term for the French front line soldier, which translates into English as "hairy guy"). In the following one page essay he presented a history of the word and continued with an explanation as to why it bugged him: "It lacks dignity. To my taste it belittles those whom it is meant to laud and serve. A hero can hardly be expressed by this brazen-faced and slanderous epithet. And yet, since it has taken root in our battlefields now for more than a year, one hesitates to speak ill of this word, in which so many admirable acts are somehow visible. It is winning it's historic titles". In the end, no one really cared what Maurice Barres had to say on this topic and the sobriquet "poilu" remained in place. | 
