1918

Articles from 1918

Out Go the Men – In Come the Women
(McCall’s Magazine, 1918)

In 1918 the small town of Umatilla, Oregon held their elections. There was one ticket composed entirely of men and another entirely of women: every man lost. The Mayor of Umatilla was soundly defeated by his wife.

Attached herein is the story of that unique contest from a time when women were denied the vote.

Behind the Scenes at the Doughboy Training Camps
(Leslie’s Weekly, 1918)

This article written by Edwin A. Goewey and illustrated by C. Leroy Baldridge (1889 – 1977) reported on how America’s granite youth was chiseled into fighting trim at the Long Island training camps at Upton and Mineola. Reference is made to the contributions made by Father Francis Duffy and Major-General J. Franklin Bell.

Click here to read about the AEF officer training at Plattsburg, New York.

Click here to read some statistical data about the American Doughboys of the First World War.

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Manhattan Servant Problems
(Vanity Fair, 1918)

The attached cartoon depicted one of the unintended consequences of German aggression during the First World War: the creation of what was known as the servant problem. It should be understood that the difficulty in question caused no particular hardship for those who were supposed to be the servants; they were simply delighted to vacate the collective domiciles of Mr. & Mrs. Got-Rocks in order to pull down a living wage in a nice, cozy smoke-spewing armament factory some place – leaving their former employers to fix their own meals and diaper junior.


Click here to read about the New York fashions of 1916.

Patriotic Verse by Gertrude Stein
(Vanity Fair, 1918)

When you stop to think of patriotic poetry, Gertrude Steinstyle=border:none (1874-1946) is not one of the word-smiths whose name comes to mind. Yet she, too, applied her talents to the genre after having labored many moons as an ambulance driver in France on behalf of the American Fund for the French Wounded. She had joined this group in 1916 and in 1922 was awarded the Medaille de la Reconnaissance Française for all her good work. This poem, in praise of the U.S. Army, appeared in a 1918 VANITY FAIR.

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Various Articles on the Overseas Cap
(The Stars and Stripes, 1918)

For those who think a good deal about American military uniforms in the Great War, the overseas cap was just as unique to that war as the the Brody helmet, the trench coat and the gas mask. The American Quartermaster Corps liked the hat but they were terribly confused as to what to do with it: can we put insignia on it? Yes. No. Yes. Should it be worn back home?

Click here to read a Stars & Stripes article about American W.W. I helmets.

The Winter Trench Coat
(Thresher and Glenny Catalog, 1918)

Illustrated pages from the Thresher and Glenny catalog showing how a blanket lining could be added to the trench coat in order to make the garment more suitable for winter campaigns. Also included in the advertisement were three glowing testimonials written by British officers who were simply bubbling over with excitement for their Thresher and Glenny trench coats.

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