This episode takes a look at the vibrant and evocative members of La SAPE, the Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People, or the Sapeurs. Set against the backdrop of Congo's colonial past and post-independence struggles, clothing is about much more than just being fashionable. For the Sapeur, fine tailoring, luxe fabrics, and bold patterns are expressions of identity, resistance, and pride. From the streets of Brazzaville and Kinshasa to the global stage, join us as we discuss how these impeccably dressed individuals challenge the legacy of colonialism, reclaim dignity, and redefine masculinity through the power of dress.
If you have any requests, questions, or simply feel like saying hello, we're friendly and Mr. B, our Executive Paw-ducer, is a purr-fect angel)! Please drop us a line at historyunhemmedpodcast@gmail.com.
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RESOURCES:
Ali, Mona M. “The Incredible Fashion of the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congo.” Vogue Scandinavia, September 20, 2021.
Aris, Gisele. The Power and Politics of Dress in Africa. Final project paper, University of Pennsylvania, 2007. Undergraduate Humanities Forum Mellon Research Fellow, Penn Humanities Forum on Travel.
Callsen, Barbara. "Fashion and Migration: On the Construction of Masculinities in the Sape Movement Between the Congo and France." In Masculinities and Migration in Latinx and Francophone Literatures and Cultures, edited by Brendan P. Bisbey and Adriana Herrera Fuentes. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2025.
Guinness. Meet Congo's Sapeurs. YouTube video, 2:02. January 17, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuGaRCPDl1c&t=50s.
Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold’s Ghost. New York: Mariner, 2020.
Jorgensen, K.E. “Sapologie: Performing Postcolonial Identity in the Democratic Repuplic of Congo”. Toronto, Ontario : Master of Arts Contemporary Art, Design and New Media Histories, 2014.
Lewis, Shantrelle P. Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style. New York: Aperture, 2017.
Miller, Monica L. 2009. Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Durham: Duke University Press.
Porbeni, Beatrice. “The Congolese Dandies – A Piece of History.” Guardian Life, August 20, 2017.
Tamagni, Daniele. Sapeurs: The Gentlemen of Bacongo. London: Trolley Books, 2009.
Vainshtein, Olga. “13. Dandyism Revisited: From the English Gent to the Sapeur.” In Fashionable Masculinities: Queers, Pimp Daddies, and Lumbersexuals, edited by Vicki Karaminas, Adam Geczy, and Pamela Church Gibson, 177–191. Ithaca, NY: Rutgers University Press, 2022.
Zaidi, Tariq. Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congo. Heidelberg: Kehrer Verlag, 2020.
What happens when fashion, politics, and fraud collide in the glittering halls of Versailles? Tune in and find out about this gem-uine (yeah that really was awful) controversy! In this episode, we’ll take a closer look at L’Affaire du Collier de la Reine or the Affair of the Queen’s Necklace. This scandal shook the French monarchy, dragged Marie Antoinette’s name through the mud, and became a turning point in the lead-up to the French Revolution. Come for the diamonds, stay for the the glitter, the grift, and the guillotine.
If you have any requests, questions, or simply feel like saying hello (we're friendly and Mr. B, our Executive Paw-ducer, is a purr-fect angel), drop us a line at historyunhemmedpodcast@gmail.com.
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RESOURCES:
Beckman, Jonathan. How to Ruin a Queen: Marie Antoinette, the Stolen Diamonds and the Scandal that Shook the French Throne. United Kingdom: John Murray Press, 2014.
Black, Jeremy. A Brief History of Slavery. London: Little, Brown Book Group, 2011.
Campan, Jeanne Louise Henriette. Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. United States: L. C. Page, 1900. Available on Google Books
Carlyle, Thomas. The Diamond Necklace. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1913.
Fraser, Antonia. Marie Antoinette: The Journey. New York: Anchor Books, 2001.
Kitchin, Thomas (1778). The Present State of the West-Indies: Containing an Accurate Description of What Parts Are Possessed by the Several Powers in Europe. London: R. Baldwin, 1778.
Valois-Saint-Rémy, Jeanne (Countess de La Motte). The Diamond Necklace. Burbank, CA: Creative Media Partners, LLC, 2023.
Miller, Christopher L. The French Atlantic Triangle. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2008.
Weber, Caroline. Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution. New York: Henry Holt, 2006.
Yonan, Michael E. The Cultural Aesthetics of Eighteenth-Century Porcelain. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis, 2017.
And (after an eternity)…we’re back!
Join us today as we take a closer look at the fascinating (and perhaps a bit messy) history of period garments. Not breeches and corsets à la Bridgerton period dress, but the development of things like menstrual belts, vaginal packs, early tampons, and the rise of reusable options like the mooncup and period pants/panties. We’ll explore where these products came front, the cultural forces and taboos that shaped them, and how they’ve evolved in relation to changing societal attitudes toward menstruation. It’s sure to be a bloody brilliant ride!
If you have any requests, questions, or simply feel like saying hello (we're friendly and Mr. B, our Executive Paw-ducer, is a purr-fect angel), drop us a line at historyunhemmedpodcast@gmail.com.
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RESOURCES:
Alliance for Period Supplies. "The History of Period Products." Last modified November 7, 2023. https://allianceforperiodsupplies.org/the-history-of-period-products/.
History Colorado. “Period Piece: Menstruation’s Hidden History.” August 16, 2024. https://www.historycolorado.org/story/2024/08/16/period-piece-menstruations-hidden-history.
Horwitz, Rainey, "Menstrual Tampon". Embryo Project Encyclopedia ( 2020-05-25 ). ISSN: 1940-5030 https://hdl.handle.net/10776/13151
Jaafar H, Ismail SY, Azzeri A. Period Poverty: A Neglected Public Health Issue. Korean J Fam Med. 2023 Jul;44(4):183-188. doi: 10.4082/kjfm.22.0206. Epub 2023 May 16. PMID: 37189262; PMCID: PMC10372806.
Kijowska, Wiktoria. “Sanitary Suspenders to Mooncups: A Brief History of Menstrual Products.” Victoria and Albert Museum. Last modified August 16, 2024. https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/a-brief-history-of-menstrual-products.
King, Helen. Making History (blog), https://mistakinghistories.uk/.
Stein, Elissa, and Susan Kim. Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation. 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2009.
Thomas C. T. Buckley, Alma Gottlieb. Blood Magic: The Anthropology of Menstruation. University of California Press, 1988
What is History Unhemmed ? Allow us to introduce ourselves in 30ish seconds! Be sure to tune in - new episodes drop Monday April 14!
In this episode, we unravel the origins of the qipao or cheongsam. This garment is inextricably linked to the formation of modern China and has origins going back to at least the Qing Dynasty. Join us as we explore its role as a symbol of elegance and empowerment.
If you have any requests, questions, or simply feel like saying hello (we're friendly and Mr. B won't bite), drop us a line at historyunhemmedpodcast@gmail.com.
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Join us as we explore the fascinating and multi-faceted history of the polka dot. These innocuous little spots contain multitudes, from technological advancements to a risqué dance craze.
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RESOURCES:
Johns Hopkins University. "Introducing Data Science: Big Data, Machine Learning, and More, Free Online Textbook." https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/items/6cf47d49-4968-46ee-a8f9-c7c8c35b55ac.
Knox, Charles Henry. The Spirit of the Polka. Legare Street Press, 2023.
Kusama, Yayoi and Delphine Arnault, Akira Tatehata, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and Mika Yoshitake. Louis Vuitton Yayoi Kusama. New York: Rizzoli, 2023.
Le Tour de France. "The Polka Dot Jersey." https://www.letour.fr/en/the-jerseys-tour-de-france/the-polka-dot-jersey.
PBS Western Reserve. "The History of Polka: From Europe to Northeast Ohio." https://www.pbswesternreserve.org/blogs/luminus-stories-about-us/the-history-of-polka-from-europe-to-northeast-ohio/#:~:text=The%20origins%20of%20polka%20are,day%20Czech%20Republic%20and%20Poland.
Stewart, Jude. Patternalia: An Uncovered History of Polka Dots, Stripes, Plaid, Camouflage, and Other Graphic Patterns. New York: Bloomsbury, 2015.
Welters, Linda and Cunningham, Patricia A. (eds.). Twentieth-century American Fashion. New York: Berg, 2005.
Today's episode delves into the life of April Ashley, a fashion icon and a pioneering figure in the transgender community. Despite facing tremendous challenges and frequent discrimination, Ashley emerged as a resilient advocate for transgender rights, contributing to greater awareness and acceptance.
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RESOURCES:
Ashley, April and Duncan Fallowell. April Ashley's Odyssey. London: Arena, 1982.
"April Ashley: Portrait of a Lady." Museum of Liverpool, Liverpool Museums, https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/museum-of-liverpool/exhibition/april-ashley-portrait-of-lady.
"April Ashley: The Legal Battle." The National Archives Blog, National Archives UK, https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/april-ashley-the-legal-battle/.
"April Ashley, Transgender Pioneer in Britain, Dies at 86." The New York Times, January 3, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/03/world/europe/april-ashley-dead.html.
EPISODE NOTES:
It's that time of year again! Hopefully you have your "Eatin' Pants" clean, mended, and ready to roll. Enjoy today's episode, and a little snack, as we explore the history of the elastic waistband and your favorite stretchy slacks!
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RESOURCES:
Clemente, Deirdre. Dress Casual: How College Students Redefined American Style. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2014.
Farrell-Beck, Jane and Colleen Gau. Uplift: The Bra in America. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002.
Jackson, Joe. The Thief at the End of the World. New York: Viking, 2008.
Schmidt, Christine. The Swimsuit: Fashion from Poolside to Catwalk. London: Berg, 2012.
Slack, Charles. Noble Obsession: Charles Goodyear, Thomas Hancock, and the Race to Unlock the Greatest Industrial Secret of the 19th Century. New York: Hyperion, 2003.
Warner, Patricia Campbell. When the Girls Came Out to Play: The Birth of American Sportswear. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2006.
EPISODE NOTES:
Leather Face and Norman Bates and their penchant for human skin is the stuff of horror movies and fuel for more than a few nightmares. Sometimes, however, the truth is weirder (and creepier) than fiction!
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RESOURCES:
de Baecque, Antoine. Glory and Terror: Seven Deaths Under the French Revolution. Oxford: Taylor & Francis, 2013.
Dorsey, Carolyn. “Antoine Le Blanc: A shocking story of murder and a community’s revenge.” Morristown Green. September 26, 2014. https://morristowngreen.com/2014/09/26/antoine-le-blanc-a-shocking-story-of-murder-and-a-communitys-revenge/
Douglas, John E., Olshaker, Mark. Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. New York: Scribner, 1998.
Hunt, Lynn. The French Revolution and Human Rights: A Brief History with Documents. New York: St. Martin's, 2016.
Maffie, James. Aztec Philosophy: Understanding a World in Motion. Boulder: Colorado University Press, 2014.
La Lande, Jérôme de. Art du Tanneur. Paris: Saillant et Nyon, 1761.
Miller, Mark E. Big Nose George: His Troublesome Trail. Glendo: High Plains Press, 2022.
Portilla, Miguel Leon. Aztec Thought and Culture: A Study of the Nahuatl Mind. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988.
Rosenbloom, Megan. “A Book by Its Cover.” Lapham’s Quarterly. October 19, 2016. https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/book-its-cover
Ruysch, Frederik. Frederik Ruysch and His Thesaurus Anatomicus: A Morbid Guide. United Kingdom: MIT Press, 2022.
Schechter, Harold. Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho. New York: Gallery Books, 1998.
Thompson, L S. “Tanned Human Skin.” Bulletin of the Medical Library Association vol. 34,2 (1946): 93-102.
EPISODE NOTES:
From the flagellant confraternities of the Middle Ages to the penitents of of the Spanish Inquisition, from Dunce Caps to the uniform one of the most hated terrorist organizations in the United States, the long face-covering cap has quite the colorful and interwoven tale to tell.
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RESOURCES:
Bethencourt, Francisco. The Inquisition: A Global History 1478-1834. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Chico, Beverly (3 October 2013). "The Dunce Cap". Hats and Headwear around the World: A Cultural Encyclopaedia.
Fenley, Laura. Confraternal Mercy and Federico Barocci’s Madonna Del Popolo: An Iconographic Study. Master of Arts Thesis. College of Fine Arts.
Jorgensen, Jay. Creating the Illusion: A Fashionable History of Hollywood Costume Designers. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2015.
Kamen, Henry. The Spanish Inquisition: a historical revision. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
Kinney, Alison. “How the Klan Got Its Hood.” The New Republic. January 8, 2016. https://newrepublic.com/article/127242/klan-got-hood
Lubrich, Naomi. “The Wandering Hat: Iterations of the Medieval Jewish Pointed Cap.” Jewish History 29, no. 3/4 (2015): 203–44.
Parsons, Elaine Frantz. Midnight Rangers: Costume and Performance in the Reconstruction-Era Ku Klux Klan.
Sherman, Irwin W. The Power of Plagues. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2020.
Stokes, Melvyn. D.W. Griffith’s the Birth of a Nation: The History of the Most Controversial Picture of All Time. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Straus, Raphael. “The ‘Jewish Hat’ as an Aspect of Social History.” Jewish Social Studies 4, no. 1 (1942): 59–72.
The Klanwatch Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Ku Klux Klan: A History of Racism and Violence. Montgomery, AL: The Southern Poverty Law Center, 2011.
EPISODE NOTES:
For millennia, Dhaka was renowned for its exquisite cotton textiles. The resplendent fabrics from Bengal were highly sought after in markets from China and Indonesia to France and England. Particularly muslin. In the late 18th century the British ultimately murdered Dhaka Muslin.
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RESOURCES:
A former Resident of Dacca. A Descriptive and Historical Account of the Cotton Manufacture of Dacca, in Bengal. London: John Mortimer, 1851.
AFP. "Textile hub Bangladesh revives muslin, the forgotten elite fabric." Al Jazeera, 9 March 2022, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/9/textile-hub-bangladesh-revives-muslin-the-forgotten-elite-fabric
Alkazi, Roshen. Ancient Indian Costume. New Delhi: Art Heritage Books, 1983.
Ashmore, Sonia. Muslin. New York: Harry Abrams, 2012.
Beckhert, Sven. Empire of Cotton: A Global History. New York: Vintage Books, 2015.
Bolts, William. Considerations on India Affairs; Particularly Respecting the Present State of Bengal and its Dependencies. London: J. Almon, 1772.
Chandra, Moti. Indian Costumes and Textiles from 8th to 12th Century. Ahmedabad: Journal of Indian Textile History, 1960.
Chaudhury, Sushil. Spinning Yarns: Bengal Textile Industry in the Backdrop of John Taylor’s Report on ‘Dacca Cloth Production. New York: Routledge, 2020.
Hossain, Hameeda. The Company Weavers of Bengal: The East India Company and the Organization of Textile Production in Bengal 1750-1813. Dhaka: The University Press LTD.,2010.
Islam, Saiful. Muslin Our Story. Dhaka: Bangladesh National Museum, 2016.
Postrel, Virginia. The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World. New York: Basic Books, 2020.
Tankha, Madhur. "How this Bangladeshi textile revivalist is mainstreaming muslin." The Hindu. 15 May 2019, https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/how-this-bangladeshi-textile-revivalist-is-mainstreaming-muslin/article27128775.ece
EPISODE NOTES:
Holy cow! We've hit our 20th episode!
In the second half of the twentieth century, Barbie and other fashion doll makers grapple with issues of identity and representation. THe third of History Unhemmed's three-episode segment on the history of the fashion doll.
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RESOURCES:
Augustyniak, J. Michael. Barbie Doll Photo Album: 1959 to 2009 Identification & Values. Paducah, KY : Collector Books, 2010.
Black Dolls: From the Collection of Deborah Neff. United States: Radius Books, 2015.
BillyBoy*. Barbie! : her life & times, and the New Theater of Fashion. New York: Crown, 1987.
Charles-Roux, Edmond., Lottman, Herbert R.., Garfinkel, Stanley. Théâtre de la Mode: Fashion Dolls : the Survival of Haute Couture. Vancouver, WA: Palmer-Pletsch Associates, 2002.
Crowsey, Linda. Collector's Encyclopedia of Madame Alexander Dolls 1948-1965. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 2006.
Eames, Sarah Sink. Barbie Doll Fashion: 1959-1967. Paducah, KY : Collector Books, 1990.
Garrett, Debbie Behan. Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion. United States: Debbie Behan Garrett, 2008.
Gerber, Robin. Barbie Forever: Her Inspiration, History, and Legacy (Official 60th Anniversary Collection). United States: Epic Ink, 2019.
Hart, Maria Teresa. Doll. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022.
Hatcher, Val. “What about Gay Bob?” Natural History Museum. https://nhm.org/stories/what-about-gay-bob.
Knaak, Silke. Bild-Lilli: The German Comic Character That Inspired Teenage Fashion Dolls. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 2003.
Mackrell, Alice. An Illustrated History of Fashion: Five Hundred Years of Fashion Illustrations. New York: Drama, 1997.
Olmec Toys. "About." Olmec Toys. https://www.olmectoys.com/#about
Rand, Erica. Barbie's Queer Accessories. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1995.
Veillon, Dominique. Fashion Under the Occupation. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2002.
Willson, Jacki. Dangerous Bodies: New Global Perspectives on Fashion and Transgression. Germany: Springer International Publishing, 2023.
EPISODE NOTES:
In the twentieth century, the pandora doll had disappeared as a professional tool. The relationship between fashion and dolls, however, remained a very close one. After WWII, the plastic fashion doll for children arose from some less than wholesome beginnings, to take the world by storm. In this second of three episodes on the fashion doll, History Unhemmed takes a closer look at some little fashionistas who had a huge impact.
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RESOURCES:
Augustyniak, J. Michael. Barbie Doll Photo Album: 1959 to 2009 Identification & Values. Paducah, KY : Collector Books, 2010.
Boy, Billy. Barbie! : her life & times, and the New Theater of Fashion. New York: Crown, 1987.
Charles-Roux, Edmond., Lottman, Herbert R.., Garfinkel, Stanley. Théâtre de la Mode: Fashion Dolls : the Survival of Haute Couture. Vancouver, WA: Palmer-Pletsch Associates, 2002.
Crowsey, Linda. Collector's Encyclopedia of Madame Alexander Dolls 1948-1965. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 2006.
Eames, Sarah Sink. Barbie Doll Fashion: 1959-1967. Paducah, KY : Collector Books, 1990.
Knaak, Silke. Bild-Lilli: The German Comic Character That Inspired Teenage Fashion Dolls. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 2003.
Mackrell, Alice. An Illustrated History of Fashion: Five Hundred Years of Fashion Illustrations. New York: Drama, 1997.
Rand, Erica. Barbie's Queer Accessories. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1995.
Veillon, Dominique. Fashion Under the Occupation. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2002.
EPISODE NOTES:
She inspired fashion trends on a global scale. She taught young girls and grown women alike about the dressing styles of royal courts across Europe and how to wield fashion as tool…and a weapon. Before there was Barbie, there was Pandora. This episode is the first of three exploring the family tree of Mattel’s most famous "It" girl and her contemporaries.
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RESOURCES:
Anderson, Ruth M. Hispanic Costume, 1480-1530. New York: Hispanic Society of America, 1979.
Cousin, Nelly. Dolly’s Outfit: Teaching Children How to Dress Their Dolls. London: Samuel Miller, 1872.
Croizat, Yassana C. ""Living Dolls": François Ier Dresses His Women." Renaissance Quarterly 60, no. 1 (2007): 94-130.
Frasier, Antonia K. Dolls. New York: Octopus Books,1973.
Frasier, Antonia. Marie Antoinette. New York: Anchor Books, 2001.
Frieda, Leonie. Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France. New York: Harper Collins, 2003.
Goldstone, Nancy. The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2015
King, Constance Eileen. The Collector’s History of Dolls. New York: Outlet, 1977.
Mackrell, Alice. An Illustrated History of Fashion: Five Hundred Years of Fashion Illustrations. New York: Drama, 1997. Shaw, Christine. Isabella d’Este: A Renaissance Princess. New York: Routledge, 2019. Weber, Caroline. Queen of Fashion. New York: Picador, 2006.
Whyel, Rosalie. The Heart of the Tree: Early Wooden Dolls to the 1850s. Bellevue, WA: Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art, 2003.
EPISODE NOTES:
The shirtwaist emerged in the mid-late nineteenth century. It soon became a symbol of the modern working woman, and by the early twentieth century, shirtwaists were mass manufactured and widely available. However, this would come at a devastating cost to the workers (mostly women) who produced them. On the afternoon of March 25, 1911, fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. This would go down in history as one of the worst industrial disasters in American history and its impact would be felt more than a century later.
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RESOURCES:
Bader, Bonnie. East Side Story. New York: Silver Moon Press, 1993.
Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory Fire. Online exhibition: http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/
Dash, Joan. We Shall Not Be Moved: The Women's Factory Strike of 1909. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1996.
De Angelis, Gina. The Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire of 1911. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2001.
Greene, Jacqueline Dembar. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bearport Publishing, 2007.
Gunderson, Jessica. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2006.
Naden, Corinne J. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, March 25, 1911: The Blaze that Changed an Industry. New York: Franklin Watts, 1971.
Sachar, Howard M. A History of the Jews in America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1992
Sherrow, Victoria. The Triangle Factory Fire. Brookfield, Connecticut: The Millbrook Press, 1995.
Wertheimer, Barbara M. We Were There: The Story of Working Women in America. New York: Pantheon Books, 1997.
EPISODE NOTES:
"It's better to be looked over than overlooked." So was the motto of Nudie's Rodeo Tailors. The company's brash and bombastic frontman Nudie Cohn, an early twentieth-century Ukrainian Jewish immigrant. From humble origins, Nudie carved out a name for himself as the king of sparkly western wear favored by everyone from country crooners to rock and roll royalty.
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Films:
EPISODE NOTES:
From humble beginnings in rural Alabama, Ann Cole Lowe rose to become one of the most sought after fashion designers of the twentieth century. Her life story is one of tremendous highs and cruel hardships. Tune in to hear about New York high society's "best kept secret" of the mid-twentieth century.
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RESOURCES:
Brockell, Gillian. “Jackie Kennedy’s Fairy-Tale Wedding Was a Nightmare for Her African American Dress Designer.” The Washington Post. WP Company, August 28, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/08/28/jackie-kennedys-fairy-tale-wedding-was-nightmare-her-african-american-dress-designer/
Chrisman-Campbell, Kimberly. “The Way We Wed: A Global History of Wedding Fashion.” New York: Hachette Book Group, 2020.
Davis, Nancy, and Amelia Grabowski. “Sewing for Joy: Ann Lowe.” National Museum of American History, August 29, 2019. https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/lowe.
Hunt-Hurst, Patricia. "The fashion industry." In Diana R. Berry (Ed.) Black Women in America, 2nd Edition, NY: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Kirkham, Pat. Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
Messner, Kate and Margaret Powell. Only The Best: The Exceptional Life and Fashion of Ann Lowe. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2022.
Miller, Rosemary Reed. Threads of Time, the Fabric of History: Profiles Of African American Dressmakers And Designers From 1850 To The Present. Washington, DC: Toast and Strawberries Press, 2002.
Minutaglio, Rose. “Ann Lowe Is the Little-Known Black Couturier Who Designed Jackie Kennedy’s Iconic Wedding Dress.” ELLE, October 24, 2019. https://www.elle.com/fashion/a29019843/jackie-kennedy-wedding-dress-designer-ann-lowe/.
Mulvaney, Jay. Kennedy Weddings: A Family Album. New York: St. Martins Press, 2002.
Powell, Margaret. “The Life and Work of Ann Lowe: Rediscovering ‘Society’s Best Kept Secret.’” MA thesis. The Smithsonian Associates and The Corcoran College of Art + Design, 2012.
Smith, Julia Faye. Something to Prove: Ann Cole Lowe, America’s Forgotten Designer. 2016
Tracy, Kathleen. Everything Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Book: A Portrait of an American Icon.
Way, Elizabeth. Black Designers in American Fashion. New York: Bloomsbury, 2021.
EPISODE NOTES:
Dressing up in costumes and masks has been at the heart of carnival celebrations since the founding of the city in the 1718. In the twentieth century, new groups emerged challenging the status quo and reshaping the festivities into the celebration that is the biggest tourist draw and the most famous public festivities of the Crescent City.
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Resources:
Campanella, Richard. Geographies if New Orleans. Geographies of New Orleans. Lafayette, LA: University of Louisiana Press, 2006.
Dewulf, Jeroen. From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square: Kongo Dances and the Origins of the Mardi Gras Indians. Lafayette, LA: University of Louisiana Press, 2017.
Kein, Sybil. Creole: The History and Legacy of Louisiana's Free People of Color. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 2000.
McQueeney, Kevin. “Zulu: a transnational history of a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.” Safundi: The Journal of South African and American Studies 19, no. 2 (2018): 139-163.
Melancon, Trimiko. “The Complicated History of Race and Mardi Gras.” Black Perspectives, February 9, 2018.
Mitchell, Reid. All on a Mardi Gras Day: Episodes in the History of the New Orleans Carnivals. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999.
Smith, Howard. Unveiling the Muse. Oxford, MS: University of Mississippi Press, 2017.
St. Julien, Aline. Colored Creole: Color Conflict and Confusion in New Orleans. New Orleans: Ahidiana Hibari, 1977.
Stone, Amy. Queer Carnival: Festivals and Mardi Gras in the South. New York: NYU Press, 2022.
Vaz-Deville, Kim Marie. The Babydolls: Breaking the Race and Gender Barriers of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Tradition. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 2013.
Vaz-Deville, Kim Marie. Walking Raddy: The Baby Dolls of New Orleans. Oxford, MS: University of Mississippi Press, 2018.
Williams, Nikesha Elise. Mardi Gras Indians. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press, 2022.
Movies:Producer, George Ingmire and Julie Gustafson. Director, Aaron Walker. (2010) Bury the Hatchet.
Producer and Director, Michal Pietrzyk. (2018) All on a Mardi Gras Day
EPISODE NOTES:
Every year, one of the biggest parties in the United States takes place in the 300-year-old streets of New Orleans. This episode traces the history of Mardi Gras and its costuming practices in New Orleans up to the twentieth century.
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Follow us on:
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Thank you! <3
Resources:
Andrews, George Reid. Afro-Latin America, 1800-2000. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Atkins, Jennifer. New Orleans Carnival Balls: The Secret Side of Mardi Gras 1870-1920. Baton Rouge, LA: LSU Press, 2017.
Barefield, Allana J. “Embracing Black Mardi Gras keeps the culture alive for the next generation.” The Undefeated, March 5, 2019. Accessed February 21, 2022.
Fromont, Cécile, and Michael Iyanaga, eds. Afro-Catholic Festivals in the Americas: Performance, Representation, and the Making of Black Atlantic Tradition. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2019.
Gill, James. Lords of Misrule: Mardi Gras and the Politics of Race in New Orleans. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1997.
Ingraham, J.H. The South West by a Yankee (New York: Harper & Bros, 1835.
Lyell, Charles. A Second Visit to the United States of North America. London: J. Murray, 1849.
Miller, Joaquin. “The Three Merry Days of New Oreleans [sic].” The Independent. New York: 5 March 1885.
EPISODE NOTES:
Eat your greens and black eyed peas, make your champagne or whiskey toasts and enjoy some fireworks. The New Year brings with it many traditions, and in many parts of the world that includes wearing red underwear for luck. Tune in to delve into the origins of this tradition and why a little piece of red fabric carries such a huge and varied history!
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https://www.patreon.com/historyunhemmed
https://anchor.fm/historyunhemmed/support
Follow us on:
Instagram: @history_unhemmed
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Thank you! <3
Resources:
Boucher, Francois. A History of Costume in the West. London: Thames and Hudson, 1996.
Bruna, Denis ed. Fashioning the Body: An Intimate History of the Silhouette. New York: Bard Graduate Center, 2015.
Butler-Greenfield, Amy. A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire. New York: Harper Collins, 2006.
Chenciner, Robert. Madder Red: A History of Luxury and Trade. Richmond: Curzon Caucasus World, 2000.
Harrington, Cora. In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear, and Love Lingerie. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2018.
Hill, Colleen. Exposed: A History of Lingerie. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014.