1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thanks for tuning in. Uh 3 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: I am one third of your some of your favorite 4 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:40,279 Speaker 1: sartorial history host. My name is Ben Boland. I love 5 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: that word sartorial. It always makes me think of like 6 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,639 Speaker 1: a satyr, which really would have more of a connection 7 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: with our previous episode about the absurdly debauched Emperor Tiberius. 8 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: But what's the atymology of sartorial? Ben? I'm noll by 9 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: the way, Yes, yeah, I'm so glad you asked I 10 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: have this one. So it comes from it comes from 11 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: Star Tour Taylor in Latin. But that actually comes from 12 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: sarcer which is to patch, So we're like patch people, 13 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: etymo logically patch people. I love that. That very much 14 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: ties in today's episode. Ben, Is that also where sear 15 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 1: Sucker comes from? I've always wondered about sear sucking? You know, 16 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: I don't know, No, I uh, I do have a 17 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: seal Sucker suit that I wear when the when, when 18 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: the season is right. You know, I love him. I 19 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,040 Speaker 1: highly recommend we all get one. Uh. You know who 20 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: especially could rocket is our super producer Casey Pegram Casey, 21 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: would you rock a Sear Sucker suit? You know I would, Ben, 22 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: super producer Casey Pegram is nothing of not a true 23 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: Southern gentleman dapper. I like to stay dapper. Now. We 24 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: all have our own sort of uh you know, I 25 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 1: wouldn't maybe go as far as to call us three 26 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: walking fashion plates though we are real smoke shows. That's 27 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: not our opinion the internet voted. But I like to 28 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:15,080 Speaker 1: think we're we're aware of fashion trends. We're aware of 29 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: how to present ourselves. We like cool shirts, you know, 30 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: we like shoes. I'm digging myself a hole here. Null. 31 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: The point of this is we're talking about fashion. I'm 32 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: even wearing pants today, Ben so I I really rose 33 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: to the occasion for today's fashion related episode. Um. And 34 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: you know, sear Sucker actually is is cotton fabric that 35 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: has sort of these like pucker kind of like patterns 36 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: on it, like whether there's indentations in the fabric. And 37 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: we are actually talking about cotton today, but we're talking 38 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,080 Speaker 1: about like an early form of up cycling and clothing, 39 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 1: one that started off as kind of a functional, practical 40 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: use of materials that were otherwise going to go to waste. 41 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: And then kind of became a fashion thing and then 42 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: kind of fell out of fashion again. Like that's sort 43 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: of the nature of the word fashion, right, sort of 44 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: has its time in the sun, and then it tends 45 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: to kind of disappear as people sort of move on 46 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: to other stuff and materials. And we're not talking about 47 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,359 Speaker 1: sear sucker, We're not talking about fine linens today. We're 48 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: talking about sackcloth. Yes, yes, the very same kind of 49 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: sack cloth that you will hear in ancient texts, you know, 50 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: like they're clothed in sackcloth. It's that kind of stuff. 51 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: So the long story short of this of the origin 52 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: here is that at least a century before what what 53 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: soon maybe called the first Great Depression in the US, 54 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: there was a economic change in the way that goods 55 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: were transported. See. Before then, we used to whole grain 56 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: and stuff like that, like potatoes, flowers, staple sustenance in 57 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: these in barrels. You would stack um in barrels, you 58 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: would haul them, uh, and then they would get to 59 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: their destination and you would trade barrels with people. But now, uh, 60 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: you know, because of economy of scale. Again, about a 61 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: century before the depression in the eighteen hundreds, it became um, 62 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: much more cost effective to transport this animal fee, these 63 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: potatoes flour in sacks. You could stack it more efficiently, Uh, 64 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,119 Speaker 1: it was a little more resilient, and it was also 65 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 1: now much cheaper to use fabric instead of lumber, right Yeah, 66 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: I mean it was also way less heavy. I mean 67 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,040 Speaker 1: the material in and of itself that was inside of 68 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 1: the barrels was going to be super heavy. Not to 69 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: mention when you you know wrap it in steal uh 70 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: kind of frames that that make up the top and 71 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,239 Speaker 1: the spines of those barrels, and then the actual pieces 72 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: of heavy lumber um really really logistically kind of absurd. 73 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 1: So yeah, it was a big deal to be able 74 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: to make that transition into into transporting this stuff in 75 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:01,479 Speaker 1: fabric bags cotton bags. In fact, um you could see 76 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: those used by farmers as early as the eighteen hundreds. Um, 77 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: because they were also easier, like you could like flop 78 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: them over your shoulder on the way to uh you know, 79 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: feed the horses or whatever if you're going on to 80 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: the granary. Um, you could much more easily transport by 81 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: hand one of these sacks as opposed to having to 82 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: like you know, whip out some sort of whatever the 83 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: precursor to the hand truck is. When did the hand 84 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: truck come into being? I don't know, but there must 85 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 1: have been something, because it's not like you can carry 86 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: a barrel by hand. You could roll it. I guess 87 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: that's true. I'm not thinking about that. You can't roll 88 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: a sack. That is a one up that the barrel 89 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: has on the sack. I will say, if you had 90 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: a big enough Saint Bernard, like a Clifford the red 91 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: Dog level Sapernard, you could maybe put it a barrel 92 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: around its neck. But that's one barrel at a time 93 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: for a huge dog. But yeah, you're right, you're right. 94 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: These sacks had this um, this tremendous advantage. And I 95 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: love that you're pointing out the fact about the weight 96 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,720 Speaker 1: right that that's you uh, and the fact that the 97 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: early bags were also something that you could you could 98 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,039 Speaker 1: make from a cottage industry. You know, cash strapped farmers 99 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,840 Speaker 1: didn't have to have barrel making skills. They could have 100 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,720 Speaker 1: this stuff sown at home from cotton. And we know 101 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: that right individual farmers were doing this in the early 102 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds. By the late eighteen hundreds, people were mass 103 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: producing bags. There was some bright entrepreneur who saw some 104 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,039 Speaker 1: local farmers doing something, and then capitalism being what it is, 105 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: they said, I'll just make the bags forget the flower. Yeah, 106 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:40,120 Speaker 1: that's right. And then that's because of a little, a 107 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: little invention called the sewing machine that really revolutionized and 108 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: made an economy of scale out of textiles. Right. Um, 109 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: but here's the thing, you know, what are you gonna 110 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: do with these bags when they're done? You got all 111 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,479 Speaker 1: these bags? What are you gonna do? You gotta have 112 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: a bag hutch? You got what I need? A bag 113 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: for all my bags? Remember bag hutch? Was that from 114 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: Mr Show I think it was for Mr Show Casey Pigram, 115 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 1: Oh yeah. Janine Garuffalo is the helpless woman who doesn't 116 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: know what to do with her bags and she just 117 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,479 Speaker 1: throws her arms up in frustration. Goes helped me into 118 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: the bag hush of peers. What am I going to 119 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: do with all these bags? Well? That was a question 120 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 1: very legitimately that um housewives were asking themselves in the 121 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: early nineteen hundreds with all these mass produced bags laying around. Uh. 122 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: And it was also a time where it's not like 123 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: they had ready made fashion. You know, I mean, there 124 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: was a lot of d I y clothing being made 125 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 1: UM and these early forms of these bags were made 126 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 1: out of like white or brown cotton fabric. They had 127 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:41,320 Speaker 1: a big old branded logo stamped on the front, so 128 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: you knew what company the bag came from. UM. And 129 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: you know, they did find you know, kind of obvious 130 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: go to uses for them for like cleaning up around 131 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: the house. They could repurpose them as rags or you know, 132 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: making into a kind of a hand towel or whatever. 133 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: But it was in the early nineteen tens that bags 134 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 1: star did being made out of lots of different kinds 135 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: of fabric, fabric that was maybe even a little bit 136 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 1: appealing aesthetically, right, Ben Yep, yep, that's correct. They were 137 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: were a tighter weave and they were also lighter, which 138 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: meant that they were softer and they felt better on 139 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: the skin, which is hugely important because rural housewives recycled, 140 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: or it's better to say they up cycled these bags. 141 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: They made them everything from undergarments, two dresses, two bed sheets, 142 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 1: and curtains. But here here's the issue with this. At 143 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: this point, it's very uncool. There's a there's a great 144 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:44,560 Speaker 1: article in New Prairie Press about this, and also a 145 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: good one in Vintage News. But at first, and spoiler alert, 146 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: my family had some distant personal experience with this and Appalachia. 147 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: At first, it wasn't cool to wear these, and kids, 148 00:08:57,280 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 1: you know, would be made fun of, or you'd be 149 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 1: the poor kid and your neighborhood if you were playing 150 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: with your friends and someone saw your underwear and your 151 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: underwear said like, you know, Jimmy E. Mccraikey's fine flower 152 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: and potato sprouts or something, because they would know that 153 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:17,920 Speaker 1: you were poor. And the problem is that people who 154 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: are living in these places, in these rural populations, especially 155 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 1: in the early nineteen hundreds, man, they didn't have access 156 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 1: to travel to a store, and if they traveled to 157 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: a lot of stores, they didn't have the means to 158 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:35,000 Speaker 1: spend money there buying custom made underwear or dresses at 159 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: the store if they did travel there. And that's where 160 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 1: they started calling this stuff. Uh, what what's that term? 161 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: Chicken linen. Yeah, there's a bunch of good resources on 162 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: this stuff with some really great images, and one of 163 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,960 Speaker 1: them is in Flashback with No Sea. Very edgy site 164 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,559 Speaker 1: dot com uh called feedsack fashions and patterns of Depression 165 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:55,320 Speaker 1: era America or you can really get a look at 166 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: some of these. And there actually is a place in Inglewood, 167 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 1: Tennessee called the Textile Museum. Um. And there's some really 168 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: cool quotes of the time from um, you know, women 169 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: particularly that we're making these repurposing these goods. Uh. One 170 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: of them was, uh, I washed five feed sacks and 171 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:16,680 Speaker 1: made me a bedspread. You know. It's just really pithy 172 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: and to the point. Um, And yeah, it's true. Women were, uh, 173 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: most exclusively, women were making these garments now, um and 174 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 1: not to mention things like bedspreads and curtains out of 175 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:34,679 Speaker 1: these left over sacks. And the companies that were printing 176 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:37,199 Speaker 1: their their logos their logos on those sacks really started 177 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: to take notice and started to realize that, huh, it's 178 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,079 Speaker 1: it's coming to the point where the decision on which 179 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: feed to buy is based more on how nice looking 180 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:50,680 Speaker 1: the fabric of the bag is than it is on 181 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 1: the actual company or on brand loyalty. So there's one 182 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 1: particular company that was really early to the party on 183 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: this called Gingham Girl Flower. And you might have heard 184 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: the name Gingham referred to in fashion as Gingham dresses, right, yeah, yeah, 185 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 1: And you can also check out on that flashback article 186 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:10,959 Speaker 1: you can check out some of the patterns that they use. No. 187 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: I love that point about this being something that can 188 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: influence farming family decision or a rural decision about what 189 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 1: feed to buy, because imagine you're a cash strapped a 190 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:27,439 Speaker 1: couple of parents, right and you want to get your 191 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 1: kids some new clothes, but you can't afford all of that. 192 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:32,560 Speaker 1: So now you can say, hey, this is a great 193 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: way to surprise my kids as well. It's a treat. 194 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: And there's a issue of a magazine called American Cookery. 195 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 1: I love when people add the E R Y on 196 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: stuff American Cookery that talked about it this way. They said, 197 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,560 Speaker 1: in homes where little folks are growing up, not a 198 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: scrap of sack and need must be wasted for each 199 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: sack takes the place of an equal quantity of Muslims. 200 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: Since they are so many necessary little garments to be made. 201 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: The sacking, while not fine in quality, is most serviceable 202 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: for draws, petticoats, under waist, et cetera. These garments maybe 203 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 1: may plain or have a touch of crochet or totial 204 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 1: lace for the triment. Oh my ma, given me you'll 205 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:22,080 Speaker 1: get you're giving me the vapors right now with this voice, 206 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: bambo and I love it. Yeah, it's great. There's actually 207 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:27,679 Speaker 1: a really cool book on the subject called Feedsack to 208 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:31,319 Speaker 1: Clothes Rack Love a good rhyme the use of commodity 209 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 1: textile bags in American households from eighteen ninety to eighteen sixty. 210 00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: And there's a really great quote in that book that 211 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,680 Speaker 1: that takes this even further, um, in terms of how 212 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,680 Speaker 1: kind of the workflow of this situation kind of came together, 213 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:46,439 Speaker 1: um quote. Once the fabric was prepared, there was very 214 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: little difference between a length of feed sack dress per kale, 215 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: which refers to a type of knit Uh. We've in 216 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: in cloth that's actually pretty fine. It's used for you know, 217 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,679 Speaker 1: sheets and stuff, um. Continue, and a length of dress 218 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:04,200 Speaker 1: per sale purchased in a store as a new yard good. Uh. 219 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:08,240 Speaker 1: The Percy Can't Bag Company hired top textile designers from 220 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:11,199 Speaker 1: Europe and New York City to create stylish prints with 221 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: color fast dies. Yeah yeah. And it goes on to 222 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: talk about how in nineteen seven, three yards of dress 223 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:24,440 Speaker 1: prints cotton pre kale, the kind of stuff you would 224 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: use to make an average adult dress. It would cost 225 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:29,679 Speaker 1: sixty cents if you got it from Sears and Roebuck. 226 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 1: We just can't get away from Sears in any shows 227 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:38,439 Speaker 1: about this time in history. But by comparison, three yards 228 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:42,959 Speaker 1: of gangan dress could cost forty cents and three yards 229 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: of the gangham used in that brand we mentioned earlier 230 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:50,439 Speaker 1: in Old Gingham Girl flower sacks. They could be salvage 231 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: after the use of two or three one d pounds 232 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,599 Speaker 1: bags of flowers, so you could buy It's like, imagine, 233 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 1: imagine you could buy an amazing snack like you bought. 234 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:05,000 Speaker 1: You bought bags of Derritos, and every bag of Doritos 235 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:07,719 Speaker 1: you got turned into actually a pretty nifty shoe when 236 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:09,680 Speaker 1: you were done eating. It makes me think of that 237 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: that I've been rewatching the office since I know it's 238 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 1: not long for this world on Netflix. And there's a 239 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: part in one of the later episodes where Kevin has 240 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 1: this brilliant idea called the big Mac idea, where he says, 241 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: if every time you order a big Mac used take 242 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 1: one ingredient and set it aside, and then at the 243 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: end of the week, you've got enough to make yourself 244 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: a New Big Mac And the kicker is you love 245 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: it more because you made it with your own hands. 246 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: I love that I watched The Office, I watched the 247 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: British What It's fent? Yes, you should watch The Office. 248 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: It's wonderful. I've probably rewatched the whole series like nine times. 249 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,120 Speaker 1: It's my like comfort food TV show. I'm gonna be 250 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: really bummed when it goes because of course NBC is 251 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: making their own streaming service. Who Isn't you know Casey 252 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: is gonna make all our zoom calls part of his 253 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: streaming service. And I'm not mad at you, Casey. It's 254 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 1: we all signed the papers. I just I didn't know 255 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: you would do it. I know, I know it's a 256 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: It's Casey's nothing if not a an entrepreneur. And these 257 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: are are troubled times. There's another quote I love from 258 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:19,600 Speaker 1: this flashback dot Com article. I believe this is from 259 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: the Textile Museum as well. Uh, and this is someone 260 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: referring to the concept we mentioned earlier about how husbands 261 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: started kind of getting the drift and making choices based 262 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: more on the type of fabric that it would produce 263 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:35,160 Speaker 1: rather than like has some kind of brand loyalty or 264 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: like the quality of the feed. She said, Uh, this 265 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 1: this woman that was quoted. We had two big chicken 266 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,680 Speaker 1: houses and used fourteen sacks of feed every week. My 267 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 1: husband got most of the sacks. He always tried to 268 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: get two or three of the same pattern so we 269 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: would have enough to make something. He did a pretty 270 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: good job of picking them out, so he knew he 271 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: knew what was up. He was buying those those bags 272 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 1: to suit his wife, uh, to keep her happy, so that, 273 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: you know, they could make matching guard mints as opposed 274 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: to having to stitch them together, because it became really 275 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: important to try to like, you know, it's the same 276 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: idea as like making kind of um d I y 277 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: like luxury goods. Today, it reminds me of oh gosh, 278 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,240 Speaker 1: r i P Super Deluxe. By the way, they had 279 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: a really cool web series called Cheap Thrills with this 280 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 1: guy named Nate who goes by the pseudonym at Tabasco Sweet, 281 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: and he shows you how to like d I Y 282 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,840 Speaker 1: up everything from like Gucci slides to like you know, 283 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: Louis buiton belt bags and stuff using like a trusty 284 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:40,880 Speaker 1: uh exact oblade and some tape and some like you know, 285 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: puff paint and like a little bit of ingenuity. And 286 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 1: that's what this kind of became because there was a 287 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: stigma that came along with wearing these sack clothes. It 288 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: was a sign of of you know, being poor and 289 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: so um. People would go to great lengths to try 290 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:02,360 Speaker 1: to make them pass for you know, again, the ready 291 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: made clothing wasn't exactly a thing at least in the 292 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:06,159 Speaker 1: way we know it with like fast fashion and like 293 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: H and M and made well and all that. But 294 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: they didn't want to be pegged as you're wearing sack clothes. Yeah. 295 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: So before the global exploitation slash slavery chains responsible for 296 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 1: for fast fashion, we're we're in play, a lot of 297 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:31,439 Speaker 1: us households had figured out some fantastic rules, some fantastic 298 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:37,240 Speaker 1: techniques and strategies to make sure that your kid or 299 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:42,920 Speaker 1: your family members weren't mocked for being this frugal. So 300 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:45,800 Speaker 1: it's weird because now we look back on it like 301 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:49,920 Speaker 1: how charmie, how American dream, how industrious and clever. But 302 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,639 Speaker 1: people wanted to hide that they were doing this, at 303 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 1: least at first they would, uh, they would soak off 304 00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:58,119 Speaker 1: all those logos, you know, the Gingham Girls and so on. 305 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: They would die the fabrics different colors. Perhaps most importantly, 306 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,880 Speaker 1: they would add stuff to it. Right, you would add 307 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:09,680 Speaker 1: some ribbons, you would embroider, you know, on on the shoulders, 308 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: right or on the hem. You would also add buttons, 309 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,680 Speaker 1: things that made it look like, hey, my parents bought 310 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 1: this at a store. But it's just not a store 311 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: you've been to, because it turns out to you, my 312 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 1: friend or the poor one. So maybe it's a little 313 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 1: it's a little more American in that regard than that 314 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,000 Speaker 1: we'd like to admit. But there are also a lot 315 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: of like um, there was a lot of advice. Like 316 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:38,960 Speaker 1: textile manufacturers. One thing I think is amazing they participated 317 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:43,119 Speaker 1: in this. You can find online a book by the 318 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 1: Textile Bag Manufacturers Association from all the way back in 319 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: three they published a pamphlet called Sewing with Cotton Bags, 320 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:55,720 Speaker 1: and it gave you advice on how to get logos 321 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,520 Speaker 1: out of the sack. And it was pretty you know, 322 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 1: it was pretty involved. Had to soak it overnight and 323 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 1: lard or kerosene, and then even the companies, the companies 324 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:09,400 Speaker 1: helped to race their own logos. Eventually they changed inc. 325 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: In the nineteen thirties, So these households wouldn't have to 326 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:15,440 Speaker 1: spend all night soaking their kids future clothes and kerosene. 327 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:18,159 Speaker 1: Can you imagine been I I wouldn't think that that 328 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 1: smell would be very easy to get out kerosene soak close. 329 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 1: I bet that would take a while, some serious washing. 330 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: So pretty cool that the companies were like on board 331 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:31,200 Speaker 1: with this. But it wasn't like purely like altruistic either, 332 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 1: was it. I mean, they definitely had motivations. This was 333 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:38,880 Speaker 1: essentially walking billboards for their products, you know, the way 334 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,919 Speaker 1: like a NASCAR driver has all those like logos all 335 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,399 Speaker 1: over their racing suit whatever you call that thing. Uh, 336 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:50,680 Speaker 1: let's let's call it their action suit. Like love it. 337 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:55,200 Speaker 1: So you're right, man, this was this. This was a 338 00:19:55,560 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: perfect storm of aligning interests and despite you know, the 339 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: at times awkwardness or the social opprobrium that would be 340 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:07,320 Speaker 1: heaped on the less fortunate when they were wearing these 341 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:12,880 Speaker 1: uh clothes made from feed tacks. The First Great Depression 342 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 1: changed everything. At the time, you know, the wave crash 343 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 1: the Roaring twenties hit the shore and then created, uh, 344 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,720 Speaker 1: the wreckage that we referred to as the uh you know, 345 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:29,679 Speaker 1: the thirties the Great Depression. Uh. There's an article from 346 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 1: history dot com that mentions at the lowest point of 347 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 1: the Great Depression, some fifteen million Americans were unemployed. US 348 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,480 Speaker 1: residents were unemployed. Half of the country's banks had failed. 349 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: Uh that's fifteen million out of a hundred and twenty 350 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: two millions seven hundred seventies something thousand. So a lot 351 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: of people were out of work. Half the banks were gone, 352 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:58,399 Speaker 1: people were in dire straits. Everybody had to make do, 353 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,240 Speaker 1: even the people who once used to laugh at the 354 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,119 Speaker 1: idea of being this creative. Yeah. So the folks who 355 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: had already kind of mastered this technique were ahead of 356 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:09,119 Speaker 1: the curve. And and it's sort of like, ha ha, 357 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,119 Speaker 1: you mocked us then, but look at you now. You 358 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:15,200 Speaker 1: don't know how to sew suck us. Yeah. Yeah, and 359 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:17,920 Speaker 1: hopefully they came together. But you're absolutely right. The old 360 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: people were making not just curtains now, but they're making diapers, awnings, 361 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: really anything that you look around, like, depending on where 362 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 1: you are in your house or outside now, you look around, 363 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 1: anything that you see could have been made from that 364 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 1: kind of fabric was made from, uh, this feedsack cloth 365 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:41,680 Speaker 1: at this time and businesses of course, is struggling to 366 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 1: stay solvent. So they started doubling down on this. You know, 367 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,200 Speaker 1: they said, look, we can get more people to buy 368 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,680 Speaker 1: more cotton if we just package it. They're like, for 369 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,639 Speaker 1: god's sake, keep the lights on. We have to be 370 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:00,119 Speaker 1: on board with what's happening. They even did a at 371 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: a fashion show, right, that's right. They had feedsack fashion shows. 372 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 1: That was sort of a popular attraction, kind of a 373 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:07,800 Speaker 1: you know, what do you call it, like a publicity 374 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 1: stunt kind of situation, And there was a real focus 375 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:18,800 Speaker 1: on actually having these uh sack fabrics, UM have colorful 376 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 1: prints that would be appealing to two women. UM, and 377 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:24,560 Speaker 1: there would be lots of like flowers and kind of 378 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 1: you know, sons and little patterns that you know, you 379 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 1: would think of in terms of those types of dresses. 380 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:34,200 Speaker 1: It very much became this intentional thing. Uh. And then 381 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: feed stores actually became fabric stores. It started to be 382 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: a thing where like you, they were sort of one 383 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:45,400 Speaker 1: and the same, um, and you could buy like bolts 384 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,920 Speaker 1: of the stuff, right yeah, yeah, and they would you 385 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 1: even also print. Not all of these were meant to 386 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: be dresses later or curtains. Some even had printed patterns 387 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:01,680 Speaker 1: to make dolls or clothes for your dolls or other things, 388 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,600 Speaker 1: and so you could also you wouldn't maybe just by 389 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 1: a dress for a kid, you would also maybe be 390 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 1: by a present for their birthday later. And this is nuts. 391 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: People were surprised, uh by how how the market responded. 392 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:19,560 Speaker 1: Just like you said, man, these turned into fabric stores 393 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: at least as much as feed companies. And there are 394 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,159 Speaker 1: a couple of interesting firsthand accounts you can read. We 395 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 1: found some good ones in digital commons dot U n 396 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,199 Speaker 1: L dot E d U. That E d U at 397 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 1: the end makes you really, you know, let's you know 398 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,800 Speaker 1: that it's a good one. It absolutely adds an air 399 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 1: of gravitas to it. And by the way, just this 400 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:41,159 Speaker 1: is into the forties. So I jumped the gun ever 401 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: so slightly by saying that in the thirties, um, this 402 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 1: this transition from feed stores exclusively to feed stores slash 403 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 1: fabric stores happened, But it was around nineteen, you know, 404 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,160 Speaker 1: forty five or so that that they're kind of became 405 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:56,680 Speaker 1: this lack of distinction and the two kind of really 406 00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:00,040 Speaker 1: blurred together. And the old school feed salesmen of the 407 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:02,959 Speaker 1: time didn't cotton to this, uh too, well, did they 408 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,840 Speaker 1: been right? It was like, look, I'm just trying to 409 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:12,040 Speaker 1: sell your chicken feed and gober Sproorgenson's certified noncannibal chicken 410 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:15,359 Speaker 1: feed is the chicken feed you need. I feel like 411 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,960 Speaker 1: you're just buying this because of the dress print. And 412 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: then this was a real complaint because people were getting 413 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,760 Speaker 1: requests to move like these are not small bags either, 414 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,119 Speaker 1: to move hundreds of pounds of bags of chicken feed 415 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: just to get to the dress pattern that someone likes. 416 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 1: So it's more like they're showing them dresses instead of 417 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:38,440 Speaker 1: selling them the product they thought they were selling, and 418 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 1: you had to One one guy remembers he had to 419 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:44,840 Speaker 1: go to the feed store as a teenager, and when 420 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: he did, he and his buddies had to like posse up, 421 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:51,600 Speaker 1: They had to woot, hang up, assemble their avengers because 422 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:56,119 Speaker 1: they knew that his mom always seemed to want the 423 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:58,920 Speaker 1: dress patterns on the bottom of the pile, so he 424 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 1: and his buddies would have to take turn like hauling 425 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,280 Speaker 1: these sacks off until they got the patterns his mom wanted. 426 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:09,760 Speaker 1: And then they also noticed that this applied to other things, 427 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 1: so like, uh, they would buy, they would buy a 428 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:18,159 Speaker 1: brand of something called eggmash, right, and this sounds very gender, 429 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:20,120 Speaker 1: but this is how it was reported at the time. 430 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: They would say, essentially, if the wife of the farmer 431 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: already had a pattern from something else like flower or 432 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 1: potatoes or something. Uh, if she already had that existing 433 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,520 Speaker 1: pattern and she wanted another pattern to match, then that's 434 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: what the that's what the family would buy. They would 435 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: just buy whatever match, not what was. It didn't matter 436 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:44,080 Speaker 1: what was in the sack. It didn't matter what was 437 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: in the sack. Slap that on a T shirt. I 438 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:49,160 Speaker 1: don't know why, I just like the way it sounds. Yeah, 439 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:51,480 Speaker 1: eggmash is like a particular type of feed for hand 440 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:54,320 Speaker 1: for laying hens that they would put out. Um. And 441 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:56,159 Speaker 1: so that was a thing that was that was obviously 442 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: really important for these folks that had hand houses. But 443 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 1: then we get into World War two and uh, the 444 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:06,720 Speaker 1: early post war years, and cotton became a real commodity 445 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,040 Speaker 1: more so than before because there was a shortage even 446 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: in the civilian space, and recycling all the stuff that 447 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:17,960 Speaker 1: these farmers have been doing all along became an absolute 448 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 1: necessity and was actually encouraged by the government. World War 449 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 1: two brought a lot of industrial shortages to the forefront. 450 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,200 Speaker 1: You know, you had to support almost two separate states 451 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:38,000 Speaker 1: of people fighting, both in the East and the West. 452 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,919 Speaker 1: And they had supply chains that went across the world. 453 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 1: So they all all the all the companies start leaning 454 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:52,920 Speaker 1: heavily towards patriotism. And they said, you know, recycling cotton. Now, 455 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:56,159 Speaker 1: it started off as something that people used to make 456 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 1: fun of. Then it became something that everybody kind of understood. 457 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 1: Now it became something that was actively encouraged. We found 458 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 1: a newspaper column from May of nineteen forty four that says, 459 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,199 Speaker 1: best of all is the patriotic spirit you show when 460 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,440 Speaker 1: you're salvage fabrics. The housewife who provotes cotton bags into 461 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:16,399 Speaker 1: the menu use for items they are capable up and 462 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:18,680 Speaker 1: coming unto the magic with willing hands of minds. Not 463 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 1: only subs house health, but kinss, essential fabrics, Fall Hall, 464 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:26,639 Speaker 1: Country Text Old Bag Manufacturers Association. We mentioned them before. 465 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,880 Speaker 1: They had lines like a yard saved as a yard 466 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:34,040 Speaker 1: gained for victory. Yes, I love that. Love that they're 467 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: really getting in on that uh nationalistic propagandistic fervor. There 468 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: aren't they um And it's crazy because these feed stores 469 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:45,760 Speaker 1: literally became like the fast fashion even though it was 470 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:49,240 Speaker 1: slow fashion like you know boutiques of the time. Um, 471 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 1: because store bought clothes were really hard to come by, 472 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:55,800 Speaker 1: and so these little mom and pop kind of shops 473 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,199 Speaker 1: with handmade goods, um, really were kind of taking her. 474 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:04,920 Speaker 1: And bag manufacturers really felt that uh that you know, 475 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:09,399 Speaker 1: pressure to make sure that they were catering to that audience. 476 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:12,639 Speaker 1: Um and including you know, keeping up to the latest 477 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,520 Speaker 1: trends with their their prints, and then the colors that 478 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,680 Speaker 1: the bags were uh, you know died. Um. And it's 479 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 1: crazy too how much this really created a huge boon 480 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: for the US economy in the form of the American 481 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: cotton industry. One thousand, two d and eighty three million 482 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:32,600 Speaker 1: yards of cotton fabric were used in these bags. Uh. 483 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 1: And that account for eight percent of the entirety of 484 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: all cotton goods produced and four point five percent of 485 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 1: the total cotton consumption in the United States in the 486 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 1: year nine. Big deal. Yeah, And they also gave um. 487 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:52,240 Speaker 1: They also gave women living in the rural demographic who 488 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: had been treated so horribly for so long by so 489 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:57,960 Speaker 1: much of a society. They gave them this sense of 490 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:01,680 Speaker 1: agency and a sense of fashion. There were these sewing 491 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: contests that were organized for women who had again in 492 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,959 Speaker 1: many cases been at this for decades. You know. They 493 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,920 Speaker 1: were the hipsters who were in it before it was cool, right, 494 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:14,680 Speaker 1: and so they were able to show off their skills. 495 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 1: Manufacturers would show off their designs as as you said, 496 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:22,120 Speaker 1: people are selling off surplus bags, and you can still 497 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 1: see examples of very high quality dresses just objectively that 498 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,040 Speaker 1: were made by different people across the US. Yeah, and 499 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 1: they're even kind of like bled into pop culture. In 500 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: the early fifties, Marilyn Monroe posed for this really high 501 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: profile photo wearing a burlap sack of potato sack. Um, 502 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:43,120 Speaker 1: and it was kind of a publicity stunt that was 503 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,080 Speaker 1: set up by the studio. Because there's a couple of 504 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: versions of the story. Either she was called, uh, you know, 505 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:53,800 Speaker 1: kind of a classless waif by some sort of like 506 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: prudish you know, female journalists. Um, and this was her 507 00:29:57,800 --> 00:29:59,360 Speaker 1: you know, I was saying that she was better suited 508 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:01,240 Speaker 1: to wearing up at hata sack and so this was 509 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 1: her response to that. Or um, there was the notion 510 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 1: that someone said, oh, Maryland so beautiful, she would look 511 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,080 Speaker 1: good wearing even a potato sack. So twenty century Fox 512 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:12,360 Speaker 1: set up this shot and you can definitely catch a 513 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:16,080 Speaker 1: look at that online as well. Um, but you know, 514 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:18,840 Speaker 1: like we said, fashions come and fashions go, and this 515 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 1: one definitely went and and and what cotton feed sacks 516 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:26,960 Speaker 1: were once to those barrels, paper bags became much more 517 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:30,480 Speaker 1: of a cost effective thing. I mean, you look today 518 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:34,320 Speaker 1: there's it's it's kind of a fancy little gimmick for 519 00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 1: a company to you know, sell their goods in uh, 520 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: cotton sacks, you know, that sort of a high end 521 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:42,880 Speaker 1: bag of rice. You know, if it comes in a 522 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: little sack with a drawstring, typically it's all gonna be 523 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,080 Speaker 1: paper like this. Like look, yeah, I don't know if 524 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: you guys can see this, but I've got a glass 525 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: bottle here where I bought fancy milk just so I 526 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:57,000 Speaker 1: could use this as a container for my iced coffee 527 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 1: for time, you know, from now on and forever. You're right, man, 528 00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 1: paper is just easier to use. It's way more cost effective, 529 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:08,920 Speaker 1: and it's because of economy of scale. Remember this, this 530 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 1: story that we're spinning today comes from a time when 531 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:17,200 Speaker 1: a huge amount of chicken farms were smaller operations. Now 532 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 1: it's been all kind of um agglomerated, right, monopolized, well, 533 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 1: not monopolized, but you know what I mean, consolidated this 534 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:29,440 Speaker 1: yarn that we're spinning. Ben There we are, there we are, 535 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:32,680 Speaker 1: we got here we go, here we go. Yeah. But 536 00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:35,640 Speaker 1: like you know, the feedsack industry really became kind of 537 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 1: you know, like you can think of paper sacks is 538 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,400 Speaker 1: like disruptive technology in the same way that that that 539 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,400 Speaker 1: fabric sacks were too two barrels. Uh. And in the 540 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 1: late fifties it all but ceased to exist. Um. And 541 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 1: there were a couple of attempts to kind of bring 542 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 1: it back by printing like comics and cartoons on them, 543 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 1: like Buck Rogers and like Disney types, you know, princess 544 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:03,720 Speaker 1: story like Cinderella, And there was like an advertising campaign 545 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,800 Speaker 1: on TV that was trying to get American housewives back 546 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:10,320 Speaker 1: into it, but it just at the moment was gone. Um. 547 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 1: And uh, like we said, it is something that you 548 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:17,000 Speaker 1: definitely see um, like on Etsy stores. Uh and you know, 549 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,600 Speaker 1: and like vintage clothing markets. It's certainly something that you know, 550 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: is a is a look and is a style that 551 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: is fondly remembered and you know, Um, something that people 552 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:29,800 Speaker 1: can still do themselves, you know, with this kind of 553 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 1: patchwork kind of mentality, and it's it's really interesting. I 554 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:36,360 Speaker 1: really liked the story all up, and I agree. I mean, 555 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 1: I think of my family. There's still a few examples 556 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: of this stuff. People are wearing them day to day 557 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:45,000 Speaker 1: at right, but you know they save them because it's 558 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:48,880 Speaker 1: part of history. And of course, as anybody can tell you, Uh, 559 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:51,960 Speaker 1: this is this is not to say that there's no 560 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:55,880 Speaker 1: such thing as cotton dresses now. They're obviously everywhere. They 561 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,960 Speaker 1: just didn't have chicken feed in them first. Uh, you know, 562 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:03,000 Speaker 1: I agree. This is an inspiring story. Uh, it's a 563 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 1: story of ingenuity. It's also a story of the fickle 564 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:09,560 Speaker 1: whims of fashion. If you are interested in hearing more 565 00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:13,320 Speaker 1: about the history of fashion, we'd like to recommend a show. 566 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:16,560 Speaker 1: I believe we mentioned our previous episode, which is our 567 00:33:16,600 --> 00:33:22,320 Speaker 1: pure podcast Dressed Now without without telling too many tales 568 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:25,160 Speaker 1: out of school as they might say in Tennessee. Uh, 569 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 1: super producer Casey pegrub Casey, I understand you're affiliated with Dressed. 570 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:34,240 Speaker 1: That is true, just as one of the other shows 571 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:37,840 Speaker 1: here at my Heart that I produce every week. So um, 572 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,680 Speaker 1: we come out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The show is 573 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:45,320 Speaker 1: hosted by April Callahan Cassidy Zachary. They're both fashion historians 574 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:50,600 Speaker 1: and you know, just lifelong followers of fashion trends. And yeah, 575 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:52,720 Speaker 1: the showed. The show every week looks at a different 576 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 1: kind of period of fashion history. Sometimes it's contemporary, sometimes 577 00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:59,280 Speaker 1: it's in the past, and really goes into all the 578 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:03,800 Speaker 1: kind of history coal um influences and forces of work 579 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,280 Speaker 1: that kind of shape fashion because you realize that fashion 580 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:09,799 Speaker 1: and fashion history is just another way of doing kind 581 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:12,239 Speaker 1: of world history, political history, and so on. So it's 582 00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:14,719 Speaker 1: a very very interesting topic. I can absolutely attest to 583 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 1: that really great show and and and they have a 584 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:21,279 Speaker 1: really cool rapport their lifelong friends and colleagues and really 585 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,880 Speaker 1: really enjoyable and and also we mentioned it made the 586 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:27,000 Speaker 1: list of uh in Vanity Fair that we were a 587 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:30,480 Speaker 1: part of last week. UM. Really high quality stuff. UM. 588 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:34,000 Speaker 1: Happy to have them in the family. UM. Huge thanks 589 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: to you, super producer, Casey Program for all the work 590 00:34:36,680 --> 00:34:39,239 Speaker 1: you do on this show and dressed and stuff you 591 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:42,040 Speaker 1: missed in history class. We couldn't do without you. Big 592 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:45,800 Speaker 1: big thanks to Christopher hasiotis here it Spirit Alex Williams, 593 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:49,879 Speaker 1: who composed our theme. Big thanks to Gabe Lousier. Big 594 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 1: thanks of course to Jonathan Strickland Dak the Quister, who 595 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:56,920 Speaker 1: I need I need to write back. He actually I 596 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,360 Speaker 1: think he misses us. He sent us an email recently 597 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:02,920 Speaker 1: U where where he said, you know, he said like, 598 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:07,160 Speaker 1: I will reign wrath upon you, Uh, like I curse 599 00:35:07,239 --> 00:35:09,560 Speaker 1: you to the ninth generation. It's like his way of 600 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:13,200 Speaker 1: saying he misses us. Basically, you know, that's Jonathan speak 601 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:15,319 Speaker 1: for I hope you guys are well. Did you get 602 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 1: one of those postcards made up of like cutout letters 603 00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:21,080 Speaker 1: from different like magazines and stuff. No, it was weird. 604 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:23,640 Speaker 1: He just he sent me like it looks like a 605 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 1: close up picture my parents sleeping. I don't know how 606 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:29,840 Speaker 1: he got into the house, but you know, I like 607 00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:32,600 Speaker 1: to think that was like and I miss you been 608 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:35,399 Speaker 1: kind of thing on his part. He's probably just looking 609 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:38,279 Speaker 1: out for your folks on your behalf. It's definitely an 610 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:42,759 Speaker 1: altruistic move. Yeah, So thanks to you, Jonathan, if you're 611 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,560 Speaker 1: if you're listening, Uh, thanks of course as always to 612 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:49,759 Speaker 1: our peer podcasters, including Eve's Jeff Coat, and thanks to 613 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:53,239 Speaker 1: you Noel Brown. I know we've gotta we've gotta call 614 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:55,080 Speaker 1: it a day, so we'll just let people know. You 615 00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,320 Speaker 1: can find us on Instagram. You can find us on Facebook. 616 00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:59,760 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter. We'd like to recommend 617 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:03,759 Speaker 1: our Facebook page Ridiculous Historians. We want to hear your 618 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:06,840 Speaker 1: stories of fashions of yesteryear, especially if they are what 619 00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:09,439 Speaker 1: you would call ridiculous. You can also find us as 620 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,520 Speaker 1: individuals on the internet. You surely can. You can find 621 00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:15,200 Speaker 1: me exclusively on Instagram where I am at how Now 622 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:17,719 Speaker 1: Noel Brown. But you can find me on Twitter where 623 00:36:17,719 --> 00:36:21,120 Speaker 1: I'm at Ben Bolland H. S W and i am 624 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:25,360 Speaker 1: at Ben Bolland on Instagram. We'll see you next time, folks. 625 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:33,920 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit the I 626 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to 627 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:37,840 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.