Thread: A couple questions about 'The Roaring 20s'

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

+1 to what TBS said. I was talking to an old fellow in Newark, NJ twenty some years ago. I was commenting on the fact that all of the apts in old buildings had very little closet space. He told me that in the '20s and '30s, when those buildings were built, people didn't have large wardrobes. A man might have one good suit and a pair of shoes. Average people couldn't afford more. If my depression era father and mother saw me buying more than one razor and shaving brush they would be shaking their heads at the "waste" of money.

Roger that.

My Father was born in 1921, in Paradise, WV - far from Paradise (if you know what I mean). He grew up, went to school through the 9th grade, quit and went to work in the coal mine with my Grandfather to help support the family. In '41 the war broke out and he joined the Navy. A Boswain that piloted the landing craft delivering soldiers to the beaches. One tour down he reinlisted.

Upon his separation from the Navy he completed his education, went to Marshall in Charleston during the day and drove a cab at night. After graduation he became a school teacher for the next 30+ years.

He loved to talk about 'the old days' and would spend hours on end telling about growing up, the war stories and anything else anyone would be interested in listening to. Not once did I hear him say how great it was.

We didn't have much, but we had a LOT more than he did growing up. He signed up for another stint during the war because it was the best job he ever had and worked his butt off nights and summers so none of us would ever have to do what he did. He was the finest man I've ever known.

I have a vintage Clover Brand razor with $2.50 printed on the box. I'm sure he would say that would have been a week's pay in those days. I have my Grandfather's Larkin razor that most of you know was a 'gift' for buying catalog items - and was probably the best razor he owned until at least the late 40's, when Dad sent him something better from the Navy stores - ironic that we're all going back now isn't it?

It's great to never forget 'the old days', but none of us should ever wish to go back. For most people it was a hand to mouth existance and there was nothing 'great' about it.

You might want to check out the Fedora Lounge forum. It's all about clothing, accoutrements, etc. from the 50s on back to the turn of the 20th century. Tons of great discussion on items and lifestyles... great source for links and reviews on sources where you can by period items and reproduction, etc. (I particularly find it fantastic for hats and shoes.)

thanks so much for all of the information, it is truly enlightening. I can't imagine the differences in the 20s even in terms of quality of life, medicine, and work conditions, much less anything else. I'm grateful to be living in a time like today, even with our "problems," it is hard to complain.

I'll definitely look into all of the resources mentioned, for one reason or another I seem to feel some sort of connection to the past, and strangely, that time period specifically. I guess it's one of the reasons I'm also using vintage shaving gear Who knows what'll be next

In the late 20's my great grandad got expelled in the 2nd grade because at a forth of July carnival he got a naked pinup tattooed on his forearm. In the second grade! The let him come back in a week when he'd gone back to have a swimsuit tattooed on her. Didnt mean much he dropped out in the 3rd grade to become a teamster.

In our complex, trouble filled society people often times long for what they think is the peaceful, slow paced, simple life of the past. Unfortunately, folks forget about all the negatives that went along with it. No doubt there are some who would fit in very nicely and wouldn't mind the hardships and dangers but for probably 90%+ they couldn't hack it very long. We are all creatures of our time.

sorry to bump this kind-of-old thread. Just saw this article online: The 25 Most Stylish Men on TV: Style: GQ

The exact character I referred to in my OP is shown here.. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks it looks great :-)


Edit: Also... coming in at #5: http://www.gq.com/style/profiles/201...tweet#slide=21