Think about a particular object, text, or image produced after 1920 that would have been unthinkable or inappropriate in before the period of economic expansion and consolidation of the late 19th and early 20th century. Putting aside the question of technical knowledge, why would this object, text, or image have seemed out of place in the years we’ve discussed and why does it fit in its current historical moment? What does the object show us about values, priorities, and a sense of self in the present that is distinct from the past? For instance, as we discussed last time, commercial make up only came in to common use in the 1910s and beyond, partly because its use would have been inconsistent with the middle-class “culture of character” in earlier periods. The advertisements we discussed are also very different from any that would have appeared in the mid-1800s.

To address this prompt well, you’l l not only have to come up with a source that you wish to discuss in analytical detail, but also think theoretically about the nature of some of the cultural changes we’ve discussed in class: from pre-industrial to industrial (and now service-based) economies; evolving conceptions of race; redefined meanings for particular regions of the country such as the West; changes in the American workplace; a shift from a culture of “character” to a culture of “personality”; changed patterns of courtship and dating. You’ll need to discuss not only the primary object of your analysis, but the earlier sources that create your understanding of that period.

The paper should be about 7-8 pages long and is due by May 19 at 4pm. Enjoy the summer!