This collection explores fashion artifacts from daily life to shed light on key aspects of the social life and culture of Americans in the 20th century. This book covers forty-five articles of fashion or accessories, chosen to illuminate significant areas of daily life and history, including Politics, World Events, and War; Transportation and Technology; Home and Work Life; Art and Entertainment; Health, Sport, and Leisure; and Alternative Cultures, Youth, Ethnic, Queer, and Counter Culture. These artifacts help readers follow major events, social movements, cultural shifts, and technological developments that shaped life in the U.S. A World War I soldier's helmet opens a vista onto the horrors of trench warfare during World War I; the dress of a typical 1920's flapper
speaks volumes about America women's changing role during Prohibition and the Jazz Age; a homemade feedsack dress illuminates the world of the Great Depression; and the bikini ushers us into the Atomic Age.