Tag Archives: 1920s

Theatre

Yvonne: A musical comedy

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Yvonne: A musical comedy

Yvonne was an original musical comedy staged by George Edwardes at Dalys Theatre, London in mid 1926. It followed the huge success of Katja the Dancer, which had run for many months, and was a hard act to follow.

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Fads

The cult of sunbathing

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The cult of sunbathing

Nowadays, despite health scares, most of us yearn to lounge on a beach in the summer, wear skimpy beachwear, dowse ourselves in delicious smelling oils and sprays and acquire a gorgeous dark tan designed to become the envy of our friends. But it is strange to think that sunbathing is a relatively recent pastime, so when did it really become fashionable and why?

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Art & Decor

Charles Gesmar

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Charles Gesmar by Angelo Luerti

Charles Ges(i)mar, simply known as Gesmar, was one of the greatest designers of costumes and posters during the golden age of the Paris music hall during the Jazz Age and was primarily renowned for his work for the great Parisian star Mistinguett. Although his tenure was short, his output was prolific and his creativity and talent unrivalled.

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Art & Decor

Hugh Willoughby

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The British artist Hugh Willoughby rose to prominence in the new wave of costume designers and illustrators that emerged after the First World War during the Jazz Age. He made a name for himself in London and Paris before moving to the USA in the mid 1920s.

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Art & Decor

Einer Nerman

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Einer Nerman

The artist simply known as Nerman rose to stardom creating charming caricatures of theatrical and musical celebrities in the Jazz Age of the 1920s and Hollywood stars in the 1930s. But Einer Nerman also did much advertising work, book illustration and was an accomplished painter.

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Art & Decor, Dolly Tree

Dolly Tree illustrations

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Dolly Tree’s Jazz Age illustrations

Before she became an international renowned costume designer for stage and screen in the early 1920s, Dolly Tree excelled as an illustrator.

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Venues

The Classy Ciro’s Restaurant Chain

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The Classy Ciro’s Restaurant Chain

Among European high society Ciro’s became an institution and perhaps the first classy restaurant chain in Europe with main branches in Monte Carlo, Paris, London and Biarritz. Each venue was regarded as far more than a restaurant but the very centre of fashionable life.

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Art & Decor

The Art of Betty Craig

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The Art of Betty Craig (Elizabeth Edmonstone Craig)

The multi-named Elizabeth Edmonstone Craig painted under the name of Betty Craig and performed in opera as Signora Maria Nelvi and seemingly made a name for herself during the Jazz Age in the 1920s and early 1930s.

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