Fashion in the Books of 1929

*********This thread is now devoted to THE BOB, and not fashion in general. vintage_books has set up some wonderful threads elsewhere:
1929 Women's Fashions and 1929 Men's Fashions*********

Here I am, on page 8 of my copy of The Crime of Black Dudley, and what do I read?

(Meggie Oliphant's) hair was her chief beauty, copper-coloured and very sleek; she wore it cut in a severe "John" bob, a straight thick fringe across her forehead.

So then I asked myself, what on earth is a severe "John" bob and what does it look like?
And despite finding very entertaining and educative websites here, here, here and here, I still don't have an answer. Can anyone help?

I think it'll be fun to "Spot the Bob" as we progress through our reading - will this be the only one? Or will we need a Bob-o-Meter? Fun things to consider while you all pop your corks this evening!

Where is vintage_books? She is our fashion expert.

From the way it's written, I would guess that it is a bob in the style of "John", some sort of celebrity at the time. Since Allingham is british, I would guess it is named after of celebrity at the time, John ?, who sported the same style?

I found this quoted in A Woman's Place by Ruth Adam (reprinted by Persephone Books), about the style of the 1920s: "A new type of woman had come into existence. The new erotic ideal was androgyne; girls strove to look as much like boys as possible. All curves—the female attribute so much admired—were completely abandoned. And as if to give the crowning touch to their attempted boyishness, all young women cut off their hair. The bob of the early nineteen-twenties was abandoned for the shingle, which made the coiffure follow much more closely the lines of the head..." (quoted from James Laver A Concise History of Costume).

There was a story recently on Minnesota Public Radio about a researcher who looked at how the state of the economy changes our notion of attractiveness. He found that a slightly heavier, more mature look was popular in bad economic times, and a thinner, more childlike look popular in good economic times.

For me, the look of the prosperous 1920s is summed up by Louise Brooks (here in a 1928 photograph):



I don't know who "John" is, but Ruth Adam talks about "the Amazons of the nineteen-twenties, who smoked cigarettes in public, drank cocktails or beer, and called each other bi-sexual (or sexless) names, such as Bobbie, Billie, Jackie, Dickie, Ray, or Jo..."

I wondered if it had something to do with the painter Augustus John, but it doesn't seem so.

The bob style that Louise Brooks wears above was sometimes called a "bowl" cut. I always thought that meant it looked like a bowl had been placed on the head and the hair cut around it. But maybe there's a "bowl" and a "John" (another kind of "bowl") connection? Most of the bobs I saw on the web are wavy (what I think was called "marcelled" hair). But I guess if that wavy head was dunked in the toilet bowl, it might come up looking plastered straight like Ms. Brooks's.

Yeah, it's a stretch . . .

>5 Cariola: LOL!

Here is an article on the bob that has some interesting photos, although it does not answer the "john" question.

Evidently Radclyffe Hall took to calling herself "John."

I have antique fashion, beauty and household books. I will be posting photos and reference material shortly which should answer this question. :)

vintage_books

As my dear mother would say rob, vintage_books - you are both truly mines of information.

When referring to herself, especially if someone commented upon her knowledge she would say, quite self effacingly 'Oh I am a mine of useless information!'

Talking of which, I came across a 1929 photo of her (my Mum) today. It is of herself and two friends all aged 15 waving from a train carriage, en route to Paris. I will scan and publish in honour of this post. Not a lot to tell regarding fashion but a veritable and authentic piece of archive.

I will be back once I have bribed Keith to do it by making him dinner =)

My immediate association was to Gwen John (sister of Augustus), for whatever that may be worth...

Very short hair or a ponytail? I think short...

Authentic 15 year olds here - en route to Paris waving au revoir at Victoria train station. (Mummy is top left) This train actually went onto the ferry across the channel and was called the boat train!



My Mum told me how they met Noel Coward. This next photo is labelled Paris and is one she bought back from the trip. I think it may have a theatrical provenance.

Is it your mother? Whoever it is, I WANT THAT DRESS AND HAT!!!

>Message 9: juliette07
Juliette07, I am warmed by your kind words. However, I did not yet find the answer we seek!

I have a 1931 Hairdressing book The Art and Craft of Hairdressing that is 500 pp long and after reading it carefully, these facts must be taken into consideration when reading period literature:
*By 1931, the popular hair length for a Bob was 10 inches. Many many other variations on styles, cuts and lengths occured.
*Most women would pay for a flat Bob cut from a barber, and than transformed their hair based on need. This can include marcel waving, Permanent Waving, Water Waving, Finger Waving, Curling, and more.
*Bangs are called Fringes.
*Hairstyles were called "Coiffures" and than the type of style was within that framework. If we need a formula it would be: Coiffure>Bob>Shingled Mode (type of cut)>Eton Crop (Specific cut framing the face).
Another formula would be: Hairstyle>Bob>Permanent Waving (now called Permanent)
*In the reference sources I researched, there was no reference to a type of style or cut called a "John".

I also checked the modern picture book Daring Dos A History of Extraordinary Hair but that book was no assistance either.

I even pulled Antoine's autobiography, since he is credited as being the father of the Bob, but there was no reference to "The John" or "John" as a hairstyle.

I have other literature I will research this answer at my leisure.

>Message 11: LolaWalser
Based on the photo above, the artwork was probably done pre-1929, and more specifically, pre-1925. The hair is pulled back into a chignon (bun) which you can almost see on the left side of her head.

The large bow placement and high neckline isn't typical of 1929, therefore I would place this artwork in the mid-teens or of an older woman holding onto that or earlier fashion into a later period.

>Message 12: juliette07
Julietto07, your mother is adorable. In the second photo, she is indeed posing for a theatrical photo. The dress is very high end, and usually only worn for formal or dance events. Her makeup is overdone much too much, but would be appropriate for stage-wear during the period. I can't see her shoes that well, but they appear to be formal shoes of a satin or silk design most likely with a Louis heel

Respectfully submitted ~

vintage_books

Time elapased for research: 1 hour

Oh, the painting is pre-20th century, I couldn't find any photos or later portraits of Gwen John (googling brings up tons of her paintings, not pictures OF her).

If my instinct's not completely wrong, I must have thought of her because of the photos in her brother's bio, by Michael Holroyd, read... yonks ago. (if someone has it, maybe there's a "John bob" in there...)

Otoh, perhaps Allingham was alluding at someone else, maybe another lesbian painter?

That's Dora Carrington on the left:

*********This thread is now devoted to THE BOB, and not fashion in general. vintage_books has set up some wonderful threads elsewhere:
1929 Women's Fashions and 1929 Men's Fashions*********

I cannot believe the amount of stuff you've all posted here - quite overwhelming. I haven't had much a chance to read everything, but shall do so as soon as possible.
That is a wonderful, wonderful photo of your mother, Julie!

Personally, I prefer the As You Know bob? But little has been written about that curious do ;-)

In the Mapp & Lucia series by E.F. Benson, set in the late 20s, early 30s, great detail is given to the clothing and hair styles. Lucia set all of Riseholme buzzing when she got her hair "shingled".

Julie what splendid photos of you mum.

I have a favorite book of The Art of Vogue Covers 1909-1940

It has splendid covers like these that are part fashion part fantasy.





I used to pour over the images in it as a girl. I've always wanted to bob my hair but I'm afraid I'll look like the little Dutch Boy and not chic.

Thanks for commenting upon the boat train 15 year olds - it is a very poignant photo for me at the present as my Mum, at nearly 94 is very fragile.

The trouble with the bob in my view is that many of us have natural kinks, waves and girls that tend to mitigate against the classic chic bob such as posted in #4.

They ironed their hair if it didn't come that way. I used to have naturally ironed iron until I had chemo, at which point all my hair fell out. The hair that came back in is definitely not mine. I suspect it belongs to the deceased poodle of some dead dowager. But somewhere out there, someone is walking around with my hair and when I fined her I'm going to snatch her bald headed.

Ironed their hair ? - I will have to ask 'she who knows' if that is so.

>21 urania1: snatch her bald headed

LOL, I thought only my mother used that phrase, urania!! My own hair has gotten curlier with age, especially the gray hairs!

I just picked up a copy of The Bobbed Haired Bandit: A True Story of Crime and Celebrity in 1920s New York. I'll come back with a review and the role of the bob asap. urania and marise, my mother used that phrase too.

hi, may i ask what reason you may have to poss atribute the hairstyle of louise brooks to augustus john, many thanks.