The picture in which I saw the consumptive ethos in the 1880’s and 90’s was the Japanese Fan Drill in 1894. I saw this picture and thought that this truly captured the aurora of those who were going to Rollins at the time. At this time Rollins was a predominantly female school, and by dressing up in these elaborate costumes with probably expensive fans that were most likely hard to come by during these times it shows what segment of society these Rollins students were coming from.
Also under the photograph the picture is titled under “Women’s Sports.” As I read this I inferred that these women had enough leisure time to partake in these sports of such, while at the same time many women their age were toiling in low wage factory positions in the industrial north. In addition to their leisure time they enjoyed I can get a sense of what a women’s role in society was during the 1890’s. The inference I made was based upon just the labeling alone of what the definition of a women’s sport was during the time. There was no competitive team; it was simply an activity that these women partook in.
From the time of the 1890’s to the present day our American society has been one of consumption in nature from the daily use of credit in our daily lives to the mega brands that came to dominate the American market place our country owes its many values and lifestyle to the transformations that took place during this time. Though as our country looks toward where we are headed we must question ourselves if the values of living off credit and consumer spending are the best thing for our economy in the long haul. Only time can answer these most important questions.
No comments:
Post a Comment