In 1928, the E. I. DuPont de Nemours Co. hired Wallace Carothers Ph. to conduct pure research in any area of chemistry he chose. His interest was in the construction of long chain polymers, similar to those found in nature. There was no product in mind when he and his team began their work, they simply wanted to learn as much about large molecules as possible. The work done by Carothers and his team lead to the discovery of polyesters and polyamides. DuPont went with the polyamides, and nylon was born. It was the first fiber produced entirely in the laboratory, and was introduced to the public in the form of women's stockings at the 1939 World's Fair. Nylon stockings went on sale May 15, 1940, and were a smashing success. Prior to the production of nylon stockings, American women wore stockings made of silk or rayon. By 1942, nylon stockings were taking twenty percent of the stocking market. With U.S. entry into World War Two, nylon was declared a defense material and withdrawn from the civilian market. Nylon's most famous use during the war was as a replacement for silk in parachutes. However, it was also used in ropes, netting, tire cord, and dozens of other items. So many uses were found for nylon that some referred to it as the "fiber that won the war." When the war ended, nylon stockings were brought back and quickly replaced silk and rayon in the stocking market.
This is the first pair of experimental nylon stockings made by Union Hosiery Company for Du Pont in 1937. The leg of the stocking is nylon, the upper welt, toe, and heel are silk, and cotton is found in the seam. The nylon section of the stocking would not take the silk dye, and dyed to black instead of brown.
Hand-sewn by the wearer for her senior prom in South Texas, this dress reflects middle-class attempts to imitate the grandeur of debutante balls. Starting out as college rituals at the turn of the 20th century, proms worked their way down to high schools and became more expensive during the prosperous 1950s. This dress was made in 1965, despite the counterculture of the 1960s showing a slight decline in the prom's popularity.
This dress is full-length and made of rose-colored, satin-like fabric. A darker pink machine-made lace with a floral patter covers the front and back of the bodice. The front of the lace is decorated with scattered three- point stars made of sewn-on oblong pearls with a smaller, round pearl in the center. These smaller pearls are also randomly applied throughout the bodice, though many are now missing. The bodice has two darts in the back and four in the front, with two coming up from the waist; the others form under the arms toward the breast area. An undecorated skirt is attached, flared, and gathered at the waist. It is made of two large panels seamed on the sides. The entire dress is lined in pale pink synthetic fabric. A metal zipper on the center back fastens the dress, and a hook-and-eye closure is at the top neckline.
In 1959, the Mattel toy company introduced Barbie. Unlike most dolls at the time, Barbie was a grown-up-a "teenage fashion model" who could date, drive, and wear fabulous clothes.
While often criticized for her unrealistic physical proportions and for promoting gender stereotypes, Barbie has also evolved with the times. Since the 1980s she has taken on many new careers, from police officer to paleontologist. She even ran for president.
This is a pair of black, women’s, size 8 Fila sneakers most likely worn by an immigrant during a Mexican-U.S. border crossing. The sneakers are very worn and split down the middle of both shoes horizontally. The sneakers were recovered at a dump site on the Arizona side of the border.
Fila is an Italian company started by two brothers in 1911 as a textile business. Over the years, the company has grown and expanded into an international business fabricating sports attire. Their breakthrough line came in the 1970s, the White Line Collection, aimed specifically at tennis players but the company designs sportswear for all types of athletes today (2015).
Marcie Doll, Salvation Lass, for the Salvation Army. A blond- haired doll with a long sleeve blue dress, blue shawl with ribbon, and a blue bonnet with maroon ribbon. Shoes are black and painted on. Her green eyes open and shut. The doll is in the original cardboard box. marks: "The Salvation Army" on back of bonnet; "this is a/ Marcie/ Doll" with registered trademark on tag inside dress.
Today the Salvation Army is best known for collecting funds during the holidays. But the evangelical group began in the 1880s founding rescue missions across the nation. Although care for the poor became increasingly secular in the late 1800s with the rise of social welfare professionals, religious groups continued to play a crucial role.
This red knit cardigan was worn by Fred Rogers, creator and host of the children's program, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (PBS, 1968-2001). For more than thirty years, Rogers began each episode by changing into a sweater and tennis shoes and singing, "Won't you be my neighbor?"
An ordained Presbyterian minister, Rogers dedicated his television career to promoting children's emotional and moral well-being. His show, with its friendly conversational style and trips to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, encouraged young viewers to feel loved, respected, and special.
Hector Aguilar, trusted journalist and senior anchor at WNJU in New Jersey wore this jacket. Aguilar, a Cuban refugee who migrated to the United States in the 1960s, worked in broadcasting from an early age and made a career in radio and television. He chose stylish but formal clothing to signal his respect for the news and his audiences; he took both seriously and became a respected personality that viewers turned to for the news.
His daughter, Margarita Aguilar noted that he was “very fashion conscious and liked fabrics like tweed, pure wools and other natural fibers. He also admired great tailoring and fine design. He never wore a suit but well-tailored jackets such as this one ... with made-to-order pants from his tailor.”
In the 1950s, consumers made television the centerpiece of the home, fueling competition among broadcasters to create new products, new programming, new stations, and even new networks. Innovators, such as those behind the creation of independent Spanish-language stations and eventually the Spanish International Network (SIN), challenged established broadcasting companies by creating new programming in Spanish and catering to underserved audiences. Established in the early 1960s, SIN knit together independents and created new stations to serve a national audience. With a complex business and legal history, SIN eventually became Univision in the 1980s. In the decades after 1980, Spanish-language programing options grew with recognition of Latinx communities as powerful consumer groups and the advent of new broadcasting technologies such as cable and digital TV.
Description (Spanish)
Héctor Aguilar, periodista de renombre y presentador principal de WNJU en Nueva Jersey uso esta chaqueta. Aguilar, refugiado cubano que emigró a Estados Unidos en la década de 1960, comenzó a trabajar en radiodifusión desde temprana edad e hizo carrera en la radio y la televisión. Eligió ropa elegante y formal, para manifestar respeto por las noticias y por su audiencia; se dedicó con seriedad a ambos y se convirtió en una personalidad respetada a la que los espectadores acudían para mantenerse informados.
Su hija, Margarita Aguilar, señaló que él era “muy consciente de la moda y le gustaban las telas como tweed, las lanas puras y otras fibras naturales. También admiraba la gran sastrería y el diseño fino. Nunca vestía de traje, pero sí usaba chaquetas bien confeccionadas como esta ... con pantalones hechos a medida por su sastre ".
En la década de 1950, los consumidores hicieron de la televisión un componente central de sus hogares, fomentando la competencia entre las difusoras para crear nuevos productos, nueva programación, nuevas estaciones, e incluso nuevas redes. Los innovadores, como los creadores de los canales independientes de habla hispana y el Spanish International Network (SIN), desafiaron a las emisoras establecidas creando nuevos programas en español centradas en audiencias históricamente ignoradas. Establecido a principios de los sesenta, SIN unió a difusoras independentes y creó nuevas estaciones para responder a una audiencia nacional. Tras una compleja trayectoria empresarial y legal, SIN se convertiría en Univisión en la década de 1980. Durante las próximas décadas, las opciones de programación en español crecieron gracias al reconocimiento de la comunidad Latinx, como poderoso grupo de consumidores, y a la introducción de nuevas tecnologías de difusión, como el cable y la televisión digital.
