1900-1914

Art Contextual:-

Between the times of 1900-1914 there were many events that influenced the art and popular culture:

• 1901 Queen Victoria dies and U.S President McKinley was assassinated.
• 1904 Theodor Seuss Geisel and Salvador Dali were born.
• 1905 Painting by Matisse and and Derain introduce Fauvism.
• 1907 Picasso introduces Cubism.
• 1908 the Converse rubber corporation was formed.
• 1909 Plastic is invented.
• 1911 Mona Lisa is stolen.
• 1912 the Titanic sank.
• 1914 WW1 began.

Aestheticism:-
Aestheticism (or the Aesthetic Movement) is an art movement that was prominent particularly in Europe in the 19th century. It supported the emphasis of aesthtic values more than social-political themes of literature, fine art, music and other arts.

The Peacock Room, Aesthetic Movement designed by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, one of the most famous examples of Aesthetic style interior design.

Modernism:-
Modernism refers to the broad movement in Western arts and literature that gathered pace from around 1850, and is characterised by a deliberate rejection of the styles of the past; emphasising instead innovation and experimentation in forms, materials and techniques in order to create artworks that better reflected modern society.

Women and Fashion between 1900 and 1914:-

Only 19% of women had jobs, most of them working in factories. By 1900, more than one million women worked in factories, primarily in textile mills and clothing factories. They worked long hours, often 15 hours a day, in poor conditions and for very little pay. They could not fight for better conditions because many unions did not allow women to join. Only about 5% of women were secretaries, clerks, or salespersons. Middle-class women joined the work force, primarily as teachers and nurses (teachers, however, were required to quit when they got married). They also worked as typists or telephone and telegraph operators. Half the female workers were under 25 years old and they were paid less than men. 

Because of this women's fashion also began to change, women's skirts became shorter, in part to make it easier to step into automobiles and trolleys and when at work. A popular skirt was the "hobble skirt" which had a slit to the knee, making walking easier. Women also liked to wear big hats. Middle class women copied styles from fashion magazines, either hiring someone to make replicas or sewing the clothes their own. At the time of around 1908, women started rejecting the corset and European style for more comfortable clothes such as tailored skirts and blouses. Women based their styles on the Gibson Girl, a creation of American artist, Charles Gibson.