Lipstick, Mrs. Keegan, Southern Methodist University collection

Robert Yarnall Richie (1908-1984) worked as a free-lance commercial and industrial photographer for many large corporations including those in the automobile, aviation, chemical, mining, petroleum, railroad, shipping, steel and other industries, both in the U.S. and overseas. The collection, held by Southern Methodist University's DeGolyer Library, contains corporate and industrial photographs made by Richie from 1932-1975. Southern Methodist University's Central University Libraries (CUL) Digital Collections includes the digital libraries and online digital collections from the six Central University Libraries. Our ongoing projects include the creation of digital collections of Mexican photographs, locomotives, Texas history, art, and currency notes, and more.

After the end of World War I and until 1929, the onset of the Great Depression, the victorious countries-the United States, Great Britain, and France-entered an era of economic and political prosperity. A mood of optimism and faith in a prosperous future prevailed. World War I led to radical changes in virtually every sphere of life, including fashion. The most important phenomenon of the period is the emancipation of women, made possible by the long struggle of women for their rights, as well as the heavy demographic impact of the war and the Spanish pandemic. Women were gradually integrated into the economy, gaining political rights and the ability to provide for themselves, as a consequence of which women's fashion underwent radical changes to fit the new way of life. Women's clothing became simpler, more comfortable, and the layering of lingerie and corsets was abandoned. Elements that had previously been considered traditionally masculine, such as pantsuits and sportswear, are entering women's fashion.