1925 The Great Gatsby Publish Date - Factfile
Summer Work - English
Women’s Liberation
Politically, 1925 was a monumental year for women. Firstly on January 5th, Nellie
Tayloe Ross became the first female governor in the United States in Wyoming, breaking
all previous traditions of only men participating in politics and law-passing. Only three
days later on January 8th, the first all-female US state supreme court was appointed in
Texas, yet again fracturing aged beliefs. Furthermore, the vote for women in America,
passed in 1920, was still new, only having been in action for five years. This changing
role of women didn’t only apply to politics, but also to society as a result of the work
they did during the war. Due to the prior World War 1, the number of working women
increased by 25 per cent to make up for the lack of men contributing to the workload
and economy. Whilst the majority of men were fighting in the war, it was now a
woman's job to run the household and to earn the money. The age proceeding the war
was one of modernity and materialistic drive, consequently allowing women to become
wrapped up in the ‘new woman’ theory (embodied by flapper girls) - that women were
now openly sexual, political and opinionated, that women were now engaging in dance,
drinking and smoking, that women were now dressing provocatively donning bobs,
short dresses and makeup. The 20s era was a vast difference from the previous
depressive era, now exercising liberation and participation in practices that were not
available beforehand. However, regardless of the strides female-kind had made in the
20s, most women were still housewives and were not as free or as respected as their
male counterparts.
Technology
One stand-out stand-alone breakthrough in technology in 1925 was on June 13th when
Charles Francis Jenkins achieved the first synchronized transmission of pictures and
sound, which was later dubbed ‘the first public demonstration of radiovision.’
Throughout the 20s though, technology came leaps and bounds, encouraging
individuals and companies to invest in this modern revolution. Due to these momentous
advances in technology in the 20s, one field underwent significant changes in particular:
advertising. On February 21st 1925, the first issue of The New Yorker magazine was
published by Gaven Sydnes, paving the way for other modern magazines. In the latter
half of the decade, adverts in magazines were designed with colour and ad layouts
changed so that most of them were located at the back. Later though, popularity of name
brands increased, so competition between products meant that ads travelled to the
front of magazines as rivalry for revenue spiked. The new, colourful layout was an
instant hit with readers, further feeding into the notorious consumerist society of the
age. Redesigning magazines allowed products and brands to be readily available to the
