Women of the Future, 1902
Conscript
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Thank you to Monique and Gerard Léquy and La Boite Verte
Rural Guard
Policeman
Fireman
Drummer Boy
Infantry Soldier
Marine
Non-commissioned Officer
Second Lieutenant
General
Student
Coach driver
Jockey
Master of Arms
Artist
Journalist
Barrister
Doctor
Major
Politician
24 Comments on Women of the Future, 1902
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It’s interesting to see that that women of the future will continue to wear corsets. On a more serious note, the fact that these photos were, in a way, explorations of what women could be makes you realize just how little women could do at the turn of the century.
These are great, though I suspect they were intended at the time as a mickey-take, which our 21st century gaze doesn’t register in the same way. After all, none of the roles portrayed here would bat an eyelid these days, as now women do these jobs all the time.
Love the journalist costume, very mad hatter!
We should keep in the mind that the trousers and bare arms in these pictures would have been borderline pornographic in 1902. The pictures weren’t just a joke, but a risqué one, at the time.
Especially the jockey one–oh, my!
I would use these playing cards for poker games, if existed.
I would love to know how these were marketed, and to whom…
Don’t you feel that they were poking fun at the idea of women in male roles? I felt some of the expressions and costumes might be very tongue-in-cheek.
MaryFran – of course they’re poking fun at women. These photos come from a time where a woman holding any of these positions would be laughable. We know better now, of course…but I think the spirit of the pictures isn’t malicious, otherwise the ladies wouldn’t have been dressed and posed so beautifully.
For some reason I thought of the Marx brothers. Guess they weren’t known then. Groucho, Chico, Zeppo, and ?
Actually, the idea of women holding some of the above positions in 1902 wasn’t entirely laughable at all – there were many women journalists and artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Think of Nellie Bly, Gwen John and Camille Claudel for starters.
everyone of them has short hair! (or so bundled up as to look short.) i like the lady general, who wears her stars tattooed on her bare arm! apparently the fashion of the day was for a uniboob. like KP observed, all were wearing a corset as bras had not been popularized yet.
These cards are intended to be pornographic material of that era. They were not publicly marketed, simply sold to men in closeted establishments like private clubs or associations. They are not made to promote women’s issues of feminism, simply to show women in a lot less clothing that was ever permitted in that era, and handling items that would not be common. Well- to- do women back then got married, has babies, hosted parties and got involved in charity work. So all the jobs listed on the cards are simply to be a cute turn-on for men.
I forgot: Well-to-do women did not wear pants at that period in history or waist-coats. So dressing like a man was going against all conventions. So even being completely covered up can be considered sexy and provocative in a time when women had to be dignified and subdued. Wearing a hat was the norm and going around with your hair uncovered made you cheap and showed your lower class origins.
Oh how things have changed
Oh my, so much delicious steampunk; where to even start?
Love the student with a fat doob hanging from her mouth.
The coach driver and police officer are the cutest.
Love it. Although they did have high hopes that women of the future would be incredibly stylish.
Women driving coaches… what madness is this *pops monocle out*
#15 looks like Kathryn Bigelow!!
The interesting thing to mie is that leaving the military ‘outfits’ aside, many of these pictures actually look quite similar to what many of the early women in these fields actually wound up wearing. Shortish hair, and stylish clothing that is some sort of hybrid feminized version of the male uniform of the profession/job in question
the barrister is spot on.
The Coach Driver looks like Helena Bonham Carter
Amazing! Why, my own wife is a Master at Arms!