The Era Of The 1720s

MADISON PICCIRILLO

POP CULTURE

PERIOD 8

MIDTERM PROJECT

APRIL 14th

FASHION TRENDS

• Trends were usually set by Europe, especially England and France, and America followed.
• High-waisted empire-style dresses were very fashionable.
• Indian calicoes were popular in England, but later banned, in 1720.
• Women usually wore corsets and petticoats. They had many layers of clothing, yet continued to wear the corset, even though the new wide over-dress covered their waists anyway. The wide over-dress began to be seen outside the home, as it gave off a charming air. This dress hung loose from the shoulders and was tied in the front.
• Men typically wore more somber colors. Oftentimes, waistcoats were embroidered and shirts had ruffled lace.
• Cloaks were worn by men and women. In the early 1720s women's cloaks were red, long, and hooded but towards the end of the 1720s and the beginning of the 1730s, black became more popular. Cloaks for men were longer and more circular.
• High heels were a part of both male and female footwear.
• Hoop skirts became popular in the early 1730s.

SPORTS

• The games of billiards, chess/checkers, curling, tennis, and bowling (both the type where something is knocked down and the type where a mark is hit) have been established by this 1720s, although the modern form of billiards was not developed until 1760.
• Horse racing took modern form in 1727 when the Racing Calendar was published giving racing results.
• In 1719, Boxing is established as James Figg is named champion of England.
• Horse racing and boxing have both been used as entertainment for thousands of years and were especially famous in Rome. However, in the 1720s, the games saw a revival and developed a more structured form. Gambling began to be a major part of these sports.
• Jack Broughton established the modern rules of boxing (round lasts until a man falls down, a 30 second rest period is granted for a man who falls down, after 30 seconds he can get up and fight or be declared the loser, nobody can be hit while down, and nobody can be hit below the waist) during his time as champion of England from 1734-1750.

POLITICAL EVENTS

FILMS

• Movies had not yet been invented.

• Benjamin Franklin begins the Pennsylvania Gazette, which becomes the most popular colonial newspaper.
• By 1720, the colonies extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains.
• African slaves were brought to the colonies and the slave trade was thriving.
• The American Revolution would not happen for another 50 or so years. During the 1720s, American relations with Britain were smooth. These positive relations led to a closely related popular culture, as the colonists were greatly influenced by European styles and trends.

BOOKS

• Native Americans used oral tradition to spread creation stories.
• Many explorers documented their findings. These such books can often be referenced for their geographical information.
• Benjamin Franklin established the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731, the first American circulating library.
• Writing was scholarly. Authors were knowledgeable and factual. Books were not often works of fiction, unless they were satirical.

MUSIC

• Classical music was widely popular, especially in Europe.
• Bach's Largo (From Harpsichord Concerto) and Air (For the G String)
• Handel's Sarabande
• Aldinoni's Adagio in D Minor
• These are considered the greatest hits of this period.

Music Specifically In America

• While Americans did enjoy the European classical styles, they developed their own techniques and styles during this period.
• American music tended to be religious.
• Thomas Symmes's essay The Reasonableness of Regular Singing was published in 1729, encouraging schools to teach psalm singing.
• Thomas Walters published The Grounds and Rules of Musick, Explained, in 1721, and this book was the first to be printed with bar lines. This book encouraged people to see music as an art with a technical basis.
• There was secular music, however. Notably, this included the New Orleans music that directly came from the Africans brought there in early 1720.
• Thomas Fleet published Songs For the Nursery, one of the earliest collections of American secular music in 1719.

The Era Of The 1720s

BY: MADISON PICCIRILLO

THE ERA OF THE 1720s