Stuhr-pendous Saturday: The Making of Everyday Hollywood: 1930s Film Influence on Everyday Women’s Fashion in Nebraska

Anna Erdman will present research that examines the influence of film fashions on middle-class, Nebraskan women’s dress during the Great Depression (1932-1940) in this program. The Great Depression challenged the middle class: while standards of living remained high, the economic means to achieve those standards diminished. Despite the crisis, women strove to keep up with current fashion trends. While previous literature has examined how Hollywood directly affected trends of the 1930s in major American metropolitan contexts, the manifestation of trends in the dress of middle to lower socio-economic classes in Middle America remains under-examined. Against the backdrop of Depression-era hardships specific to Nebraska’s agricultural economy, itself anchored to the financial and banking sectors of the time, this study contributes to the diversification of class and geographic specificity in fashion history.

About the presenter: Anna Erdmann has a M.A. in Material Culture and Textile Studies with her area of study being History of Costumes, with a focus on Costume Design and History. She has experience as the Collections Manager at the Historical Costume Collection at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Gallery Manager at the Robert Hillestad Textile Gallery, a Historical Dressmaker and Living History Interpreter at Stuhr Museum, an Emerging Designer at Omaha Fashion Week, and has designed or assisted in costuming several productions including ‘Young Frankenstein,’ The Bell Affair,’ and ‘Girl’s Weekend.’

This program is included free with regular daily admission: Adults $14, Seniors $13, Youth ages 6-12 $12 and youth ages 5 & under free. Those who receive food assistance through SNAP or WIC can show their card to receive reduced admission of $3 per person ages 6 & up. Stuhr Museum members receive free daily admission.