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A pale woman tanning in a beach chair with a towel and sunglasses covering her face.
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The Meaning of Tanning

The popularity of tanning rose in the early twentieth century, when bronzed skin signaled a life of leisure, not labor.
by Katrina Gulliver, Phillip Vannini, Aaron M. McCright via JSTOR Daily on April 27, 2023
Image of an AR-15

The Gun that Divides a Nation

The AR-15 thrives in times of tension and tragedy. This is how it came to dominate the marketplace – and loom so large in the American psyche.
by Alex Horton, Josh Dawsey, Todd C. Frankel, Shawn Boburg, Ashley Park via Washington Post on March 27, 2023
Man under the starry sky.

Thoreau and the Business of Distraction

Thoreau-themed goods, designed for mindfulness, are the marketplace’s remedies for a problem which, according to Thoreau, was created by the marketplace itself.
by Caleb Smith via Princeton University Press on February 4, 2023
Helen Hall (R, front), chair of the Consumers’ National Federation, with a committee at the White House making demands for a "new deal" for consumers, 1938.

“Ethical Consumption” Used to Mean Something More Than Feeling Smug About Your Purchases

A century ago, it was once motivated by the goal of economic reorganization.
by Nick French via Jacobin on January 31, 2023
Celery.

The Secret History of Celery

How the crunchy stalks went from Victorian centerpiece to ubiquitous football snack.
by Robert F. Moss via Epicurious on December 22, 2022
Collage of meat products emerging from Pat Buchanan's head.

How Food Became a Weapon in The Right’s Culture Wars

First came the politics of right-wing grievance. Then came the new foodie culture. Together, they combined to create one toxic food fight.
by Brent Cunningham via The Nation on December 12, 2022

Lydia Maria Child Taught Americans to Make Do With Less

A popular writer’s 1829 self-help book ‘The Frugal Housewife’ was based on the same democratic principles that made her a champion of the abolitionist cause.
by Lydia Moland via The Wall Street Journal on November 10, 2022

Just Beans

What was ethical consumption under capitalism?
by Malcolm Harris via The Drift on October 20, 2022
Baby in an old wicker stroller.
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The Imperative to Buy the Best Stroller

The baby stroller is only the most visible symbol of the ethos of consumer capitalism that saturates American pregnancy and parenthood.
by Amanda Parrish Morgan, Samuel J. Sewell, Janelle S. Taylor via JSTOR Daily on October 17, 2022
Man carrying bundle of sugarcane over his head walking on plank in Guyana sugarcane fields

The Capitalist Transformations of the Countryside

Centuries of capitalism saw the global countryside ruthlessly converted into cheap commodities. But at what cost?
by Sven Beckert via Aeon on October 6, 2022
Student loan debt activists rally outside the White House a day after President Biden announced a plan that would cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for those making less than $125,000 a year in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 25, 2022.
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The 50-Year Path That Left Millions Drowning in Student Loan Debt

How new student loan programs turned students into consumers — and ignited a competition among universities that left them drowning in debt.
by John R. Thelin via Made By History on September 13, 2022
Illustration of a coal stove with the roof of a house, as if the whole house is a furnace.

When Coal First Arrived, Americans Said 'No Thanks'

Back in the 19th century, coal was the nation's newfangled fuel source—and it faced the same resistance as wind and solar today.
by Clive Thompson via Smithsonian on July 5, 2022
Illustration with a 1950 Raleigh bicycle

Cycles of History: On Jody Rosen’s “Two Wheels Good”

A review of how author Jody Rosen depicts the history of the bicycle, mixing the personal with the factual.
by Jonathan Liebson via Los Angeles Review of Books on June 26, 2022
Black and white photo of Elvis Presley in a recording studio.

Was There Anything Real About Elvis Presley?

Presley never wrote a memoir. Nor did he keep a diary. His music could have been a window into his inner life, but he didn’t even write his songs.
by Michael T. Bertrand via The Conversation on June 22, 2022
Picture of a man mopping a gas station bathroom floor.

Believe It or Not, Gas Station Bathrooms Used to Be Squeaky Clean. Here's What Changed.

Spotless bathrooms used to be a crucial selling point for gas stations.
by Nathaniel Meyersohn via CNN on June 4, 2022
Sheet music cover for "My Old Kentucky Home."

Emily Bingham on the Material Culture of White America’s Song to Itself: “My Old Kentucky Home”

A haunting exploration of “My Old Kentucky Home” reveals how a minstrel song rooted in slavery became a nostalgic American icon embedded in consumer culture.
by Emily Bingham via Literary Hub on May 16, 2022
Sonora Smart Dodd; her father, William Jackson Smart.

The Forgotten History of Father's Day

Find out how one woman asked to recognize the fathers in her town and inspired others.
by Aurelia C. Scott via Old Farmer's Almanac on April 28, 2022
A 1921 card reading: For Safety's Sake, cross this way, not here, not this way. Quit Jay Walking

The Invention of “Jaywalking”

In the 1920s, the public hated cars. So the auto industry fought back — with language.
by Clive Thompson via Medium on March 29, 2022
1950s American family watching TV.

How American Culture Ate the World

A new book explains why Americans know so little about other countries.
by Dexter Fergie via The New Republic on March 24, 2022
Glowing icon of an app among cobwebs. Designed by Alex Castro.

Inside The Fight to Save Video Game History

Video game history is lost faster than we can preserve it.
by Ash Parrish via The Verge on March 21, 2022
Neil Young, on left, and UFC announcer and podcaster Joe Rogan.
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What The Neil Young-Joe Rogan Dust-Up Tells Us About The Music Industry

The music industry is thriving — but it’s not always trickling down to artists.
by Sam Backer via Made By History on February 6, 2022
Decorative glass ash tray.

Mementos Mori

What else is lost when an object disappears?
by Sophie Haigney via The Baffler on January 27, 2022
Green labels read "100% Natural Product" and "Natural Bio Product"

Guilt-Free: Naturopathy and the Moralization of Food

How the rise of alternative, "natural," medicines led Americans to equate food with moral character.
by Zach Setton via Nursing Clio on January 27, 2022
Scene from from 'The Gilded Age' in which a wealthy white woman and an African American woman walk in the street, with a stagecoach behind them.

The True History Behind HBO's 'The Gilded Age'

Julian Fellowes' new series dramatizes the late 19th-century clash between New York City's old and new monied elite.
by Kimberly A. Hamlin via Smithsonian on January 20, 2022
At left; a late 19th century French women's ensemble made of blue velvet, satin, and fur. On the right is a photograph of a wealthy, upper-class woman wearing the same outfit (without the coat) in 1920.

Lessons in Reuse From...French Couture?

What can we learn from the 19th-century commitment to reusability and upcycling, quality over quantity?
by Elizabeth L. Block via The MIT Press Reader on January 17, 2022
Cover of an early Superman comic book.

The Vigilante World of Comic Books

A sweeping new history traces the rise of characters caught in a Manichaean struggle between good and evil.
by Scott Bradfield via The New Republic on December 16, 2021
Man dressed as a clown with face paint, bald on top with big tufts of hair on the sides, and a bulbous nose.
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The Strangely Enduring Appeal of Bozo the Clown

How a clown won over several generations of children.
by Jeffrey Allen Smith via Made By History on December 9, 2021
People sitting on a hill overlooking a harbor

How We Became Weekly

The week is the most artificial and recent of our time counts yet it’s impossible to imagine our shared lives without it.
by David Hinkin via Aeon on November 30, 2021
Woman sitting on her living room sofa, 1920s; the room also includes a coffee table, a chair, lamps, paintings, and a houseplant.

Vintage Photos Show What Living Rooms Looked Like Before TV

Photos reveal how people structured their living rooms before the television became widespread.
via Vintage Everyday on November 23, 2021
Black man and Black woman riding bikes on a suburban street.
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American Cycling Has a Racism Problem

How racism has shaped the history — and present — of bicycle use.
by Nathan Cardon via Made By History on November 16, 2021
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