1897 Summer Styles
This cartoon illustrates the fashions and attitudes that were a byproduct of these new department stores; comparing this picture to the previous video, the dresses, suits, and hats are very similar.
However, this cartoon is not only a reproduction of the fashions of white, rich Chicagoans in the 1890s. The prominance of the woman in the large hat, head held hig,h can be seen as representative of the women's new role as department store shoppers. Compared to the solemn faced, unmatching men, this woman is independent, much like women who started to shop in these new stores.
The cartoonist, John T. McCutcheon worked for the Chicago Tribune (formerly working at the Chicago Record) for more than 40 years. Though he often drew political cartoons, he was famous for his cartoon of current events and fads in both urban and rural Illinois settings.