Posted in: General, Ladies Lounge Phyllis Wheatley Y. W. C. A.

Every successful person in life has had help. Whether family, friends, teachers, community members– no one is completely self-made. What a noble endeavor to provide a leg up to those whose circumstances are challenging. Providing...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Bacteria, Blood & Bad Dreams: The Unsolved Murder of Helen Knabe

How did one of Indiana’s pioneer investigators into STDs and rabies come to a gory end?  The mystery of Dr. Helen Knabe’s death remains one of the great cold cases in Indianapolis murder history.  So,...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania “Escaped Nuns are Myths”: The Roots of a Forgotten Riot

Did you ever hear about the riot sparked by horror tales, a Holiness preacher, and a renegade nun? On October 12, 1924, a man named Lindley wrote this postcard home to his aunt and uncle. ...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania A Ku Klux Quaker?

Daisy Douglass Barr, Imperial Empress of the Women of the Ku Klux Klan, circa 1923. Women are often the most fascinating characters in Hoosier history. Their lives continue to be relevant to pressing issues today. ...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Of Spirits and Soldiers

Fall is here.  So it’s time to keep on the spectral side of life. On June 6, 1910, the Indianapolis News carried the obituary of a woman once hailed as the patron saint of Hoosier...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Women Take to the Skies in Jazz Age Indy

“You haven’t seen a tree until you’ve seen its shadow from the sky.”  That was Amelia Earhart’s verdict on rising up to the aerial view, where she thought the soul changes after a glimpse of...

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Posted in: Historic Miscellania Agitatin’ on the Fourth of July: The Hidden History of Dietz’s Grove

On July 4, 1913, Americans celebrated their national holiday with pride as always, even as the world slouched toward the coming horrors of the First World War.  Yet workers in America’s mines, factories, and fields...

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Posted in: Misc Mondays Misc Monday: The Magnetic Woman who Overpowered Indy

Lulu Hurst performs her “electric” wonders against a team of strong men. Illustration from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, July 26, 1884. (Digital Public Library of America) For almost a whole week in December 1884, one...

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Posted in: Indianapolis Collected Indianapolis Collected: Mission Accomplished

The recent death of Lauren Bacall brought to mind the movie magic she made over the course of four films with Humphrey Bogart, her co-star and real-life husband. But while Bacall may have had Bogey’s love...

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Posted in: Family Tree Family Tree: Maiden Names

Women at an Indianpolis Cotton Mill, August 1908. Image via Library of Congress, LOT 7479, v. 1, no. 0009 As you may know, March is Women’s History Month. Therefore I thought it would be appropriate to...

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Posted in: Family Tree Family Tree: The Indiana Girl’s School

In 1869, Indiana established the first detention facility in the country that was exclusively for females. Originally named the Indiana Reformatory Institution for Women and Girls, it was located just east of downtown (on Randolph...

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Posted in: Family Tree Family Tree: Our Female Ancestors

My great-granmother, Anna Buttchen, and her sister, Lizzie. As family historians, we often focus on our male relatives. After all, they are the ones who give us our surnames, and they are often much easier to...

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Posted in: Ladies Lounge Indy Halloween 1917, What Did Ladies Wear?

Ever pondered what the gals of yesteryear Indianapolis donned for Halloween? Guaranteed she wouldn’t have been an overt strumpet like the vast majority of 21st century costume-clad characters, but let’s look at the creative dressing-up...

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Posted in: Sunday Ads Sunday Adverts: Rink’s for Coats

The last “Friday Favorite” was about the former Joseph Rink family home; next week’s will be Rink’s Cloak House, reportedly one of the first department stores in the USA devoted exclusively to women’s clothing and...

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Posted in: Ladies Lounge Ladies Lounge: Swimwear of Olympic Proportions

credit: Roger Viollet Watching the current Olympic swimmers got me pondering the evolution of the bathing suit, especially as it pertains to sport. Couldn’t help noticing last night that the suits Olympian ladies wore bear...

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Posted in: Ladies Lounge Ladies Lounge: That Ayres Look, 1947 Hattie Carnegie

Another offering from Hattie Carnegie–exclusively carried at L.S. Ayres in Indianapolis. This look nods to 50 years prior, at the tail of the Victorian era–the Golden Age for our Capital City.  Look back at the...

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Posted in: Ladies Lounge Ladies Lounge: Slips

“Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.” I’m sure we ladies have all seen that quote at least 100 times.  And...

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Posted in: Ladies Lounge Ladies Lounge: 2012 Golden Globes, Reimagined Worst to Best

With all the money, stylists, designers, and the like, how can Hollywood still turn out this many ladies looking this wrong? Most of them are physically fit, and therefore have a great frame to start...

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Posted in: Ladies Lounge Ladies Lounge: Vintage Handbags

This week’s Ladies Lounge sponsored by Minx Vintage & Home – 111 E. 16th Street in the Penn Arts Building between Pennsylvania & Delaware Streets It seems the purse/ handbag industry is cranking out product...

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Posted in: Ladies Lounge Ladies Lounge: Labels of Indianapolis Past- Need Your Help

Each city has a lengthy list of beloved local brands that existed over the decades. Do you take note when chancing on an old Indianapolis brand? Whether it be clothes, hats, furniture or anything else–...

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