Email or username:

Password:

Forgot your password?
24 comments
Paul Fairie

Ruining the art of portrait painting

SHORT SKITS CONDEMNED BY ROYAL PAINTERS

Most of Present Day Portraits of Women Are Half Length Because of Style

LONDON, April 26 -- By a vote of two to one the Royal Academy has condemned knee-length skirts from the artistic viewpoint.
An argument arose from the fact that most of the present-day portraits of women are half-length. Sir Frank Dicksee, president of the academy, and the Hon John Collier say it is because of short skirts. Flora Lion, a well-known portrait painter, denies it.
"It is not worth while nowadays to paint the whole of a woman's figure," said Sir Frank. When you have painted half the length there is nothing more worth painting."
"In the old days," Collier explained, "woman's dress was flowing and yielded lines which were suitable to the brush of an artist. With modern dress it is different. The lines halt short. Besides, it is not every woman who looks her best when she shows her legs."

--The Boston Globe, 26 April 1928
Paul Fairie

Luring modest young men away from virtue

THE SHORT-SKIRT MENACE

A magistrate has gone on record as strongly disapproving the short skirts. A menace to public morality, she calls them. He reiterates the old slit-skirt arguments to the effect that modest young men, calmly intent on virtue, are shamelessly lured from right thinking by the ungodly display of female ankles on the streets.

--The Los Angeles Times, 31 October 1915
Paul Fairie replied to Paul

Bringing about a freak era

KNEE-LENGTH SKIRTS BLAMED FOR FREAK ERA

Survey Reveals Milady Causes Big Turmoil for Manufacturers

--The Bayonne Times, 30 June 1927
Paul Fairie replied to Paul
Paul Fairie replied to Paul
Paul Fairie replied to Paul

If you want to read more about why we blame things on short skirts (or flappers or jazz or bicycles...) or why we can't stop complaining that nobody wants to work anymore (or kids today are too soft...), pre-order my new book of clippings & essays here:
unbound.com/books/thepressgall

oldmanmike replied to Paul

@paulisci You seem to be skirting around the topic here…

A bend gules: dabbler in arts replied to Paul

@paulisci would love to know the dates associated with these short skirts.
Are they ankle length short (possibly for an attendant of Queen Mary)? Mid calf? To the knee? Above the knee? Pre or post rationing?

Bruce Acton replied to Paul

@paulisci you should start collecting a list of all the things they blame on Trans people, probably have enough for a short book at least.

Dr. Quadragon ❌ replied to Paul

@paulisci the short version: people, generally, are dipshits.

DELETED

@paulisci@mstdn.ca it's those men's problem, not women's ​:blobcatgooglyshrug:​

Go Up