#1928-1929

[usagirln12003]

Alma Madrigal: Hogwarts AU

Alma Madrigal is a Pureblood witch that was born on the 13 of May 1917 and started attending Hogwarts on the 1st of September 1928, being sorted into Slytherin House.

She has a Elm wand with a Dragon Heartstring core.

Her Patronus is a Monarch Butterfly.

Her favorite subject is Herbology and her least favorite subject is Divination.

She was one of the Slytherin Prefects of her year and later Head-Girl.

As the matriarch of the Madrigal Family, Alma is dedicated to doing what in her eyes is best for her family and initially hoists expectations on her children and grandchildren in how they use their talents to help the community, often taking the form of a demand for perfection. Due to her desire for perfectionism, Alma has a certain favoritism towards some members of her family without realizing the damage and insecurity it causes to other members of the family. Out of all her grandchildren, she favors her oldest granddaughter and golden child Isabela; this doting placing a lot of pressure on her while concurrently making her sisters and cousins feel inadequate living in her shadow, causing mutual resentment between her and some of them. As far as sons-in-law go, Alma preferred Félix over Agustín, due to not approving of the latter nor in him marrying Julieta, partly because she judged him harshly for his clumsiness and unwillingness to understand why her daughter chose him. Alma's expectations and desires for perfection also extended to her own children, keeping a tight grip on the to make them perfect. Unintentionally, Alma is quite neglectful with Pepa due to the problems of her magic. Alma not only ignores her when she needs help, she also often negatively criticizes her daughter for her emotional tirades and often pesters Pepa to keep her emotions under control instead of supporting her properly.

Alma tries to be patient and understanding, but from her point of view, she feels some should just step aside and do nothing without her express approval. As a result, she is very controlling and denies there is anything wrong, assuring her neighbors that all is well and that there is nothing to fear, even when the Madrigal mansion is cracking all around her and the townspeople are nervous. But the truth is, Alma knows that her home and perhaps even her family is in danger, as she privately revealed to herself, as Alma spoke with the portrait of her late husband, Pedro, revealing that Alma is afraid for her home, her family, and losing everything as they did before, and she cannot bear to go through that again, and she prays to her Pedro to help her. This displays Alma's vulnerability that she is too afraid to reveal even to her family and that Alma feels the burden of trying to preserve her family and her community, and explains why she does everything she can to protect them. Unfortunately, this fear of losing everything again, often causes her to assume the worst in a situation or even in others, including her own family. Alma would particularly doubt her only son, Bruno, since his often negative visions that tended to cause trouble lead her to believe he didn't care about their family after he left, and her granddaughter, Mirabel, as a squib made Alma look down on her and exclude her from family activities at best or, upon seeing Bruno's vision, fear her destroying the family at worst.

When she sees how her expectations of her family are unraveling because of Mirabel, Alma, misinterpreting her attempts to help as jeopardizing the magic according to Bruno's vision, jumps to conclusions without hearing her out and unfairly blames her for everything, accusing her of hurting the family out of jealousy for not being a witch. Alma further lashes out at Mirabel as she reveals she blames her for Bruno's disappearance, as well as getting angry when Isabela tarnishing her perfect image by being herself, ruining her engagement with Mariano, and Luisa begins to lose her magic, showing that Alma views them no different from the way she views Mirabel. Finally fed up with this treatment, Mirabel angrily snaps at Alma and stands up for the family, stating that no matter how hard any of them tries, magic or not, none of them will ever be good enough for her or her expectations, and that Bruno actually left because she only saw the worst in him. When Mirabel goes as far as to say that Alma is causing the family to fall apart, the older woman, initially denying this, can only be silent and shocked at these words before the mansion burst into flames as a result of their heated argument. Taking in the destruction of their home, Mirabel's words, and half of her grandchildren putting themselves in danger to save the family tree would cause Alma to realize the pressure and even unintentional misery she had been subjecting her family to.

In a sincere heart-to-heart with Mirabel by the river where her husband perished, Alma reveals more insight in their family beginnings. In the memories of her youth, Alma was once a cheerful young woman full of life who, after falling in love with Pedro, had hopes for a better future. But when her husband sacrificed his life to buy time for his family, friends, and neighbors to escape during the Third Wizarding War, Alma was left devastated and broken. Losing the love of her life, her home, and everything she knew and loved in the span of a night traumatized Alma so much that she swore it would never happen again, determined to preserve what had given them a fresh start. But over time, she lost sight of what truly mattered, unconsciously and ironically taking her miracle for granted, and forgot who it was for, and what made their family so special was not the magic but the fact that, in spite of tragedy, they are a family. It was because of this, that Alma was constantly looking outwards for a problem or even a threat similar to the people that took her husband away from her to all she held dear, that she never thought to look inward until it was too late, which is when she finally realized her family had been broken because of her and why she never considered that her well-intentioned actions were the problem.

Now understanding the pain and loss Alma had never fully healed from, along with the burden she had long carried, Mirabel assures her that it is because of her that they were saved, that they were granted a miracle, that they are a family and nothing is so broken that they could not fix together. Touched by these words, Alma finally realizes, after asking Pedro for help, that Mirabel was the answer to her prayers and they reconcile. Immediately following this, Alma also reconciles with her lost son when he suddenly appeared to confront her after a decade before she warmly hugs and kisses him while calling him "Brunito", happy to have him back despite previously having a low opinion of him for leaving their family. Alma then becomes a happier and warmer person than she was before, freeing herself from her dark past. The first thing Alma does after realizing her past mistakes and returning to the ruins of their home, is to affectionately treat her daughters before bringing Bruno back into the family. Alma reconciles with the rest of her family, apologizing for how she held on too tight out of fear she would lose them all as well, but now understands that they alone are the true miracle, not the gift of magic itself. She also happily works alongside her family and community as they rebuild the mansion, and helping to strengthen the bonds of the family to become stronger than ever.

[takeiteasyonmeimstilllearning]

just some good Mercedes-Benz SSK

Lupin & jigen!

[photos-de-france]

Cabaret du Chat noir, photographie de presse, Agence Rol, juin 1928.

Le cabaret Le Chat noir, à Montmartre, était l’un des hauts lieux artistiques de la fin du XIX° siècle. Il doit son nom à la découverte, sur son chantier, d’un petit chat noir abandonné.

Le Chat noir, boulevard de Clichy, en 1929.

[mypastnow]

[statelibraryqueensland]

Happy 2024 Olympics, everyone!

Since Queensland has such a long and foundational connection to sports of all shapes and sizes, we thought we would highlight some of our favourite vintage sporting illustrations from the collection. These images and thousands more can be accessed through our collection here: LINK

Credit: Illustrated covers of The Queenslander newspaper, 1928, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

[fibula-rasa]

From the Archives: Cosplay the Classics: Greta Garbo

My closet cosplay of Greta Garbo based on her styling c. 1928-9

Commemorating 96 years since the release of The Mysterious Lady (1928), here's a little throwback from the archives!

Six years ago (early in my closet cosplaying days) I put together these self portraits and a short essay inspired by Greta Garbo's styling in 1928-9. The essay is a little paean to the construction of Garbo's glamour and star image:

Read more here!

While the look was inspired by Garbo's hair/makeup styling for The Mysterious Lady and The Kiss (1929), the photographs themselves were very loosely inspired by Edward Steichen's 1928 portraits of Garbo. (And when I say loosely, I mean loosely! My mind blanked on Steichen's name when I sat down in front of the camera, so I couldn't pull up reference images. These photos were exclusively based on my memory of the photos at the time! 😬)

Collage of the Steichen portraits I had in mind when I took my photos

☕Appreciate my work? Buy me a coffee! ☕

[aheathen-conceivably]

🎶 Love is Complicated 🎶

Zelda left New Orleans one brisk morning in the final days of 1928. Antoine accompanied her to the docks where her steamer boarded and no further. They had barely spoken since the day she received the call that her mother was dying and he refused to accompany her to England. At first, she had merely been swept away in preparations; but as Antoine grew more guilty and withdrawn, their initial fight settled into a gaping divide filled with nothing but silence.

Zelda had tried to compensate for his lack of support with her own quiet reserve; avoiding his spiraling morbidity in the face of her own despair, hoping that he would realize that she was the one who actually needed his strength. Yet the day she boarded the ship he avoided her eyes, keeping his hands near his side until Violette came to tell him goodbye; then he held her until the whistle blew and watched them walk away without a word.

Their passage over the Atlantic was only six days, most of which Zelda spent confined to her cabin. Violette had been incessantly seasick, only coming out of her stupor to ask Zelda where her father was. At home. Zelda would tell her. He’s at home. Then her bleary eyes would close again, seemingly disappointed that only her mother was there to comfort her.

But suspended above the sea, surrounded by nothing but open water, Zelda thought that perhaps she was sailing home, that England was where she was always meant to be. It was where her family and her history were; and in an increasingly fearful thought, where she and her daughter’s futures were as well.

As she looked down at her sleeping daughter Zelda couldn't help but think of how much easier Violette’s life would be in England. The stares in the streets of New Orleans had grown no less frequent; and they were only worse any time the three of them tried to go in public together.

Of course she knew Violette would face prejudice wherever she went, but at least in Henford she would have Wally and her older cousins, who had all gone through life in similar circumstances. There, Violette would be free of the stigma of her unwed parents or the decision every minute of every day as to where she should sit on the bus or which water fountain to drink from.

When Zelda truly tried to picture her life in England, one thought continued to haunt her mind: Antoine. She knew that she couldn’t leave him there, alone in the club without his daughter, just as she knew he would never go with her.

But as the boat sailed further out to sea, she only became more aware of how distant he had become. For years she had tried to deny it, but Zelda knew that he had been lying to her: lying about the state of the club and where his money was coming from. He was unwilling to plan for the future or even acknowledge the slow decay of their home all around them.

Then in the moment when she needed him most, he had turned inward and offered only his own guilt and trauma. Zelda knew that it was in part who he was, to remain seemingly unbreakable in the face of so much; but she felt like less and less of his partner, and more and more vulnerable to the ever changing tides of the world without his honesty or support.

Yet as England drew closer, the prospect of a life there seemed even more hollow, the way it had after her father and sister died. It had been impossible not to think of Rosella on this voyage, to wonder if she perhaps sailed over where her body rested. It kept her awake at night, picturing the shards of fine China and wrought iron at the bottom of the sea, slowly breaking into ever smaller pieces as the salt and waves claimed them as their own.

But what Zelda was truly the most afraid of was what she knew she would find in England: her sister’s room, her father’s grave, and most unavoidably of all, her mother on her deathbed. She sailed to England to face the same pain that she had left to avoid, and she didn’t know if she could handle it, or if she would run again.

(As a little note for all you lovelies, when you see a 🎶 at the beginning of a post, it means that you can click on it for musical ~vibes~ to accompany the story. My many, many thanks to the marvelous @theplottdump for inspiring this idea. Anne’s legacy is all the vibes and I cannot recommend it enough).

[fashionsfromhistory]

Evening Dress

Paul Poiret (French)

Late 1920s 

Fashion Museum Bath via Twitter

[nigmos]

silent films are eerily beautiful

[prohibitionpirates]

United States Coast Guard Cutter Porter (CG-7) circa 1924-30. This was formerly the U.S. Navy Tucker-class destroyer USS Porter (DD-59), one of 25 ex-Navy destroyers turned over to the Coast Guard in 1924 to enforce Prohibition and battle rumrunners. During her Coast Guard service, Porter captured the rum-running vessel Conseulo II (the former Louise) off the coast of Long Island. The destroyer was returned to the Navy in 1933 but scrapped in 1934 without being recommissioned.

[vintagedreamsofsennett]

Field was a 6' tall, 250-pound blonde bathing girl, whose presence in 1927-28 "Sennett Girl" comedies was hard to ignore, as her ample size often factored into gags. Born in Charlotte, Michigan, Field had no stage experience when she signed with M-G-M in 1925. She also appeared in Fox Imperial Comedies, an episode of Stern Bros.Universal's "What Happened to Jane" series (1927), Bray Sunkist Comedies, William Pizor comedies and the Colleen Moore feature Ella Cinders (FN 1926). Field developed a lasting friendship with Sennett co-star Carole Lombard, who called her "Fieldsie." After her Sennett days, Field served as Lombard's unofficial manager, negotiating her five-year contract with Paramount in 1930. Lombard also left Field an annuity upon her unexpected death in 1942. In 1937, Field married director Walter Lang, and their son Richard (whose godmother was Lombard) became a television director. Field's only credited sound feature was Paris Interlude (M-G-M 1934). She died at 67 in Palm Springs, California, and is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

-Walker, B.E., 2010, Mack Sennett's Fun Factory, McFarland&Company, Inc., Publishers, pp.504~505

[sepiadays]

Waiting for the boat at Mackinaw. August 23, 1928.

[sleepy-stories]

[historical-hollywood]

Photograph by Ruth Harriet Louise of Raquel Torres wearing a lace mantilla, 1928 (probably in costume to promote the 1929 film The Bridge of San Luis Rey).

[thedabara]

BEAUTY EVOLUTION OF LILYAN TASHMAN

(1896-1934)

1921 full glam in the early twenties 

1924 her hair was brown but i love the styling

1925 she was so beautiful look at those eyes!

1928 lilyan had the cutest face i love this hair

1929 in a very extravagant headpiece

1930 love the flapper hat and jewels

1931 her smile is sweet and she is blonde now

1932 glamorous thirties beauty

1933 she looks younger than she really is!

1934 sadly she died, this was for her last movie

[chats-cosmiques]

Cabaret du Chat noir, photographie de presse, Agence Rol, juin 1928.

Le cabaret Le Chat noir, à Montmartre, était l’un des hauts lieux artistiques de la fin du XIX° siècle. Il doit son nom à la découverte, sur son chantier, d’un petit chat noir abandonné.

Le Chat noir, boulevard de Clichy, en 1929.