Headmarks during the early 1900s were essentially what we call “benchmarks” in today's terms. Lois Roper Beard was a woman who was orally interviewed to discuss the meaning and purpose behind these headmarks. Louis explains, “We all just went to our class and stood while the teacher gave out the words. If one missed a word, the one below was given the chance to spell it”. Headmarks were spelling tests kids performed in front of their teacher to earn headmarks. One had to work their way from the bottom and climb to the top surpassing their classmates to reach a headmark. At the end of each quarter, the teacher would calculate who had the most headmarks and that student would earn a prize. Unfortunately, some students couldn’t make their way up the classroom to earn a headmark.
[Image of Lois Roper Beard.]
“Springfield-Greene County Library -- Bittersweet.” n.d. https://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/bittersweet/fa73h.htm.
White collars were collars that were attached to shirts to look more formal and professional. These collars were used mainly by men; however, women also used these collars on their dresses. Collars were used on formal/professional occasions such as job interviews, offices, or a “white collar” occasion/occupation. The original white collars were made of linen that was heavily starched. Linen collars were mainly used by wealthier people because linen collars required dry cleaning which was not cheap. However, celluloid (commercial plastic) collars were made and designed to look like the real linen ones. These plastic collars were targeted towards the less wealthy because they did not require upkeeping such as dry cleaning and starching and it prevented embarrassment of their wardrobe. These celluloid collars were worn by the lower class to church, stores, court, etc. Celluloid collars were advertised and promoted through Chinese racism and Chinese laundering.
[Image of a white collar that would of been used in the early 1900s.]
“A White Collar with a Message.” 2018. National Museum of American History. October 4, 2018. https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/white-collar-message.
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
In the early 1900s, a large number of immigrants, including a significant number of Chinese immigrants, migrated to the United States. Initially, Chinese immigrants were brought in to work on the transcontinental railroad and in gold mines, but as their numbers grew, the U.S. government passed the "Exclusion Act" to limit Chinese immigration. In 1902, the act was expanded to cover Hawaii and the Philippines. On the other hand, there were movements against the Exclusion Act in China, the most prominent of which was the "Anti-American Boycott" in 1905. However, the boycott was not successful as the Chinese government did not support it, and the United States President at the time, Theodore Roosevelt, saw it as unfair treatment towards the United States. Roosevelt requested that the Chinese government drop the boycott, which it did after five months. Chinese labor was cheaper than white labor, but many Chinese were accused of laundering money, and companies began advertising that they did not use Chinese labor in their products. A popular Chinese labor slogan was "NO MORE CHINESE CHEAP LABOR," which can be seen in advertisements such as those for collars.
[Racist Chinese labor advertisement used for collars image provided by The National Museum of American History.]
“Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts.” U.S. Department of State. Accessed December 1, 2023. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration.
Pagetta, Joseph. n.d. “The Story of Chinese Laborers and the Reconstruction South.” https://tnmuseum.org/Stories/posts/the-story-of-chinese-laborers-and-the-reconstruction-south?locale=es.
Was Blanche not attending school?
Why were Americans so offended by Chinese immigration?
How difficult were the words students had to memorize for their headmarks?
How much cheaper were Chinese laborers than Americans?