Paper dolls will be a part of Object Project and its exploration of ready-to-wear clothing. It opens July 2015.

Celebrities sit in the coveted front row at runway shows and their own styles send devoted fans hunting for bargain versions of stars' latest styles. But before Jay-Z's Rocawear and the Jessica Simpson collection brought celeb style to the masses, there was Clara Bow. 

Photograph of Clara Bow from around 1927. Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, NPG.88.54.

The 1920s silent film actress caused a stir in both her movie roles and her real-life fashion choices. Bow drew massive amounts of fan mail, in part due to her beguiling looks as well as her turbulent personal life. Scandals surrounded her, and the constant discussion of them in the Hollywood press practically guaranteed that she would exert a huge influence on young women at the time—especially those of the working class. In fact, Bow's characters were usually working-class girls. In her most famous movie, It, she played a shopgirl romantically interested in her boss, using trickery to entice him.

Bow's legions of fans imitated her in every way. They replicated her makeup, copying her dark red Cupid's Bow lips and penciled-in eyebrows. When she wore long scarves around her neck or head, so did her fans. Her fans quickly followed suit when her personal hairdresser changed Bow's hair color from dark auburn to a flaming orange-red using a formula of bleach and henna. They imitated her clothing style, doing as she did in the movie It and taking scissors to their dresses to make them shorter or more revealing. Cloche hats (which could be ordered by mail) and loose-fitting, drop-waist dresses were in vogue after Bow wore them on film. Her sultry looks and body language were also imitated.

Newspaper ad for a Clara Bow-style hat. San Jose News, October 4, 1928. Via Google News Archive.

One of the big reasons that fans were actually able to copy Bow's style was the introduction of affordable "ready-to-wear" clothing, which is mass-produced and available for purchase in stores, rather than one-of-a-kind, tailored designs. First sold in department stores and mail-order catalogs in the 1890s, ready-to-wear offered both men and women affordable choices in standardized sizes and styles. This shift in availability meant that the working class could more readily emulate high fashion and their favorite celebrities' styles. We'll explore how these social changes and new technologies affected each other in our Object Project exhibition, which will tell the stories of everyday things that changed everything.

Clara Bow paper dolls from the Grepke Collection at the museum's Archives Center. Collection ID: AC0752.

Another way in which Bow's styles were imitated was through paper dolls. Published in ladies' magazines like Ladies' Home Journal and Good Housekeeping, paper dolls weren't just toys for children. Think of them as the Pinterest of the past. They provided style inspiration and a steady stream of celebrity-approved fashions, which sent young women to the department store to find less expensive, ready-to-wear versions of those styles (or at least window shop). Marketing clothes via paper dolls works so well, in fact, that Louis Vuitton offered printable paper dolls featuring their spring/summer 2013 ready-to-wear line via the designer's website.

Clara Bow paper dolls from the Grepke Collection at the museum's Archives Center. Collection ID: AC0752.

A look at the Carolyn and Donald Grepke Paper Doll Collection in the museum's Archives Center reveals just how accessible expensive-looking fashions became in paper doll format. The collection includes several Bow likenesses, as well as television and film stars like Lucille Ball, Roy Rogers, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Rudolph Valentino, and, most popular of all, Shirley Temple.

The Grepke Paper Doll collection includes over 4,000 paper dolls along with their costumes and accessories, covering a period from 1880 through the end of the 20th century. The Grepkes were enthusiastic collectors of paper dolls for decades, acquiring their collection by shopping in antique stores, flea markets, and auctions. After Carolyn's death in 1995, Donald donated the collection to the Archives Center.

Clara Bow paper dolls from the Grepke Collection at the museum's Archives Center. Collection ID: AC0752.

Bow's films and her style, as preserved in her paper doll persona, shook up the Victorian mores of the 1920s. Her characters unapologetically smoked, drank, bobbed their hair, and dressed in the flapper fashion. F. Scott Fitzgerald said of her, "Clara Bow is the quintessence of what the term 'flapper' signifies … pretty, impudent, superbly assured, as worldly-wise, briefly clad and 'hard berled' as possible. … There were hundreds of them, her prototypes. Now, completing the circle, there are thousands more patterning themselves after her."

Bow lost popularity with the advent of talking pictures. She found them limiting with, she felt, too much emphasis on the dialog and too little on the action. Her Brooklyn accent was also considered an impediment by the studios. She retired from movies in her 30s, but her influence on fashion lives on to this day, with many people still drawing inspiration from her style.

Cathy Keen is an associate curator in the museum's Archives Center. Look for future blogs on the Grepke Paper Doll Collection.

Getting to know the museum's donors and council members is one of my favorite parts of being the manager of the Smithsonian Council for American History. I love how passionate these folks are about history and the museum. Of course, I never expected that passion to turn into a marriage proposal. When Damon Dillon reached out to ask for help popping the question to council member Marci McCarthy at their beloved Smithsonian, I was thrilled to help.

Damon and Marci on the terrace with the Smithsonian Castle in the background

Marci loves many parts of the museum, but the location needed to be perfect. Damon and I toured the museum and ended up on the fifth floor roof terrace, a staff-only space offering stunning views and privacy.

Damon knew this was the spot, but how could we get Marci to the roof? We quickly decided that Damon and Marci should attend our FOOD in the Garden program on a Thursday evening in September. But we still needed to explain why Damon was in touch with museum staff.

Damon told Marci he had been in contact to ask for a connection to a local historical foundation. The story went that, in the course of these e-mails, we invited Damon and Marci to attend FOOD in the Garden and to view some political campaign material behind-the-scenes—in a room that happened to have access to the terrace. Museum staff would bring them upstairs and act surprised that there were no objects set up. The staff would go "check on the curator" while they enjoyed the terrace.

As planned, Damon and Marci met my colleague Jennifer before FOOD in the Garden and headed to the Board Room which would lead to the terrace. When Jennifer went in search of the wandering curator, Damon got down on one knee. With a view of the Smithsonian Castle in one direction and the Washington Monument in the other, Marci, of course, said yes!

Damon and Marci on the balcony after the proposal

Damon couldn't have picked a better location. Marci later e-mailed that the museum, "has always held a special place in my heart so being there made it extra special. It is especially exciting for my family with whom I would visit the Smithsonian each year when I was growing up." Great job, Damon!

Marci and Damon at the FOOD in the Garden event in Victory Garden after he proposed 
Photo credit: Hugh Talman

Marci and Damon, on behalf of your museum and Council family, congratulations! It meant so much to us that the museum could play a special role in this momentous day in your lives and we are humbled to have been able to help!

Marci's passion for history inspired her to join the Smithsonian Council for American History in 2013. The Council provides essential funding to the museum to preserve its national treasures. Learn more about the Council and how you can be part of this national group of history enthusiasts, or contact Lauren Collette, Manager of the Smithsonian Council for American History, at ColletteL@si.edu.