My Mission

Robert Sale-Hill’s poem, The True Origin and History of “The Dude” (The New York World, January 14, 1883) introduced the world to the word Dude, and kicked off a full-on Dude craze. A-Dude-a-Day[i] Blog is dedicated to preserving and sharing pics, pieces and poems from the early days of the Dude-craze of 1883. You can read more about the history and origin of the word Dude on my blogpost, "Dudes, Dodos and Fopdoodles" on my other blog, Early Sports 'n' Pop-Culture History Blog.


Tuesday, September 7, 2021

A Vassar Dude

 The original "Dudes," first identified in 1883, were considered Anglophiles who affected English mannerisms and dress.  They were also frequently characterized as being effeminate.  Life magazine illustrated this perception in its May 25, 1893 issue, in a cartoon in which a man with a high collar, English Bowler and carrying a cane (all characteristic of "Dudes" at the time) is mistaken for a Vassar alumna.




Reverse History

 The original "Dudes," first identified in 1883, were considered Anglophiles who affected British dress and mannerisms.  This struck some as a devolution of the American revolutionary spirit that had once renounced its English overlords.

Pick-Me-Up magazine illustrated this ironic turn of events in its June 7, 1890 issue.

 

"History Reversed."