Widener Library (Library of Congress)
When I was an undergrad at Harvard, one of my favorite places to study was in the reading room of Widener Library. It’s a beautiful building. In order to get to the reference and reading rooms on the second floor, you walk through a hushed marble entrance and then climb a wide, sweeping staircase that’s meant to make you feel abashed by the splendor of the place. And the front steps of the building are wide, with very short risers. People lounge on them on nice days. These short risers are no coincidence. Construction of Widener Library began in 1912, at the height of hobble skirt fashion. (The library opened in 1915.)
In 1910, a popular designer named Paul Poirot introduced a long, slim skirt that swathed itself around the wearer’s lower legs. Because it was cut straight to the ankle without a vent, women had to walk with tiny, mincing steps—as though their shoelaces were tied together. Architects responded by designing buildings to accommodate the fashion—Widener Library is one such building.
Just as women were fighting for the right to vote (which finally happened in America in 1921) and more freedom, fashions grew more restrictive. This is called irony.
In 1912, an American firm designed “Hobble Skirt” cars for city trams. These cars rose only eight inches above street level. By 1914 hobble skirt tramcars could be found in cities around the world.
The hobble skirt hit its most extreme form around 1911-12. Some employers barred their female workers from wearing them for safety reasons. Newspaper accounts report several injuries and deaths from women in hobble skirts. One article in the New York Times from 1910 recounts two women engaging in a hobble skirt race down 43rd Street, between Fifth and Madison.
With the outbreak of war in 1914 the hobble skirt was abandoned in favor of a shorter, fuller skirt, which allowed women the freedom to walk—and work, as many women took jobs in factories and industries while men were off at war.
By the way, Widener Library was built by Eleanor Widener, in honor of her son, Harry, who died on the Titanic.