I often love seeing old pictures of my city before WWII. You can tell it was a different era. Even the poorest suburbs looked way better than modern downtowns with glass boxes. Beauty all around the city, everyone dressed like attending a dinner with the king. Now, after WWII, many destroyed buildings were replaced by Soviet brutalist ones. And when cities get infected like that, many people lose respect both for the country and themselves. There is no longer attachment to the city or the country.
The first video, of the 1950s, could be the church festival I went to at age 5 in 1972. It was still like that in parts of the UK. We left a few years after that, because my parents already saw the decline.
I did a venn diagram meme of Pink Floyd, Another Brick in the Wall; David Bowie, Big Brother; Chris Rea, The Road to Hell; Judas Priest, Electric Eye; and Dire Straits, Industrial Disease.
At least for the public objects, the decline in their design can be attributed to the decline in the general population's willingness to care for them and treat them with respect. Hard to justify designing an opulent water fountain when some urban youth could decide on a whim that it would be fun to destroy it.
As somebody who agrees conceptually but is guilty of the same tendency of practicality and comfort / conformity, I'd appreciate some advice on how to bridge the two. Is it by starting in my own home with architecture? If so, where do I even start if I'm in an apartment building that is guilty of that modern monochromatic styling? Or is it in how I dress? Is there a guide to how to dress well in the traditional sense you are referencing, because i'm not going to wear a suit out to the bar. It would be helpful to have some guidelines instead of trying to figure it all out on my own
A good way to start is with dress. Agreed on not wearing a suit to the bar. I’ve tried to make it a habit to, unless exercising in the heat of summer: 1) always wear a collared shirt, 2) tucked into chinos or slacks, 3) with a matching leather belt and shoes, and 4) with a nice looking coat like a Barbour or sport coat if it’s cold. That almost never looks ridiculous, but is a step above the slop world. Generally just avoiding wearing exercise clothing or tshirts where inappropriate is a good step
From there I think the next easiest step is finding ways to add a bit of refined beauty around the house that don’t break the bank. Used leather bound books are typically cheaper than a new hardback (for the same book), and look nicer and last longer. A used oil painting can be gotten for not that much; often it looks better than a print
Little things like that are a good way to start, I think
It is. It does however mean that we get large floor-to-ceiling windows from which we can observe out. A big part of the reason for the change in architecture is that glass technology got better, and people prefer big windows to small windows embedded in stone that can then be sculpted. It reflects a question of emphasis - is the building meant to be nice for the people inside looking out, or outside looking in? The people who pay for it are the ones inside, so.
Excellent article. You didn't mention the music, which has also degenerated terribly.
To be fair, the Palais Garnier has never been equaled by any civilization, ever. I think that may be part of the problem. European culture achieved such a height that it then despaired even of maintaining it, much less advancing its excellence. After the Garnier, who really has the courage to build the next theater? You have to pretend that plainer is better.
I have said before that Western art peaked at the 1895 premier of Swan Lake at the Maryinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. The next step forward from that pinnacle was down.
I mostly agree with you but I would make two points- As for architecture, yes those old buildings are gorgeous and should be kept and maintained for as long as possible and I’d like to see more of that influence in new construction when possible too. But the upkeep and maintenance on those buildings can get very expensive. I own a commercial roofing company and we have some of those beautiful older buildings in our customer base but they can be a nightmare when it comes to repairs or diagnosing problems. And it seems like the owners continually lurch from one expensive upkeep project on one part of their buildings to another. So I do understand to a certain degree the impulse to move to less attractive buildings that are less expensive to build and maintain. As for the way people dress, while it’s nice to see old films showing people walking around in suits and elaborate dresses I can’t imagine walking around like that during the summer. To be sure though, we have gone way too far in the opposite direction, a lot of people seem to have no pride in their appearance at all
As to point 1, one thing that comes up is many of these older stone buildings generally don't require a ton of maintenance, but what they do require is more expensive because there are so few of them. Were we to care more about it and build more like them, employing more workmen, perhaps that would be ameliorated somewhat. But yes this is a very fair point
As to point 2, also true, but there are still things people can do to look better even in very hot environments. Being in shape and wearing a polo shirt with slacks, or something of that sort, as a guy, is a great first step that imparts at least some sense of care
I appreciate your points! Thanks for the thoughtful response
Outfits made of oil, fabricated by foreign slaves, and printed with the symbols of global corporations.
I find myself thinking about how my ancestors dressed. I think that how we dress comes from our well-being. A sick society of prisoners will dress to express just that.
Hopefully, if some day I can own my land and be more of a free man, I'll dress up to match that achievement. For now, I'll pick more colorful items, because this Monty Python village sketch of a culture has gone too far.
The radicalizing power of historical images lies in their ability to collapse time - suddenly you see that the past wasn't a prelude to now, it was people living their present with the same intensity we live ours. When photographs show ordinary citizens participating in what textbooks sanitize, you realize ideology isn't abstract - it's what your neighbors did Tuesday. What happens to a society when these visual records contradict the stories we've agreed to tell ourselves?
From what I’ve read elsewhere it shouldn’t be even that technically difficult. Those monstrous carbuncles can just as easily be built or retrofitted with beautiful classical facades. Nothing about the skeleton precludes it apparently other than the will.
But there is one thing that has improved immeasurably since then. Our women. Before the 20th century, the average woman was a fright to behold. I wrote a long essay about this. You should give it a read. Beautiful women are a 20th century phenomenon.
Do not overlook the influence of the automobile. When walking or riding by in a carriage, you have time to take in and appreciate the beauty of a building. When zipping by in a car and paying attention to the road, not so much. Similarly with dress: when walking, everybody sees you. When driving, they don't.
While this does not detract from your general point, to call that photo "Chicago 1900s" is somewhat misleading. Of the major buildings I could identify:
It's this stuff that radicalised me more than anything else. It is very embittering.
crazy how few people are in those videos. Just amazing the lack of crowds and now we have 8 billion people pouring into our cities
I often love seeing old pictures of my city before WWII. You can tell it was a different era. Even the poorest suburbs looked way better than modern downtowns with glass boxes. Beauty all around the city, everyone dressed like attending a dinner with the king. Now, after WWII, many destroyed buildings were replaced by Soviet brutalist ones. And when cities get infected like that, many people lose respect both for the country and themselves. There is no longer attachment to the city or the country.
Very well put. Spot on
The first video, of the 1950s, could be the church festival I went to at age 5 in 1972. It was still like that in parts of the UK. We left a few years after that, because my parents already saw the decline.
It is so sad to see and hear of the decline
The magnitude of it really becomes obvious once it’s put in the video or photo form, I think
I did a venn diagram meme of Pink Floyd, Another Brick in the Wall; David Bowie, Big Brother; Chris Rea, The Road to Hell; Judas Priest, Electric Eye; and Dire Straits, Industrial Disease.
They all saw it coming.
At least for the public objects, the decline in their design can be attributed to the decline in the general population's willingness to care for them and treat them with respect. Hard to justify designing an opulent water fountain when some urban youth could decide on a whim that it would be fun to destroy it.
Very true
As somebody who agrees conceptually but is guilty of the same tendency of practicality and comfort / conformity, I'd appreciate some advice on how to bridge the two. Is it by starting in my own home with architecture? If so, where do I even start if I'm in an apartment building that is guilty of that modern monochromatic styling? Or is it in how I dress? Is there a guide to how to dress well in the traditional sense you are referencing, because i'm not going to wear a suit out to the bar. It would be helpful to have some guidelines instead of trying to figure it all out on my own
This is a good idea for an article
A good way to start is with dress. Agreed on not wearing a suit to the bar. I’ve tried to make it a habit to, unless exercising in the heat of summer: 1) always wear a collared shirt, 2) tucked into chinos or slacks, 3) with a matching leather belt and shoes, and 4) with a nice looking coat like a Barbour or sport coat if it’s cold. That almost never looks ridiculous, but is a step above the slop world. Generally just avoiding wearing exercise clothing or tshirts where inappropriate is a good step
From there I think the next easiest step is finding ways to add a bit of refined beauty around the house that don’t break the bank. Used leather bound books are typically cheaper than a new hardback (for the same book), and look nicer and last longer. A used oil painting can be gotten for not that much; often it looks better than a print
Little things like that are a good way to start, I think
Modern architecture is quite boring. Love the old buildings.
Agreed. Modernism is boring and brutalism is horrifying
It is. It does however mean that we get large floor-to-ceiling windows from which we can observe out. A big part of the reason for the change in architecture is that glass technology got better, and people prefer big windows to small windows embedded in stone that can then be sculpted. It reflects a question of emphasis - is the building meant to be nice for the people inside looking out, or outside looking in? The people who pay for it are the ones inside, so.
Excellent article. You didn't mention the music, which has also degenerated terribly.
To be fair, the Palais Garnier has never been equaled by any civilization, ever. I think that may be part of the problem. European culture achieved such a height that it then despaired even of maintaining it, much less advancing its excellence. After the Garnier, who really has the courage to build the next theater? You have to pretend that plainer is better.
I have said before that Western art peaked at the 1895 premier of Swan Lake at the Maryinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. The next step forward from that pinnacle was down.
Ah yes, the degeneration of music is a great point. It’s perhaps the most degraded at this point
I mostly agree with you but I would make two points- As for architecture, yes those old buildings are gorgeous and should be kept and maintained for as long as possible and I’d like to see more of that influence in new construction when possible too. But the upkeep and maintenance on those buildings can get very expensive. I own a commercial roofing company and we have some of those beautiful older buildings in our customer base but they can be a nightmare when it comes to repairs or diagnosing problems. And it seems like the owners continually lurch from one expensive upkeep project on one part of their buildings to another. So I do understand to a certain degree the impulse to move to less attractive buildings that are less expensive to build and maintain. As for the way people dress, while it’s nice to see old films showing people walking around in suits and elaborate dresses I can’t imagine walking around like that during the summer. To be sure though, we have gone way too far in the opposite direction, a lot of people seem to have no pride in their appearance at all
Both good points as well
As to point 1, one thing that comes up is many of these older stone buildings generally don't require a ton of maintenance, but what they do require is more expensive because there are so few of them. Were we to care more about it and build more like them, employing more workmen, perhaps that would be ameliorated somewhat. But yes this is a very fair point
As to point 2, also true, but there are still things people can do to look better even in very hot environments. Being in shape and wearing a polo shirt with slacks, or something of that sort, as a guy, is a great first step that imparts at least some sense of care
I appreciate your points! Thanks for the thoughtful response
Outfits made of oil, fabricated by foreign slaves, and printed with the symbols of global corporations.
I find myself thinking about how my ancestors dressed. I think that how we dress comes from our well-being. A sick society of prisoners will dress to express just that.
Hopefully, if some day I can own my land and be more of a free man, I'll dress up to match that achievement. For now, I'll pick more colorful items, because this Monty Python village sketch of a culture has gone too far.
The radicalizing power of historical images lies in their ability to collapse time - suddenly you see that the past wasn't a prelude to now, it was people living their present with the same intensity we live ours. When photographs show ordinary citizens participating in what textbooks sanitize, you realize ideology isn't abstract - it's what your neighbors did Tuesday. What happens to a society when these visual records contradict the stories we've agreed to tell ourselves?
Good article. Thank you.
From what I’ve read elsewhere it shouldn’t be even that technically difficult. Those monstrous carbuncles can just as easily be built or retrofitted with beautiful classical facades. Nothing about the skeleton precludes it apparently other than the will.
But there is one thing that has improved immeasurably since then. Our women. Before the 20th century, the average woman was a fright to behold. I wrote a long essay about this. You should give it a read. Beautiful women are a 20th century phenomenon.
Do not overlook the influence of the automobile. When walking or riding by in a carriage, you have time to take in and appreciate the beauty of a building. When zipping by in a car and paying attention to the road, not so much. Similarly with dress: when walking, everybody sees you. When driving, they don't.
This is all a very big LARP.
Nothing was taken from you. What you’re seeing is selection effect.
Sure, you can prefer a certain aesthetic. But that doesn’t mean it was all pervasive historically.
Half a decade ago folks wanted to retvrn to pig styes to regenerate the west of whatever. Today people want to return to Victorian architecture.
Nostalgia has its own fashions.
While this does not detract from your general point, to call that photo "Chicago 1900s" is somewhat misleading. Of the major buildings I could identify:
Wrigley Building: 1924
360 N. Michigan: 1924
Tribune Tower: 1925
Jewelers' Building: 1927
Mather Tower: 1928
Carbon and Carbide Building: 1929