Interwar Press Research Articles

‘An amazing gang of women crooks and blackmailers’: women, organized crime, and the ‘Forty Elephants’ gang in inter-war Britain

Abstract Women’s participation in organized crime has been overlooked within historical research, with studies typically relegating their roles to that of auxiliaries to male gangsters. This article explores the activities and portrayals of women involved in organized crime during the British inter-war period, focusing specifically on one of Britain’s only known all-female criminal organizations (the ‘Forty Elephants’). Examining coverage from local, regional, and national newspapers, it argues that the Forty Elephants captivated the inter-war press, with depictions of gang members reflecting the stereotypical ‘devil in disguise’; according to the media, the female gangster was a dangerous and ‘professional’ criminal who hid behind a façade of good looks, fashionable clothing, and high social status. Furthermore, the article demonstrates how portrayals of the gang resonated with contemporary discussions around the emerging ‘modern woman’, reflecting concerns over women’s growing participation in social, political, and economic life.

Encountering Tutankhamun: The Discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb and Tutmania through the Lens of Local Press (1922–1943)


 News of Carter’s discovery in the Valley of Kings was first transmitted by magazines and daily papers in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in late 1922, but the finds from Tutankhamun’s tomb continued to draw the public’s attention in the decades to come. A large number of newspaper articles from the time are dedicated to not only Tutankhamun, but also the different manifestations of Egyptomania and Tutmania, from the “curse of the pharaoh”, all the way to fashion inspired by Ancient Egypt. On the other hand, the interwar press reminds us of the efforts of local experts, such as Nikola Vulić and Luka Zrnić, to popularize and present modern archaeological research to the wider audience. This is why all of these diverse testimonies must be observed as a whole to better grasp the connection between science, the media and the public which, in the case of Tutankhamun’s tomb, lead to the creation of a public image within which scientific facts got inextricably mixed up with fantasy, thereby influencing not only the imagination of readers, but also numerous travelers and adventurers to set off for Egypt and directly encounter the legacy of Ancient Egypt.

Education on Rural Construction Issues in Lithuania, 1918–1940

In this article the education of farmers and craftsmen about the construction of modern farmsteads during interwar period is assessed. Information on the subject was collected from interwar press and archival documents. The main features of modern interwar farmsteads are rational structuring, compliance with hygiene requirements, comfortability and aestheticism. These ideas were propagated by state institutions, although up to the 3rd decade it was not fully established. When the administration of rural construction matters was commissioned to the Žemės ūkio rūmai, the most important works in this direction were carried out. The Construction Department was established in 1929, and the construction technicians who worked there were the key players in the promotion of the conceptual framework. Therefore, their proper training and the provision of the necessary number of specialists was an essential prerequisite for the purposeful education of farmers and building tradesmen.
 Organising education for farmers one of the main goals was to achieve the largest possible number of persons and thus promote the importance of the implementation of the ideas of modernization of rural construction. Therefore, for this, the periodical press, educational publications, short-term courses and lectures on the issues of improving rural construction and the management of homesteads, as well as exhibitions where construction technologies were demonstrated and specialist advice was provided, were actively used for this. Given the gradual increase in farmers’ interest in the ideas promoted, as well as their active participation in the educational programmes, there is no doubt that the measures chosen were quite successful.
 Rural craftsmen also played an equally important role in the modernisation campaign. Therefore, since the end of the 1930s, short courses have been organised annually to raise their qualifications. The scope of these works was rising, although it affected only part of craftsmen and did not solve the lack of qualified specialists. In the 4th decade, the new laws and rules of rural building regulation were implemented. Also, the necessity for higher number of qualified construction craftsmen that would be able to implement modern building principles was realized. This resulted in first specialized craft schools for carpenters, masons and furnace workers. It was thought that these schools together with earlier courses had to form construction craftsmen education system. Although work in this direction was halted shortly afterwards, the establishment of the specialised schools was an indication of the prioritisation of construction issues and thus of the implementation of modernisation principles.

THE CATHOLIC WOMEN'S PRESS IN INTERWAR POLAND: IN LOOKING FOR THE FIGURE OF AN IDEAL WOMAN

This article explores the representation of the ideal woman and femininity in the Polish interwar Catholic women's press, focusing on two selected publications – «Kuźniczanka» and «Gazeta dla kobiet.» In the 1920s and 1930s in Poland, Catholic periodicals were widely circulated, and the women's press developed against the backdrop of social changes caused by World War I. The Catholic women's press promoted a religious and nationalist worldview while paying attention to the new emancipation of women. In creating the image of the ideal woman, the Polish Catholic interwar press sought to influence its readers' behavior and life strategies. The article analyzes how these publications shaped the image of the ideal woman and femininity, as well as the consequences of such representation for their readership. «Gazeta dla Kobiet» emphasized the care and upbringing of children, highlighting the irreplaceable role of the mother in these areas. It advocated for constant maternal contact with the child, rationality, and moderation in relationships. The importance of religious education was also emphasized. «Kuźniczanka,» a publication that gained popularity at the national level, aimed at the religious education of adult women and the formation of a patriotic position. The magazine promoted the concept of hardworking, modest living and active participation in public work. The magazine sought to prepare its readers for the fulfillment of daily family duties and protect them from worldly temptations. The ideal woman depicted in the pages of «Kuźniczanka» was a prudent wife and mother, skilled in organizing household affairs, and a sensitive educator of the weak or socially marginalized. Both publications promoted an ideal image of a woman based on religious norms, virtuosity, hard work, and modesty. This model served to mobilize defenders of religious and national values and moral traditionalism. It also emphasized the crucial role of a properly educated woman in creating optimal conditions for the development of younger generations.

Sports life in interwar Chisinau

Based on unpublished documents and iconographic sources found in the archives of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, by studying the interwar press, statistical data and period reports we shall try to reconstruct the aspects of the sports life of interwar Chisinau. According to the number of inhabitants, the capital of Bessarabia represented the second largest city of Greater Romania as a whole, the first being Bucharest.

(Nie)widoczna obecność starych kobiet w międzywojennej prasie dla Polek

The issue of old women was not a priority topic in the press. It appeared indirectly, most often when describing other social issues. It accompanied the problems of social exclusion due to gender, age, financial condition, education, and professional status. Three separate images of old women emerged on the pages of the interwar press for Polish women. Firstly, there was the image of a matron, that is a dignified married woman, a mother, a tireless social activist who skilfully combined sacrificial work for the benefit of the family and the interests of the community. The figure of a matron was identified with noble features of a woman who demanded a lot from herself, becoming a moral role model for other women. In turn, in the image of the old lady, there was a tendency to show a younger, modernized version of the matron. The lady was ready to introduce innovative elements of family, social and professional life. She knew how to modernize the work of social associations. The third image contained the representation of poor, lonely, hopeless old age. It reflected the vision of an old woman who experienced material poverty, unemployment and homelessness.

“The Hardships of the Beginning”. The “Foreign Character” of Transylvanian Towns in the Interwar Press

Abstract The Union of 1918 stands in the Romanian historiography as the great event of the national history, the moment when Romanians who had been living for centuries under foreign rules came together in one united country. Despite the enthusiasm of those days, soon it became obvious that putting together areas with different histories, different backgrounds and different cultures was not such a simple process. The difficulties and the setbacks of the aftermath of the Great Union entered more recently the attention of the Romanian historiography, preoccupied for a long time rather on its significance for the nation than on its hardships. The present study addresses one of the issues debated in the interwar Romanian press, regarding the extent to which Transylvania was getting loose of its foreign marks and gaining a Romanian character.

Жіноча сторінка української католицької періодики

The concept of a woman is considered in different dimensions: historical retrospect, social, religious and organizational. Theoretical reasoning behind this concept in the context of the Christian paradigm was presented by O. Volyanskyi, O. Nazaruk, Y. Skruten, E. Tyshynska, and others. The chronological framework of the publications covers the pre-Aryan period, Kyivan Rus’ and Cossack times, 20th century, highlighting such iconic figures of our past as Kniahynia Olga, Sultan’s wife Roksolana, etc. Heroic efforts in the fight for the freedom of women abroad – Bulgaria, Ethiopia, France, Japan, and India – are highlighted through the prism of informative articles. The Women’s Congress in June 1934 in Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk), dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the «Ruthenian Women’s Society», showed close cooperation of the women from Galicia, Bukovyna, Transcarpathia, Volyn and emigration. The Action underlined the ideological differences in the women’s movement: the discussion was mainly between the magazines «Katolytska Aktsia» and «Zhinka». Publications about the genesis, tasks and perspectives of the women’s movement development were published within thematic pages and out of the rubric. Keywords: woman’s issue, Catholic Action, Galician interwar press.

Żona, gejsza czy emancypantka? Wizerunek Japonek w wybranej prasie polskiej w latach 30. XX wieku

The Polish interwar press tried to bring its readers closer to the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. Many articles were devoted to Japanese women. Usually, it was done by mass magazines such as sensational “As” and travel-geographical “Na Szerokim Świecie” [On the Broad World] published by holding “Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny” [Illustrated Daily Courier], as well as Warsaw “Naokoło Świata” [Around the World], and women’s magazines, e.g., “Bluszcz” [Ivy]. A Japanese was presented either as a mysterious woman of exotic beauty and a mysterious soul, a wife devoted to the family, a victim of the patriarchal system, or an emancipate fighting for political, professional, and social rights. The mass magazines and women focused on the social situation of Japanese women, stressing that it was extremely unfavourable and, as an example, gave their unequal position in marriage. However, they added that their position had improved rapidly, although they still had a long way to go to emancipate. The interwar press tried to combat common stereotypes about the inhabitants of Japan. One was to say that all Japanese women are, by nature, perfect wives, mothers, and mothers-in-law, and the other that geishas are luxury prostitutes.

Architectural Criticism in Lithuanian Interwar Press: Preconditions of the Phenomenon

Summary The main goal of the article is to find out whether a specific genre of architectural criticism was formed in the public discourse of interwar Lithuania (1918–1940), and if so, to define the main tendencies of this phenomenon. After defining the critique of architecture as a public discourse in which, based on theoretical knowledge, reflections on the essence of architecture or evaluations of ongoing urban development and buildings are popularly presented, the article discusses such texts in interwar Lithuania. The publication will acquaint readers with the most creative reviewers of architecture and the thematic variety of publications attributed to architectural critics. The article will also reveal personalised, unexpected assessments of buildings that have already become objects of heritage.

Helena Grabschrift-Taffet, a Krakow artist born in Tuchów

Helena Grabschrift was born on 18 April 1909 in Tuchów. Starting 1929, she studied at the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts, taught by such artists as Władysław Jarocki, Wojciech Weiss and Stanisław Kamocki. In late 1930s she became involved with the Krakow Association of Jewish Painters and Sculptors. She was one of the most active members of the organisation, and made arrangements for the last Krakow exhibitions of the works of Jewish painters before the war. For a long time, nothing was known of her life after the end of the Second World War; she was considered either dead or missing. The author of the present article managed to find sources confirming that the artist had survived the war, and to contact her family in Israel. Consequently, it was possible to add to the artist’s biography many new details from pre-war years, the period of Nazi occupation, as well as her later life in Israel, where she moved with her husband Henryk Taffet. Unfortunately, not much has survived from the artist's pre-war output, therefore the inter-war press remains the most important source of information about her work.

Dyskusje o wpływie wojny na emancypację kobiet w prasie kobiecej dwudziestolecia międzywojennego

The text attempts to present how the Great War’s impact on emancipation processes and changes in the relationship between the genders were seen in the women’s press. An analysis was conducted of the series of articles by Cecylia Walewska entitled ‘The differentiation of the female type after the war’, published in the weekly Bluszcz in 1927; the series has been confronted with other voices appearing in the interwar press and with the realities of life at that time.

Особливості висвітлення в українській пресі епідемії тифу 1919-1920 рр. у Східній Галичині

The article makes an attempt to elucidate the specificity of coverage of epidemics, specifically the typhus epidemic in the Eastern Galicia during 1919–1920s in the Ukrainian-language interwar press. The object of the research is the Ukrainian mainstream press of Galicia (the social-democratic newspaper Vpered (Lviv) and the Ukrainian émigré press in the USA (the newspaper Svoboda (Jersey City). The study aims to elucidate peculiarities of epidemic communications in the editorial bent of the Ukrainian press, in particular narratives, functional direction, and approaches to the typhus epidemic coverage in different print media. The Research Methodology: bibliographical heuristics, logical methods, functional analysis, diachronic comparative analysis, narrative configuration in qualitative analysis (D. Polkinghorne (1995). The main results/findings: the common and different approaches, narratives and functions in the typhus epidemic coverage have been elucidated on the basis of the analysis of corpus of the West Ukrainian and émigré press. This research shows commonality of informative function as well as divergence of preventive function on the example of the typhus epidemic communications during 1919–1920s by the different Ukrainian periodicals of that time. Research novelty/originality: We have elucidated a focal place of grand-narrative of victimization in the editorial policies of the researched Ukrainian-language press. The conclusions have been drawn and the research avenues have been put forward, in particular in the context of modern media studies of epidemic communications in the Ukrainian media. Keywords: the Ukrainian mainstream press; newspaper; Vpered; Svoboda; the Polish periodicals; coverage; epidemic; typhus; epidemic communications; victimization grand-narrative; 1919–1920s; Eastern Galicia; Poland.

Wizerunek Chinek w wybranej polskiej prasie międzywojennej w latach 30. XX w

The image of Chinese women in selected Polish interwar press in the 1930s Among the interests of the pre-war press, both mass and specialized, was China. Most of the space was devoted to the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom: “Ivy” and mass magazines, associated with the Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny [Illustrated Daily Courier], whose readers were also usually female citizens of the Second Polish Republic: As [Ace] and Na Szerokim Świecie [In the Broad World]”. In the Polish press, Chinese women were presented either as mysterious women of exotic beauty, who used to have mysterious souls, victims of the patriarchal system, or emancipated women fighting for their rights in political, professional and social life. Mass magazines often focused primarily on both the external appearance and spirituality of the Chinese. However, while the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom were described as beautiful and elegant women, their character was usually portrayed in a negative light. It was emphasized that many of them served as not only charming, but well-educated courtesans. Both mass magazines and the women’s press were alarmed that the situation of Chinese women was very severe and was due to their low position in society. As a significant example, they gave the habit of foot binding. The women’s press, however, further emphasized that the situation of Chinese women gradually improved thanks to feminist movements. And among the most important representative women’s press mentioned Meling Sung. Both Bluszcz [Ivy] and Ziemianka Polska [Polish Lady Landowner] placed more emphasis on the professional emancipation of citizens of the Middle Kingdom than on their fight against other manifestations of gender discrimination.

ХУДОЖНЬО-ПУБЛІЦИСТИЧНА СПАДЩИНА СОФІЇ ПАРФАНОВИЧ: СЛОВО – ЛЮДИНА – ДОБА

The article focuses on the journalistic and literary achievements of Sofia Parfanovych – a doctor, writer, opinion journalist, editor, and a public figure – in the context of interdisciplinarity. Her active public stance as one of the leaders of the Ukrainian temperance society Vidrodzhennia, a member of the Ukrainian Medical and Hygienic Society, and Shevchenko Scientific Society encouraged educational activities in the Galician interwar press. She collaborated with periodicals such as Vidrodzhennia, Zhinocha Dolia, Likarskyi Vistnyk, Narodnie Zdorovlia, Nova Khata, etc. They published articles, stories, and discussions on a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating and threats posed by tobacco and alcohol, special attention was given to women’s health and child care. Many publications combined journalism and literature. For purely literary works – short stories and essays – O. Parfanovych used her experience as a medical practitioner. They were first published in the press (Nazustrich, Dilo, etc.), and later were included in the collections Tsina Zhyttia (Lviv, 1937) and Inshi Dni (Augsburg, 1948), producing strong reverberations in the Ukrainian literary environment. The article elaborates on a broad panorama of reception – i.e., reviews published in 1937 in the periodicals such as Dzvony, Zhinocha Dolia, Nova Zoria, Nova Khata, and Ukrayinska Knyha, written by by M. Hnatyshak, O. Duchyminska, O. Mokh, M. Rudnytskyi, as well as reviews by Yu. Sherekh and V. Nesterovych of the MUR (Artistic Ukrainian Movement) era. Critics argued that the first collection mostly includes «observations of life», and the second focuses on studying the laws of life with greater philosophical and psychological depth. The reviewers’ debates are analysed on a comparative basis, factors associated with mentality and gender are shown to account for differences in approaches while emphasizing the clear-cut national principles of the writer’s creative work. Keywords: Sofia Parfanovych, Galician interwar press, medicine, abstinence, literary criticism, interdisciplinarity.

Комуністи в пенітенціарних закладах Другої Речі Посполитої (на прикладі Луцької в’язниці Волинського воєводства): джерела до вивчення

The article is devoted to the research of the archival sources for studying the stay of communists in the Lutsk prison in the years 1919–1939. In the interwar period the communist movement tried to separate Volhynia and Eastern Galicia from the Second Polish Republic and was a serious threat to the Polish authorities in the region. According to the Polish law, communist activity was illegal and criminalised. The Lutsk prison was one of the institutions of the penitentiary
 system of Poland where those convicted for communist activities served their sentences and where investigations against others were continued.
 It is revealed that the materials of the State Archives of the Volhynia Region in Lutsk (Ukraine), the Central State Archive of Public Organisations of Ukraine in Kyiv (Ukraine) and the Polish Central Archives of Modern Records (Poland) are sufficiently reflective of the research on the communists’ stay in the Lutsk prison between the two world wars. Taking into account the statistics of that time and comparing the documents of these institutions with the materials of
 other archival institutions, the memories of prisoners and representatives of the authorities, as well as the interwar press allows us to create a complete picture of the daily life of the communist prisoner in Lutsk prison from their imprisonment until their release from its walls.

Folklor polityczny w czasopismach emigracji ukraińskiej wydawanych w międzywojennej Polsce

The article is devoted to the Ukrainian political folklore which was published in the inter-war press of the Ukrainian emigration. Some emigrant journals were published in Poland. The pages of these publications published political folklore which was banned in the USSR. The early publications of the anti-Soviet people’s satire have so far been poorly investigated by folklorists who were engaged in political folklore.

Ksiądz pułkownik Józef Panaś jako niezłomny działacz ludowy w walce z obozem sanacji w latach 1926–1939

Celem artykułu jest ukazanie aktywności księdza kapelana Józefa Panasia w walce z obozem sanacji. Stosunek kapelana do rządów pomajowych znajdował odzwierciedlenie przede wszystkim w jego artykułach publikowanych na łamach prasy ludowej okresu międzywojennego. Ksiądz kapelan był żarliwym i bezkompromisowym patriotą oraz zdecydowanym przeciwnikiem zamachu majowego z 1926 r. Wydarzenie to w sposób zdecydowany i jednoznaczny potępił. Nadrzędnym celem działalności ks. J. Panasia było dobro państwa, opartego na zasadach demokratycznych i suwerennych. Był też orędownikiem emancypacji wsi polskiej i jej mieszkańców. Wiele cennych i wartościowych tekstów pióra kapelana było także impulsem i wskazówką do niezłomnej postawy niektórych członków ówczesnej opozycji z rządzącymi. W artykule scharakteryzowano ideowo-programowy wkład J. Panasia w rozwój ruchu ludowego w okresie II Rzeczypospolitej. Ksiądz kapelan dawał wyraz swoim poglądom na wiele zagadnień politycznych, ustrojowych i narodowościowych. Jednakże z biegiem lat jego postawa wobec sanacji ewoluowała i jego ocena ówczesnej rzeczywistości stawała się bardziej liberalna i pragmatyczna. Wynikało to w dużej mierze ze zbliżającego się niebezpieczeństwa i realnej groźby wybuchu światowego konfliktu zbrojnego.

Erich Salomon’s Candid Camera and the Framing of Political Authority

Abstract This essay examines the cultural, technological, and political significance of the candid camera in the interwar press. Concentrating on Erich Salomon’s photojournalism, as well as discuss...

Normatyvinis vyriškumas tarpukario Lietuvos spaudoje ir reklamoje: karininko įvaizdis

The present article is an extended research of the expression of normative masculinity, aiming at complementing the studies on the history of culture and advertising, and the perception of masculinity in the First Independent Republic of Lithuania as well as demonstrating the tendencies of male selfidentification process in the interwar context. 
 First research results were published in the article “Masculinity Representation in Lithuanian Interwar Press Advertising” (Bankauskaitė, Stravinskaitė 2016). The prevailing images of masculinity were divided into several groups: a heroic superman, a successful careerist, a family man and a hedonistic or narcissistic man. This article complements the normative collection of masculinity with the image traits of an officer. It is the one who, due to the influence of aesthetic standards, fundamental national values active, physical education and aviation achievements, was associated with the highest level of masculinity in the interwar advertising. Active masculine physical power, courage, determination and a wish to dominate, conveyed in the advertisements and articles, are especially important constituent parts of a normative model of masculinity. The model of an officer includes the images of a young, handsome, and educated gentleman who served as a role model for every man in the interwar society.