Ralph and Chleo made their home with Chleo’s mother, Anna Webb. They lived in the Rock House.
Ralph was working out of town most weeks but came home to Larned on weekends. He and Chleo enjoyed social life when they could.
Ben’s girlfriend, Ralph Jarvis, Ben Sooby, Chleo Jarvis – c 1919 
Chleo and Ralph Jarvis – c 1920
During the week, Chleo and Anna were working at the Ideal Steam Laundry.
There were lots of Chleo’s relatives nearby for visiting. Whether crocheting, sewing, or just visiting, life was small-town Larned.
The Tiller and Toiler – August 21, 1920 
The Tiller and Toiler – October 28, 1920
On weekends, Ralph had time for social activities too. He played on Larned’s American Legion football team.
A son is born
Melvin Leroy Jarvis was born at 5 pm Friday, April 29, 1921 to Ralph and Chleo Jarvis at the Rock House in Larned.
In 1921, Ralph was age 27 and Chleo was 21.
Larned Chronoscope – May 5, 1921 
The Tiller and Toiler – May 5, 1921
What’s in a name?
Melvin Leroy Jarvis.
The first name Melvin may have come from Ralph’s cousin Melvin Jarvis, who was 8 years older than Ralph and had died at age 21 in Rising Sun, Indiana.
I think the middle name Leroy may have come from Nathan Jones’ middle name Leroy.
Neither Melvin nor Leroy were the most popular baby names of 1921. Honors went to Mary and John.
Nibbles Extra Credit – The Roaring Twenties
Fashion and styles
In the 1920s, women could be arrested and fined for exposing too much skin.
The Flapper
Before the Roaring Twenties, women wore floor-length dresses. Waists were cinched. Arms and legs were covered. Corsets were standard. Hair was long.
The History of the Flapper
The 20s changed all that. The “new woman” of the 1920s, typically white and middle- or upper-class, rejected those Victorian norms.
Labeled “flappers” for their shockingly short skirts and shifts, these women wore makeup and sheer pantyhose. They exposed arms and legs. They threw away their corsets. They danced and drank and smoked. They voted.
The dress length went from floor to knee length, becoming bold and seductive.
The fashion for women was all about getting loose. Women wore dresses all day, every day. Day dresses had a drop waist, which was a sash or belt around the low waist or hip and a skirt that hung anywhere from the ankle on up to the knee.
1920s In Western Fashion
The flapper dress was a mixture of wearable, comfortable, and elegant. It was designed for an active and independent lifestyle.
A First Lady’s dress
Rayon
Rayon was the miracle fabric of the day. Made from cellulose fiber, rayon became the rage in 1920s fashion. Artificial silk, rayon could be used to simulate silk, but was much more affordable. It could be silky, shiny, or shimmery.
Hairstyle
The hairstyle of choice was the “bob,” which had several variations.
No one chronicled life in the Roaring ՚20s quite like writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Escalating the popularity of the cropped-hair flapper look for modern women was his short story “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in 1920.
The May 1, 1920, issue of The Saturday Evening Post was the first time Fitzgerald’s name appeared on the cover. “Bernice Bobs Her Hair “appeared in this issue.
Cosmetics
Before the 20s, cosmetics were associated with prostitution. But in the 1920s makeup became quite popular.
Accessories
Together with the trousers, flapper dresses, and bobbed hair came high-heeled shoes, hats, and fancy jewelry. Various shoes were fashionable such as the low-heeled “finale hopper” shoes and the high overshoes, as well as galoshes.
What Was It Like in the Roaring Twenties in Art and Fashion?
Timeline – 1921
Sources
- Photo – Rock House – Jarvis Family Documents – Chleo Webb Jarvis collection
- Photos – Ralph and Chleo Jarvis and friends – Jarvis Family Documents – Chleo Webb Jarvis collection
- Birth Announcements – Jarvis Family Documents – Chleo Webb Jarvis collection
- Newspaper articles – Newspapers.com
- Chart – most popular baby names – babycenter – https://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-1921.htm
- Photo – Melvin Jarvis headstone – Mark Jarvis – May 2017
- Image – Woman in swim suit with police – What America Looked Like 100 Years Ago – CBS News – https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/america-1921-roaring-20s-100-years-ago/
- Image – The Flapper – “The Flapper,” F.A. Leyendecker, LIFE Magazine, February 1922 – History Hub – http://sites.austincc.edu/caddis/roaring-20s/
- Image – Five Women Modeling 1920s Hairstyles – Amy Jeane – Waves Galore – Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/silent_screen_queen/6783692729/
- Quotation – The History of the Flapper – Smithsonian Magazine – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-of-the-flapper-part-1-a-call-for-freedom-11957978/
- Image – Evening dress – What Was It Like in the Roaring Twenties in Art and Fashion – Daily Art Magazine – https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/roaring-twenties-in-art/
- Image – Grace Coolidge dress – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/are-we-headed-roaring-2020s-historians-say-its-complicated-180977638/
- Quotation – Flapper dress design – 1920s in Western fashion – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920s_in_Western_fashion
- Image – “Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire” – Russell Patterson – Library of Congress – https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsca.01589/
- Image – Woman in tennis outfit – Georges Lepape, Vogue Cover, July 1929 issue – Vogue Archive – What Was It Like in the Roaring Twenties in Art and Fashion? – https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/roaring-twenties-in-art/
- Image – Rayon clothing – What Life Was Like In The Roaring Twenties – Napa Valley Register – https://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/what-life-was-like-in-the-roaring-twenties/collection_0d8e8a36-a5ef-53cd-a537-50fb30f914f5.html#18
- Image – Berniece Bobs Her Hair – Saturday Evening Post – 1920 – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernice_Bobs_Her_Hair#/media/File:Fitzgerald,_Saturday_evening_post.png
- Excerpt – Berniece Bobs Her Hair – Washington State University – https://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/bernicebobs.pdf
- Image – Norma Talmadge – Roaring Twenties – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Twenties#/media/File:Norma_Talmadge_1920.jpg
- Image – Clara Bowe – Women’s 1920s Makeup: An Overview – https://hair-and-makeup-artist.com/womens-1920s-makeup/
- Quotation – Was It Like in the Roaring Twenties in Art and Fashion? – https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/roaring-twenties-in-art/
- Image – Accessorized women flappers – What Was It Like in the Roaring Twenties in Art and Fashion – Daily Art Magazine – https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/roaring-twenties-in-art/
Family Nibbles 