Clara and Taylor: 100 years of American Feminism
Taylor Swift’s new song brings renewed attention to a long-celebrated, widely miscast heroine of American feminism, Clara Bow.
A historian of the 1920s, I study Clara’s fame and her cultural legacy. I write historical interpretation for her ranch in rural Nevada, where I teach graduate students the many intersections of labor, gender, and culture. I oversee a collection of her personal artifacts, including clothing and a hand-tooled makeup case as seen in the photo gallery below.
I can tell you this: every 12-year-old kid singing in the shower and making friendship bracelets with the girls needs to know the name Clara Bow.
For nearly 15 years, UNLV has stewarded a collection of artifacts from the Bell family and Walking Box Ranch. In January 2024, many of the objects became part of the permanent collection at the Nevada State Museum. The remaining objects are housed at the Reid Public History Institute, named for the late Senator Harry Reid, who was central to preserving the Ranch, his hometown treasure.