Polka dots

Polka dotsHistoryWhat are Polka dots?Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of filled circles, generally equally sized and spaced relatively closely in relation to their diameters. Polka dots are most commonly seen on children's clothing, toys, andfurniture, but they appear in a wide array of contexts.Origin A danceStarting in the years between 1830-1835, Europe and then the United States were struck by a dance craze originating with the Bohemian andCzechpeoples of Europe.The new dance, the "polka, "was named after the Bohemian word "polka," which means, simply, a Polish woman.Polka CrazeThe peak of the "polka" craze lasted for two generations from 1840 to 1890. In many areas of the country the desire to "polka" became so strong that polka clubs began to organize so their members could satisfy their desire to engage in this trendy and spirited dance. Members were very proud of their clubs and, somewhere, someone came up with the idea of adopting a uniform pattern on clothing worn by women who were members of these polka clubs. Women chose a closely fitted jacket that was widely worn and made of evenly spaced dots placed on a field of fabric of a single color to signify their membership in a polka club.By 1880 material was being sold in fabric stores that had this same "dot" pattern in various colors (both the "dot" and the "field" on which they appeared varying in color). In this way the "polka dot" was born.The dance remained in vogue for so long that manufacturers took advantage of "the polka rage" by creating numerous products and naming them after the dance. Polka hats, polkacurtains, polka fabrics, all kinds of polka clothing and other items, sold very well and made businessmen and merchants small fortunes. Most of these products have disappeared, but the polka dot pattern has remained to this day a popular fashion statementThe polka dot design remained popular into the 20th century and received some promotion of its popularity from the "pin-up girls" of WW II. A noted "pin-up" of the war years was that of a minor actress /starlet/model named Chili Williams (see picture below) who took the following "pin-up" picture which became one of the most popular of WW II. The picture was simply referred to as "The Girl in the Polka Dot Swimsuit."Polka dots, with the help of Chili Williams, Katherine Hepburn and others remained an important element in fashion after the war. The picture below shows a fashionable late 1940spolka dot dressdesign. (Note: By this time the term "polka dot" had been separated completely from its origins. "Polka dots" referred, in the mind of the public, as simply a pattern or design.)In the early 1950s , another pop-culture figure helped enhance the popularity of "polka dots." Marilyn Monroe was only a studio "starlet" at the time (her fame would come later), but she had some photos taken, and subsequently published, of her in a polka dot swimsuit. Here is one of them:Later in 1946 in Paris, France, afashion designernamed Louis Reald premiered a skimpy two-piecebathing suitto the public. He named it the "bikini" because the sight of this minimalist bathing suit would cause men the same sort of devastation that the Bikini Atoll suffered when the atomic bomb was detonated on it. He created both fashion history and a tremendous controversy.Then, in the summer of 1960 a 16-year-old singer named Brian Hyland (someone akin to the Justin Bieber of his day) released a song called "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" that sold several million copies. It was played countless times on the AM radio stations that dominated the airwaves of the period.