American News

Charlotte Johnson was the very first designer for the famous Barbie doll, the best selling doll in history. When Ruth Handler first conceived the idea for Barbie, she hired Johnson to assist in the creation and design of the doll and the fashions. Charlotte and Ruth had a shared passion for chic clothes and quickly agreed they wanted to give the Barbie dolla high fashion wardrobe.

Johnson created and led the entire fashion line for the Barbie doll. Her exclusive designs led to the now extensive Barbie wardrobe. She was responsible for creating the sophistication of Barbie’s style which was reminiscent of the current trends of the late 1950’s. She also created a vast selection of fashionable hats and heels that were made to coordinate with Barbie’s wardrobe. These designs are now collectors items.

Charlotte Buettenback Johnson was born in Omaha, NE in 1917, the only child of Frank and Charlotte Holub Buettenback to survive to adulthood. Charlotte began her career as a freelance designer for women’s clothes as well as a teacher at the well respected Chouinard Art School in California.

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 She attended Kansas City Art Institute, then married sculptor Edgar Johnson Jr. The couple lived in New York, where he made ceramic products and she painted them. The marriage eventually ended — there were no children.

Johnson was the first to be hired as exclusive designer for the full line of Barbie dolls. She worked very closely with Ruth Handler while designing the fashion collections for Barbie. She had a keen eye and fashion sense when it came to re-interpreting European trends, in the smallest detail.

 Charlotte was also inspired by the top designs that were shown on the fashion runways of New York and Paris. She realized that by keeping up with the current fashion trends, the popularity of the doll would continue to increase.

Charlotte’s designs for Barbie were exact in all of the detailing including dress linings, buttons, zippers and buttons. She even created cloth labels for the designs that read “Barbie(r) Mattel”.

 In 1957, Charlotte traveled to Japan to oversee the new designs of Barbie’s clothing line. She worked with Japanese seamstresses who sewed the Barbie clothing items by hand. She was known for her strict attention to detail, even to Barbie’s jewelry and other accessories.

Johnson modeled many of the designs after fashionistas of her time including Doris Day and Jacqueline Kennedy. She created many high fashion designs for this widely celebrated 11 1/2″ doll.

 Mattel was the first American company to produce a doll that could wear the designs that were seen worn on the modern day woman. The Barbie doll’s fashions were a large part of its success and popularity among young girls.

 Charlotte had many other talents. She was very active within the artistic community, including being an accomplished pianist.  

Charlotte Johnson was the director of the Barbie fashion line from 1957 to 1980. She died in Santa Monica in 1997 and as she had directed, her remains were cremated, and the ashes interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Omaha, NE.

Originally published here.

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Joan Berney

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A number of Americans successfully spread that French people are rude. It is possible that those Americans were deprived of high human values, principles, and standards that denote finesse; and one day, they confronted their reality. What you just read means that if a person is visiting France ~or your home or mine~ he must offer kindness, respect, and consideration BEFORE expecting kindness, respect, and consideration.

 

Rude people are in France, U.S.A., China, Australia, and in every country of today’s world.

 

Unlike Mexicans in the U.S.A. [Incapable to decipher that they are in someone else's country and to act appropriately] you must act appropriately and become aware that you are in French people’s country. It is expected of you to denote finesse and consideration by NOT approaching them you speaking in English. Like Mexicans in the U.S.A., if you are incapable to decipher why it is so, visiting France may harshly confront you with your reality. Expectedly, you will not admit it; and so, you become one more spreading that French people are rude.

 

On the other hand…

 

Can you demonstrate that you have been raised by fine folks; that they taught you how to be a fine person; that high human qualities, values, and principles were passed on to you; that you feel embedded your obligation to be kind, respectful, and considerate to others everywhere you go; and that you are capable to learn ?

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Then, centuries-old traditions and culture, fine art and other refinements, exquisite entertainment and shows, heavenly meals and fine wines, interacting with refined people, and experiencing what is perceived as the handwriting of the mastermind behind nature are each well suited to go hand-in-hand with you on your way to become enriched and cultivated by all of it.

 

Let’s imagine an encounter.

 

You approach a French person and offer a salutation such as ”Bonjour.” To a man it is “Bonjour Monsieur,” but to a woman whose marital status is unknown to you it is “Bonjour Mademoiselle.” Should you know the woman is married, then, it is “Bonjour Madame.” Other sentences are “Thank You” and “Good Bye” for which you say “Merci” ~or preferably “Merci Beaucoup”~ and “Au Revoir.”

 

Let’s imagine another encounter.

 

You now approach a man. You politely smile as you say… “Bonjour Monsieur. Je ne parle pas le français. Parlez vous l’anglais ?” Do not panic. Below, you will find a way to say that sentence correctly; but you must say it even if you read it from a sheet of paper which would be a charming act !

 

Possessing the manners known to finer people make a mountain-like difference when approaching French people. Are they rude when noting that you are not one of the Americans they know or heard about ? – Most certainly, they will not be because you offered a proper salutation with a smile. Then, you denoted consideration recognizing being in their country by NOT approaching them speaking in English. Lastly, you sent the message that you have intellect to learn.

 

Once in France, you will see that French People Are Rude comes from Americans deprived of high human qualities, principles, and standards mandatory to know why ~when visiting France or your home or mine~ they must offer kindness, respect, and consideration BEFORE expecting kindness, respect, and consideration.

 

If you are an American who possess manners known to finer people, then, Bon Voyage to the land of Renoir !

 

Originally published here.

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George Josserme

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22 FREE things to do in DC:

1. Bureau of Engraving and Printing: You’ll see millions of dollars being printed during a tour of the Washington DC Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The tour features the various steps of currency production, beginning with large, blank sheets of paper, and ending with wallet-ready bills! The presses here print about $25 million every week day, although this amount can vary greatly. Other exhibits include ex-service currency, a collection of counterfeit currency, and a $100,000 bill.

2. Capitol Building: The majestic dome and Rotunda marking the heart of the U.S. Capitol Building not only symbolize the power of the legislative branch of the greatest democracy in the world, but also determine the coordinates of every street in Washington: every single address in the city is designated NE, NW, SE, or SW according to its relationship to the Rotunda. And since the Rotunda is not in the exact center of the city, the capitol’s four quadrants are disparate in size and shape.

3. Freer Gallery of Art: The Freer Gallery opened in 1923 based on the initial collections of Charles Lang Freer, who began collecting American art and then shifted his focus to works from across Asia. The gallery was the first Smithsonian museum with a focus on fine arts, and was established based on Freer’s request that he maintain full curatorial control over the collection until his death. Since that time, the collections have grown to nearly triple the original collection. Highlighting the Asian collection are Chinese ceramics and paintings, Korean ceramics, and pottery, Japanese folding screens, and Indian and Persian manuscripts.

4. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: The Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden had its beginnings in 1966 when Latvian-born Joseph H. Hirshhorn donated his huge collection of contemporary and modern art. The museum officially opened 1974, and was then the recipient of additional works bequeathed by Hirshhorn in 1981 at his death.

5. Library of Congress: Established in 1800 through an act of Congress, the Library of Congress originally held 3,000 volumes, and today it is the largest library in the world with more than 138 million items, and increasing by 10,000 more daily. The library is a phenomenal research resource and a compendium of amazing historical documents including a Gutenberg Bible purchased in 1930 and one of three perfect copies on vellum in the world. The library also contains first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

6. Museum of Natural History: The Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History opened in 1910 on the National Mall and was among the first Smithsonian buildings constructed exclusively to house the national collections and research facilities. Its exhibits range from dinosaur skeletons and an insect zoo, to rare gemstones including the famously cursed Hope Diamond.

7. National Air and Space Museum: The Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum is a goldmine for aviation enthusiasts, maintaining the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world, including some of the most famous artifacts of all time: the Wright Brothers’ Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, and Apollo 11 — as well as the original Star Trek model of the Federation Starfleet’s Enterprise.

8. National Arboretum: Many of the best-loved shrubs and trees in America were developed at the nation’s premier horticultural research facility the National Arboretum, featuring 444 acres of demonstration gardens, greenhouses, and natural woods.Most famous is the azalea exhibit, the product of pioneering research of the first director after the arboretum was established in 1927. Many, many exhibits and plants have been developed since that time, however, among them an amazing array of new shrubs such as Crapemyrtles, hardy hibiscus, lilacs, viburnums, and many new tree varieties intended to adapt to various locales across the U.S., including a wide range of new red maples, magnolias, elms, and flowering cherries.

9. National Archives: Democracy starts here. That is the motto of the National Archives, created in 1934 to house the country’s most important historic documents and to centralize federal record keeping. Before that time, individual government agencies were in charge of maintaining their own records, many in disarray, careless stored, and damaged by fire, insects, heat, and just the vagaries of time. The first set of records to be archived, identified through an extensive survey in 1937, included 1,360,000 cubic feet of records, a figure which of course continued to increase, as New Deal and then World War II records poured in.

10. National Gallery of Art: The National Gallery of Art is comprised of two structures connected by an underground concourse: the marble neoclassical West Building, completed in 1941 and designed by John Russell Pope (architect of the Jefferson Memorial and the National Archives); and the triangular East Building, completed in 1978 and designed by I.M. Pei, of matching Tennessee pink marble and featuring glass walls and illuminating skylights.

11. National Museum of African Art: The National Museum of African Art was established in 1964 and became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979. It houses a wide range of ancient and contemporary art from Africa, and features a permanent collection of over 8500 works from all artistic genres including paintings, textiles, ceramics, furniture, tools masks, figures, musical instruments, and jewelry.

12. National Museum of American History: Originally opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology, the National Museum of American History has become an important chronicler of the history of science and technology and its effects on the growth of American culture and society. Among the collection’s highlights is the original 30 ft x 34 ft Star-Spangled Banner, the flag viewed by Francis Scott Key during War of 1812 and on which he based the national anthem.

13. National Museum of the American Indian: The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian’s founding in 2004 completes the National Mall’s collection of museums and graces the mall with its warm sand-colored limestone, soft and light, with a shape evocative of nature’s continual movement and the indigenous peoples whose culture reflected a powerful natural connection. Its interior is even more stunning, featuring a rotunda representing the Potomac and acting as the main entrance to the museum as well as a venue for various events and performances.

14. National Museum of the Marine Corps: The National Museum of the Marine Corps, a new museum that opened in 2006, maintains a broad collection of poignant and fascinating artifacts and interactive displays on the Marine Corps and its members’ contribution to the nation. The museum is located on more than 135 acres adjacent to Marine Corps Base Quantico and encompasses approximately 118,000 square feet. Its iconic 210 ft. high stainless steel spire is intended to represent the famous image of the marines raising the American flag over Iwo Jima, as well as ” notions of swords at salute, aircraft climbing in to the heavens or a howitzer at the ready,” according to the museum’s introductive materials.

15. National Zoo: Created by Congress in 1889, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is a standout zoo, well-known as the home to more than 400 species — including its most famous occupants, the giant pandas from China — as well as being a leader in the care, breeding, and exhibition of animals. The zoo encompasses 163 acres where it displays animals in their own natural habitat organized along three main paths, the Olmsted Walk, the Valley Trail, and the new exhibit as of 2006, the Asia Trail.

16. Smithsonian Institution Building: The world-renowned Smithsonian Institution is truly the largest museum complex and research organization in the world. Comprised of 17 museums and the National Zoo in D.C., as well as two more museums in New York, the Smithsonian exemplifies humankind’s search for reason and meaning through the arts, history, science, and technology.

17. Supreme Court: The U. S. Supreme Court, the highest body of the judiciary arm of the federal government, is housed in the Supreme Court Building, designed of Corinthian marble in a style to match other congressional buildings, and constructed in 1935. Before that time, the Supreme Court operated out of the Capitol Building. On the front stairway are two statues, the Contemplation of Justice and the Guardian or Authority of Law. Along the corridor leading to the Courtroom, known as the Great Hall, are busts of all former Chief Justices.

18. United States Holocaust Museum: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s purpose is to ensure that we never forget, and never repeat, the atrocities of the holocaust, stimulating people to “confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity, and strengthen democracy,” according to the museum’s literature.

19. U.S. Botanic Garden: The oldest continually-operating botanic garden in the United States, the U.S. Botanic Garden is a showcase centrally located on the National Mall, and is nearly as old as DC itself. Its first greenhouse was built in 1842 and since 1849, it has been at its current location. Its charter, provided by Congress, is “… to collect, cultivate, and grow the various vegetable products of this and other countries for exhibition and display to the public…”, and it does indeed feature amazing plant diversity.

20. Washington Monument: The Washington Monument is a 555-ft. marble obelisk that stands as a sentinel and memorial to the nation’s first president. It is the most prominent landmark in Washington, D.C., and anchors the National Mall. The cornerstone of the monument was laid in 1848, but construction was not finished until 1884, as it was halted during the Civil War. In fact, astute observers can see a change in the type of marble at about the first third of the structure’s height, visible evidence of the changes that swept the country during the war.

21. Washington National Cathedral: Conceived in 1792 by Pierre l’Enfant as a “great church for national purposes,” actual planning and construction of the National Cathedral didn’t begin until a century later, and it was not until a century after that — 1990 — that the cathedral was completed.

22. White House: The White House, while planned by President George Washington and city architect Pierre l’Enfant, was never lived in by Washington, but has housed every single U.S. president since his successor John Adams moved in 1801. Originally called simply the Executive Mansion, the name the White House stuck after the building was whitewashed to cover the fire damage in 1814 during the War of 1812.

Originally published here.

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Ramona Quincey

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