Thanksgiving Masks Haven’t Changed Much
Thanksgiving (pardon, Halloween) masks haven’t changed much in the 126 years since the article. The writer extolls the popular masks of the time, including animals, birds, comically false noses, feet, ears, and other body parts. And some of the most popular sales were “Masks of prominent men and the foremost political leaders,” not unlike something customers find in pop-up Halloween shops.
These costumes were linen or cotton coveralls with painted buckram or cardboard masks. Companies like the Dennison Manufacturing Company would create costumes with inexpensive materials like paper or scraps they had left over from the production of other textiles.
