ABSTRACT
Modernism implies a self-conscious break with the past—a determination to be up to date, and to search for new ideas and forms. Instead of trying to summarize the people incredible century, in which all of the author life is centered, the author shall use the mosaic idea put forward earlier, and present several tesserae, or pieces, that illuminate their times. They are people who became not only famous, but institutions known around the globe—Disney, Ford, and Edison. The early Mickey was functional, with black dots for eyes, pencil legs, three fingers per hand, a string-bean body, and a jerky walk. In the 1930s, Mickey left the drawing boards and invaded the nation’s homes and bedrooms. Mickey’s very existence shows how technology can create heroes independent of biology. Many enjoying the prosperous times can remember grim ones. The Great Depression of the 1930s almost brought America to its knees, leaving a third of the nation ill-fed, ill-clad, and unemployed.
