“Showing their Levi’s” postcard from the California Rodeo Salinas (July 13–16, 1939), 1939. Levi Strauss & Co. Archives
In Sunday Stories: Hidden Histories of Denim, join CJM School Programs Manager Cara Buchalter as she shares remarkable stories of some of the denim featured in the exhibition Levi Strauss: A History of American Style. From the tow-rope jeans and the first Levi's® designed for women to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the founding of the tech world, denim serves as a badge of individuality teaching us not only about ourselves, but about the world around us.
This video was originally published on The CJM's Facebook Live on April 12, 2020.
During The CJM's temporary closure, we're providing weekly live video presentations that explore Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. Sit back, relax, and discover new stories every week!
For more content you can engage with from home, check out our Jewseum from Home page.
In 1873, at the end of the California Gold Rush, Levi Strauss & Co., named for a Bavarian Jewish dry goods merchant in San Francisco, obtained a U.S. patent with tailor Jacob Davis on the process of putting metal rivets in men’s denim work pants to increase their durability. It was the birth of the blue jean. The CJM original exhibition Levi Strauss: A History of American Style showcases the life of Levi Strauss, the invention of the blue jean, and their iconic place in the history of American style.
“Showing their Levi’s” postcard from the California Rodeo Salinas (July 13–16, 1939), 1939. Levi Strauss & Co. Archives
Support for Levi Strauss: A History of American Style is generously provided by Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt; Gaia Fund; John Pritzker Family Fund; Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund; Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund; Mimi and Peter Haas Fund; The David Berg Foundation; John & Marcia Goldman Foundation; Suzanne and Elliott Felson; Colleen and Robert D. Haas; Dana Corvin and Harris Weinberg, in honor of Paulette Meyer and David Friedman, and Catherine and James Koshland; Kendra and Tom Kasten, in honor of Robert D. Haas; Michael Righi; Dorothy R. Saxe; David Saxe; Marilyn and Murry Waldman; and Rosanne and Al Levitt.
Lead Corporate Sponsorship is provided by Levi’s®.
Media Sponsorship is provided by the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED. In-kind support is provided by Corduroy Media.