Beginning in June 1897, a recurring column first appeared in the Wichita Daily Eagle, signed by the anonymous "Bab." The columns, often titled "Feminine Facts and Fancies," "Woman's Ways and Woman's Work," "The New Woman and the The Old," and "Woman at Home and Abroad," covered such topics as fashion, interior design, marriage, and childrearing. Was this a nickname for an actual female columnist named Barbara or a mocking representation of women's supposed "babbling" and gossiping? You be the judge.
Fashion accessories and other personal artifacts from the time period can also be found on Kansas Memory, including this dress and purse, in addition to photographs of some fashionable women.