Abstract When artificial silk (Kunstseide), or rayon, as it became known after 1924, entered the public marketplace and imagination it was nothing short of revolutionary. Hailed as a "gift of the modern age," and a technological marvel, rayon heralded all that was new and possible. With its democratizing effect on clothing, its potential for blurring class lines, and its freeing effect on women's work, movement, and sexuality, rayon was emblematic to...