‘Shoddy dropping’: how the 1920s cost-of-living crisis fuelled a black market in menswear
- Written by Melissa Bellanta, Professor of Modern History (Australian Catholic University), Visiting Professor of Australian Studies (Seoul National University), Australian Catholic University
New South Wales Police Forensic Photography Archive, Justice and Police Museum, Museums of History New South WalesWith almost all menswear bought off the rack or online today, the “shoddy dropper” has long passed into obscurity.
This 1920s slang term, used only in Australia and New Zealand, referred to roving sellers of cloth. Most...







