Did you know Seattle once had a ladymayor?! It's true, and it was way back in 1926, when ladies barely were allowed to exist at all, and she was the first ladymayor in these here United States. As required by the laws of that time, she had a funny olde-timey name: Bertha Landes Knight Landes.

So as to not seem too uppity for a ladyperson, she positioned herself as Seattle's "housekeeper." As her dear hubby put it:

"It's simply the natural enlargement of her sphere. Keeping house and raising a family are woman's logical tasks, and in principle, there's no difference between running one home and a hundred thousand."

So true. She also sounds like a wetblanket, putting a stop to delicious bootlegging and making sure people weren't having inappropriate amounts of fun at dance halls and cabarets. Sigh.

In this photo, she is making tea for the city. It seems to have had a deleterious effect on her sleeve.

More, in case you're still awake, over here.

UPDATE: From beyond the grave, Bertha Knight Landes is on Facebook.