Upward and onward: High-society American women eluded the antebellum puzzle

► The study analyzes the trend in height among women born in the US in the 19th century who applied for a passport. ► Unlike men from the average population, this group did not experience a decline in physical stature in the antebellum period. ► This divergence corroborates the relevance of economic factors for the “antebellum puzzle”.