Figure 1.--I am not sure how the shirt waist differed from the blouses. I thought they might not have collars, but this one (No. 300) clearly does. Perhaps it had shirt tails which the blouses did nit have.

Eatons offered only two shirt waists. I am not sure how the shirt waiss differed from the blouses. I thought they might not have collars, but this one (No. 300) clearly does, but for another it was optional. Perhaps it had shirt tails which the blouses did not have. I think adult shirt waists were less likely to come with collars.

T. Eaton Department Store

T. Eaton's was a well known Toranto department store. Their catalogs provide a good indication of the styles popular in Canada at the time. This Canadian retailer began publishing mailorder catalogs in 1881, at least that is we begin noticing them. We have catalogs from the 1970s, although we do not know about the company's current status. The 1970s catalgs were full of clothes which look like American styles. Timothy Eaton, founder of the huge all-Canadian department store chain bearing his name, was an Irish immigrant born on a tennant farm in northern Ireland. He was born in 1834 and followed his brothers to Canada in 1854. His brothers had opened a small dty goods store in St. Marys. Timothy Eaton began his business with a small dry goods business in Toronto during 1869. He built a giant retail store in Ontario’s capital city along with a country-wide mail-order business and a big new branch store in Winnipeg, by the time of his death in 1907. The Winnipeg branch was the first of many branches. Eaton Company business establishments eventually spread all across Canada when Timothy’s family successors extended the Eaton empire. Timothy masterminded the company during the crucial period of its early development, spanning nearly 40 years. It was Timothy who implemented the concept of the "Department Store", in Canada, a concept which were already flourishing in London, Paris, and New York.

Headwear

Note terather informal headwear shown with these blouses, even the fancy ones. Note of the boys wear wide-brimmed sailor hats.

Shirt Waists

I am not sure how the shirt waist differed from the blouses. I thought they might not have collars, but this one (number 300) clearly does, but for another it was optional. Perhaps it had shirt tails which the blouses did not have. I think adult shirt waists were less likely to come with collars.

Sizes

The blouses were available in sizes from 3 to 8 years.

Individual Shirt Waists

Eatons lists only two shirt waists.

300

The as copy reads, "English cambric shirt waists, assorted colors, stripped patterns, plaited fronts, with collar and cuffs, sizes 3 to 8 years ... 50c"

300A

This shirt waist was cut like No. 300. The ad copy read, "White and colored English cambric shirt waists, plaited front and back, laundied, sizes 3 o 8 years, with and without collar, $1.00 and ... 1.25"

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Created: July 20, 2003
Last updated: July 20, 2003