American Stocking Support Garments (1900)


Figure 1.-- Children at the turn of the 20th century, both boys and girls, almost universally wore underwaists to hold up outer clothing and long stockings. We notice an ad for the EZ Easy Waist for boys and girls. We noticed a similar ad in 1899. They were made in sizes for children 2-13 years of age.

Long stockings were very widely worn by children, both boys and girls, in the late 19th and early 20th century. As a result, quite a variety of support garments were developed to hold them up so that they looked smart. One of the most common devices was a waist. Children at the turn of the 20th century, both boys and girls, almost universally wore underwaists to hold up outer clothing and long stockings. We believe that only poor children might not wear them. Holding up stockings was not the only purpose of these waists, but it was one of the primary purposes. The range of variety of these waists is an indicator of how common they were. Waists also served as posture garments. Some garments wee made specifically for this purpose. Interestingly, while long stockings were also commonly worn in Europe, only in America do we see this diversity of stocking support garments. Many European mothers seem to have taken a more ad hoc approach. We note stocking supporters widely offered in both mail order catalogs and in magazines and newspapers.

Ward's waists

Montgomery Ward offered several different types of waists in 1900, indicating how widely used waists were. The waists offered had a range of popular features. Some of these waists were designed to be gender specific. Others were designed to be worn by both boys and girls.

EZ-Easy Waist

Children at the turn of the 20th century, both boys and girls, almost universally wore underwaists to hold up outer clothing and long stockings. We notice an ad for the EZ Easy Waist for boys and girls. We noticed a similar ad in 1899. They were made in sizes for children 2-13 years of age.

Knickerbocker Shoulder Brace

This advertisement for the Knickerbocker Shoulder Brace, which appeared in The Youth's Companion (October 25, 1900) illustrates the obsession with keeping children erect. The Knickerbocker Shoulder Brace, which looks as though it would be extremely uncomfortable to wear despite the claim that it can be worn "with comfort," was supposedly "recommended by physicians for expanding the chest and preventing round shoulders."

Miller and Paine Stocking Support Offerings

A Lincoln, Nebraska retailer placed a newspaper advertisement (April 30, 1900) which reproduces parts of an underwear catalogue from which they bought their stock. The advertisement provides a good indication of the various stocking support garments worn in America during 1900. The dry goods store was Miller and Paine in Lincoln. Fifteen different styles of children's underwaists for boys and girls are illustrated and described. The ages vary from infants to boys and girls of 12. And there is a style for teenage girls also (referred to as "misses"). The notable absence here is suspender waists with hose supporters for boys older than 12. These were probably sold under a different heading, usually in the men and boys departments of stores where men and boys would buy ordinary suspenders, collars, belts, and other haberdashery. Boys older than 12 didn't like wearing underwaists, although we know from other advertisements that regular underwaists with supporters, or at least attachments for supporters, were sold in sizes up to at least 14. But the larger sizes for boys are not mentioned here. Most boys older than 12 wore suspender waists or skeleton waists.

Brown Model Skeleton Waist

This is the Model skeleton waist for boys and girls advertised in the Ladies Home Journal for May 1900, on page 33. We have not encountered this brand before, and I suspect that it did not sell very well because no additional ads seem to appear in the magazine for other years or months. It was manufactured apparently in Chicago by a firm known as Julia Brown at 152 Washington St., Chicago. The ad says that "Lady Agents" are "Wanted" to help sell and promote the product. I think the product must not have competed successfully with better known brands such as E-Z Waists, Ideal Waists, Warner's Waists, or M Waists (Minneapolis)at the turn of the century. This waist claims to perform three functions--that of a waist for trousers, skirts, or additional underdrawers (or perhaps bloomers for girls), of a shoulder brace for improving children's posture, and of a supporter for long stockings.






HBC






Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing catalog/magazine pages:
[Return to the Main American mail order 1900 page]
[Return to the Main American mail order 1900s page]
[Main photo/publishing page] [Store catalogs] [Fashion magazines]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [Essays] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Sailor hats] [Sailor suits] [Buster Brown suits]
[Eton suits] [Rompers] [Tunics] [Smocks] [Pinafores] [Long stockings] [Underwear]



Created: 3:49 PM 11/21/2008
Last updated: 4:43 AM 9/30/2009