Figure 1.--Sears in its 1902 catalog offered the Nazareth waist. It was worn by both boys and girls to support under garments. It was worn by children 2-12 years of age.
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Figure 1.--Sears in its 1902 catalog offered the Nazareth waist. It was worn by both boys and girls to support under garments. It was worn by children 2-12 years of age. |
Sears offered several styles of turtle neck sweaters which they called roll-neck sweaters. From the illustrations, they look to be made as an an athletic style of sweater. The Sears ad copy reads, "Boys' and Youths' Sweaters. We call special attention to the four following numbers in boys' sweaters. They are selected stock and at our prices form values that are unapproachable. Always state breast measure in order. Sizes 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 inches breast measure."
The Sears, Roebuck and Co., huge merchandising firm centered in Chicago was founded by Richard W. Sears (1863-1914) and
A.C. Roebuck (1864-1948). Sears had begun a career in mail-order business in Minnesota 1886. In Chicago he and Roebuck joined resources and formed a corporation in 1893 as a mail-order
business under title Sears, Roebuck and Company. In 1895 Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) bought Roebuck's interest in firm and became president on Sears's retirement 1908. A retail-store system was added 1925. The first foreign store added in Havana, Cuba during 1945 and becane te first expropriated store in 1960. The Sears-Roebuck brought the production of industry to the fartherest corner of rural America, opening the cornucopia of the consumer age to rural America. All the new things that were changing American life danced across
their pages. Through it, a huge Chicago warehouse offers to modernize the farms and small towns of the Midwest.
A Sears catalog page offered a Nazareth waist. Sears describes the Nazareth waist as, "No. 18R4820. The Nazareth Waist for Boys and Girls. Made of elastic knit fabric, giving wear and comfort; strapped with tape to catch the strains the youngsters are apt to give. The Nazareth waist comes in sizes from 2 to 12 years. Be sure and give age. Price, each 19 cents. If by mail, postage extra, 5 cents."
This knitted waist was worn for the purpose of attaching skirts or knee pants by means of buttons around the waist line and
also had garter tabs for the attachment of hose supporters. The garter tabs aren't mentioned but the ad takes them for granted since all waists had them. These would probably have been tape loops sewn onto the sides or eyeleted tabs for fastening the pins of the supporters. Note that the description mentions the tape straps over the shoulders to take the "strains" of additional clothing such as pants, skirts, and stockings.
We do not have much information on the company and brand. We do know that "Nazareth" was a brand name of children's underwear. We do not know when they were founded, but we know that the company operated theough the 1920s. They had other products. At a later point they advertised waist union suits which performed some of the same functions as the waist described here. See the Nazareth ad for children's underwear in Parents' Magazine for 1929.
The hoop was a popular toy for children in the 19th century and very early 20th century. This was because barrels were so common that it was easily to find these hoops which were used in barrel construction. A reader writes, "I noticed the hoop toy which suggests that it is a young boy in the panty waist, skirt and long hair and not a girl which is what I first thought. " We can of course only guess at what the illustrator intended. We know that in 1902 that small boys were often still outfitted in dresses and skirted garments like dresses and kiltsuits. We are less sure about skirted underwear. We believe that this was less common, but not unknown. The hoop is most associated with boys, but girls did also play with them. We would guess that the illustrator intended to portray a girl here, but there is no way to be sure.
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