Pearl Waists (November 1911)


Figure 1.--We note find a Pearl Waist in an ad for waists printed in the Idaho Daily Statesman, Boise, Idaho (November 25, 1911, page 7). The store was George A. Anderson's, referred to as "Boise's Parcel Post Store" (apparently one could shop by mail here). In a general ad for knitted waists, the ad points out that "Knit waists are much nicer than the old-fashioned jeans waists; they are more comfortable and easier laundered."

We note find a Pearl Waist in an ad for waists printed in the Idaho Daily Statesman, Boise, Idaho (November 25, 1911, page 7). The store was George A. Anderson's, referred to as "Boise's Parcel Post Store" (apparently one could shop by mail here). In a general ad for knitted waists, the ad points out that "Knit waists are much nicer than the old-fashioned jeans waists; they are more comfortable and easier laundered."

Newspapers

We find a drawing of the the Pearl Waist in an ad for waists printed in the Idaho Daily Statesman, Boise, Idaho (November 25, 1911, page 7).

Store

The store was George A. Anderson's, referred to as "Boise's Parcel Post Store" (apparently one could shop by mail here).

Pearl Company

Pearl Waists were widely sold all over the United States from about 1907 to 1932. The company seems to have been a casualty of the Deporession. The manufacturer is never mentioned in any of the ads, unfortunately, but they were widely distributed throughout the country. We also learn that by 1914 the company also manufactured Pearl Waist Union Suits (sold at 50 cents). These union suits seem to had all the features of the Pearl waist (i.e., reinforcement straps, waist buttons, and pin tubes for supporters).

Garter Waists

This category applies to a broad variety of devices for holding up long stockings. Theoretically it would apply to any garment worn on the upper body used for this purpose (including underwaists, pantywaists, and suspender waists). But HBC uses the term to apply specifically to waists with hose supporters already attached, even though in some cases these supporters are detachable. Most of these garments are designed to have the strain of the garters carried by the child’s shoulders. Some have waistbands and some do not, but all are worn under the outer clothing and therefore as a species of children’s underwear. One of the first such garments we notice was in the Sears 1902 catalog Sears refers to a "combination belt and supporter, but the garment was essentially a garter waist. The use of different terms somewhat complicates the assessment if the garments. Interestingly, even when the wearing of long stockings was supposedly declining in the late 1930s and early 1940s, a proliferation of styles of garter waist became very prominent in the Sears and Wards catalogs of this period. We have more different styles for this period than for any other on HBC. A good example is the Sears 1939 garter waists.

Sizing

In a general ad for knitted waists, the waists in sizes from 6 6o 14 at Anderson's Parcel Post Store were on sale for 10 cents each. The Pearl Waist, however, was more up-market and sold for 25 cents. It is a little difficult to tell from theses ads to just what age boys wore them. We suspect that many of the older children wearing them were girls, but it is impossible to tell from these ads what the gender conventiionsd were. Knickers at the time were made in sizes through age 14 and older so we believe that that boys age 14 did wear them. Older boys may have worn suspender waists. By 1920, we learn that the Pearl Waist Union Suits were selling in Trenton, N.J., for $2.25 and $3.50 depending on grade and size. In the two illustrations that I have found boys are shown wearing the Pearl Waist, but the garments were apparently unisex. There is no indication of gender in the ads and later the waists were advertised as for both boys and girls up to age 14.

Ad Copy

The ad copy read, "Knit Underwaists at 10c. Knit waists are much nicer than the old-fashioned jeans waists; they are more comfortable and easier laundered. A lot of Knit Waists, 6 to 14 years, markjed ionly 10c each. The Pearl Waist is worth a dime more than any other underwaist on the market. They sell for 25 cents. Children's hose supporters, all sizes, pair ... 10c. Children's nurseey hand kerchiefs, 4 for ... 5c." We think that hose supporter meant the garter that connected the xstockings to the waist. We are not sure what 'nursery hand kerchief' meant. We wionder if it might have mneant diapper.






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Created: 8:43 PM 7/13/2010
Last updated: 8:44 PM 7/13/2010