Figure 1.--This Sears ad for underwaists (Fall catalog, 1914) has some implications for gender. Many underwaists were unisex and could be worn by either boys or girls But other waists were designed specifically for girls or for boys individually. All these waists, of course, fulfill the same basic function--that is, holding up skirts, knee pants, panties, drawers, or additional underwear, and all are equipped with tabs for supporters so that long stockings can be held in place. Here are four of the garments.

This Sears ad for underwaists (Fall-Winter catalog, 1914-15) has some implications for gender. Many underwaists were unisex and could be worn by either boys or girls But other waists were designed specifically for girls or for boys individually. All these waists, of course, fulfill the same basic function--that is, holding up skirts, knee pants, panties, drawers, or additional underwear, and all are equipped with tabs for supporters so that long stockings can be held in place. Most underwaists were sold without garters attached. This ad is unusual in having the garters already attached in four of the five models offered. In addition to the five models of waists, the ad also offers two kinds of underdrawers for girls. It is interesting that no underdrawers for boys are offered. This is because most boys in 1914 would have worn one-piece underwear--union suits with long or short legs under their waists.

Sears

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.

Underwaists

Underwaists were another type of support garment. Underwaists (sometimes called panty-waists) were worn by younger boys and girls to support additional underwear (such as bloomers or panties) or outer clothing (such as trousers or skirts). These bodices tended to be worn by boys only until about age 10, although some models came in ages for boys as old as 12. Some models were specifically for girls and others for boys, but the great majority of styles could be worn by both boys and girls. They tended to be made of elastic knitted fabric (and therefore rather form-fitting) or of cambric material and a bit looser. They nearly always were equipped with reinforcement straps, waist buttons, and garter tabs for attaching hose supporters. The popularity of underwaists declined in the later 1930s and early 1940s although they were still available, usually in the preferred knitted style, up until about 1945. When long stockings stopped being worn by school children, the main function of the underwaist ceased to exist.

Gender

This Sears page for underwaists (Fall catalog, 1914) has some interesting implications for gender. Many underwaists were unisex and could be worn by either boys or girls. See for instance, the two underwaists on the extreme left and extreme right of this selection (figure 1). But other waists were designed specifically for girls or for boys individually. Girls' waists usually buttoned down the back rather than in front and were sometimes trimmed with lace to make them a bit more feminine, while the boys' waists tended to button down the front and usually had no lace or other adornment so as to appeal to the masculine sensibility. ]

Purpose

All these waists, of course, fulfill the same basic function--that is, holding up skirts, knee pants, panties, drawers, or additional underwear, and all are equipped with tabs for supporters so that long stockings can be held in place. Most underwaists were sold without garters attached. This ad is unusual in having the garters already attached in four of the five models offered.

Garters

The garters appear to be attached by buttons and could presumably be replaced. The waists with garters already attached are, strictly speaking, "garter waists" although that term came into general use at a later period--the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. One of the waists designed specifically for a boy has no garters attached so that a mother purchasing this waist for her son would have to buy a separate pair of supporters for long stockings.

Underdrawers

In addition to the five models of waists, the ad also offers two kinds of underdrawers for girls. It is interesting that no underdrawers for boys are offered. This is because most boys in 1914 would have worn one-piece underwear--union suits with long or short legs under their waists. Underwaists were sometimes referred to as "pantywaists" (or "pantiewaists") because of the provision for attaching panties, but panties were worn mostly by girls and only very young boys. The term was detested by older boys who had to wear underwaists to hold up stockings and knee pants, so mainstream catalogs (such as Sears and Wards and Eatons) catering to a wide age-range of boys and girls (from age 2 to age 14) avoided the term pantywaist, knowing that older boys would be teased if they were thought to be wearing such a juvenile or feminine undergarment.

Suspender Waists

So-called "suspender waists" were designed in the same period to appeal to boys who resented having to wear "underwaists" (i.e. pantywaists) into their later years, say from age ten to age fourteen or older. See for instance an add for Kazoo suspender waists that appeals to mothers who want to avoid humiliating their sons by keeping them too long in ordinary underwaists.

Figure 2.-- Here are the other three garments.

Sears Garments

Sears at the bottom of this page offered seven garments, both underwaists and deawers. These garments were offered in the 1914-15 Fall and Winter, 1914, p. 184.

Children's underwaist

The Sears ad copy read, "19 cents Each. No. 38T9622. Children's underwaist of nice quality white cambric. Taped buttons; garters attached; well made. Ages 7 to 14 years. State age. Shipping weight, 4 ounces." [Note: This waist is for both boys and girls. Notice that it has two rows of buttons around the waist for the attachment of additional underwear or outer clothing. The hose supporters are fastened at the sides by means of buttons rather than by safety pins. Boys up to about ten, or even twelve, might wear this waist, but the older sizes were probably worn mostly by girls. Notice that it buttons in the back--a feature that older boys would not like.]

Girls' Lace Trimmed White Coutil Underwaist

The Sears ad copy read, "29 cents Each. No. 38T9623. Girls' Lace Trimmed White Coutil Underwaist with garters attached. Strongly made; reinforced over shoulders. Ages 7 to 14 years. State age. Shipping weight 6 ounces." [This waist also buttons in back, as was most common for waists for girls. It has two rows of buttons for attaching skirts, panties, bloomers, or underdrawers.]

Girls' Drawers

The Sears ad copy read, "18 cents Each. No 38T9628. Girls' Drawers of good quality cambric. Tucked and hemstitched hem. An extraordinary value. Ages 7 to 14 years. State age. Shipping weight 5 ounces." [Note: We're not entirely sure why Sears included drawers in with the underwaists. Boys underwaisdts were probbly not included because most boys in 1914 would have worn one-piece underwear--union suits with long or short legs under their waists. These drawers would presumably button onto an underwaist although the ad copy doesn't specify buttonholes at the waist level for this purpose.]

Boys' Good Quality Underwaist

The Sears ad copy read, "35 cents Each. No. 38T9625. Boys' Good Quality Underwaist of a firm white coutil. Strongly made; closes in front; taped buttons; wide elastic garters attached. Ages 7 to 12. State age. Shipping weight 6 ounces." [Notice the reinforcement straps over the shoulders on this underwaist, designed to take the strain of supporting knee pants and the supporters for long stockings. This waist has only one row of waist buttons except for the two buttons on the sides to which the hose supporters are fastened. Since this waist is specifically for boys only, the age limit is 12 rather than 14. Boys didn't abandon long stockings at age 12 in 1914 of course, but in their teen years boys tended to wear skeleton garter waists or suspender waists for supporting long stockings. Since this underwaist comes with supporters already attached, it is, strictly speaking, a garter waist according to HBC terminology. This ad illustrates the overlap between the two terms--underwaist and garter waist. But the latter term had not become current in American usage as early as 1914. See Ward's ad for "skeleton waists" with supporters attached (later referred to as garter waists). The so-called Dr. Parker skeleton waist was one of the more popular alternatives to underwaists for older boys. Dr. Parker-style waists were worn by children up through the mid-1940s.]

Girls' Fine Quality Cambric Drawers

The Sears ad copy read, "24 cents Each. No 38 T 9627. Girls' Fine Quality Cambric Drawers with cluster of pin tucks and embroidery ruffle. Ages 7 to 14 years. State age. Shipping weight, 5 ounces." [Again, the ad doesn't specify whether these drawers have buttonholes so that they can be buttoned onto an underwaist, but many girls supported underdrawers by attaching them to a waist.]

Boys' Underwaist

The Sears ad copy read, "19 cents Each. No 38T9624. Boys' Underwaist of white coutill; reinforced; taped buttons; closes in front; no garters. Ages 7 to 12 years. State age. Shipping weight, 4 ounces." [This somewhat cheaper waist for boys has apparently only one row of taped buttons--i.e. buttons attached to the waistband by tape so that there could be some movement and flexibility between knee pants and the waist to which they were attached. This underwaist has no supporters attached, but it is obvious that the waist comes with tabs (probably tape loops) to which the pins of separately purchased hose supporters could be fastened. The front-buttoning arrangement was obviously a masculine feature and would have been better liked by boys than the back-buttoning closure.]

Child's White Coutil Underwaist

The ad copy read, "22 cents Each. No 38T9623. Child's White Coutil Underwaist. Garter attachment [i.e. supporters already attached, apparently by buttons at the sides]; taped buttons. Ages 7 to 14 years. State age. Shipping weight, 5 ounces." [This underwaist is for both boys and girls. Note the "puff' gathering in front to allow for chest expansion of growing children. This waist buttons in back and would probably be worn only by younger boys--probably no older than ten. Note that the upper age limit, however, is 14 rather than 12.]

Reader Comments

A reader writes, "It seems to me that as we go farther back in time, more clothes not just under waists were unisex for children and boys and girls. At some point what boys wore that girls also wore were restricted to younger and younger boys. We see this with waist suits, blouses, dresses (1860s etc) and then Lane Bryant in the 1920s & 1930s we see a few ads speaking about dresses for boy's or girls but only to age 3. With stockings it lasted much longer."

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Created: 8:01 PM 8/26/2006
Last updated: 2:11 PM 9/5/2006