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This Nazareth underwear ad in the Ladies Home Journal (July, 1921, p. 121) has some interesting information about children's support garments and why some were chosen over others. It has some new information about underwear ages and choices between standard underwaists and waist union suits.
Nazareth was one of the leading manufactuers of childrens underwear in the 1920s. The business offices of the Nazareth Waist Co. were located at 366 Broadway, Dept. C, in New York City. The mills where the underwear was manufactured were located in Nazareth, Pa. (near Bethlehem).
This Nazareth underwear ad appered in the "Ladies Home Journal" (July, 1921, p. 121). The Rusco Laurel Elastic ad here appeared in the Ladies Home Journal (May, 1921, p. 79). As the oldest still publishing, most respected women's service magazine in the country, The Ladies' Home Journal has always focused on issues of crucial importance to millions of women. Since its first issue in December 1883. This long history make The Ladies Home Journal and invaluable source of information on American fashion trends. Its covered an incredibly wide range of topics beyond just fashion, from the latest medical research and consumer news to parenting know-how, workplace survival, good skincare, nutrition facts and much, much more. It was The Ladies Home Journal who sucessfully merged the elements and produced the right formula, becoming the top ladies magazine in America. The Ladies' Home Journal both empowered women and applauded their growing power.
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.
Another type of waist is the “waist suits” or “waist union suits”. These were union suits for children up to the age of about 13 or 14 (for both boys and girls) that came equipped with garter tabs and waist buttons for additional clothing, thus combining the function of the waist or hose supporter with that of traditional one-piece underwear. Good examples are the different styles of waist suits offered by Sexton in 1921, Nazareth in 1929, and Haines in 1933. Another example is the Sears 1938-39 Fall and Winter catalog Also see the HBC pages on Nazareth and Hanes waist suits (advertised in Parents Magazine).[Links here] Waists suits were made in both winter and summer styles (nainsook, with short legs, for summer; cotton knit, with long legs or short legs, for winter).
The text here is interesting because it gives a wider age limit for waists and waist union suits than we have seen elsewhere--for boys and girls from 2 to 15. Waist union suits seem to have come into popularity during the mid and later 1910s as a means of combining the traditional union suit (worn by children of both sexes as well as by adults) with the underwaist for supporting outer garments such as trousers, skirts, and bloomers and for holding up long stockings. Older boys preferred suspender waists such as the Kazoo waist because these were designed specifically for boys and didn't have the feminine associations of underwaists that they tended to associate with girls
even though underwaists were made for both genders.
Suspender waists were very common in the earky 20th century. They were, however, going out of style by 1921 for reasons that I do not totally understand--perhaps because boys were beginning to wear knee pants or the new short trousers with belts (as opposed to suspenders) and partly also because waist union suits were preferred by mothers as being more economical since they combined all the necessary features of underwear and support devices in a single garment. Note that an ad for Kazoo suspender waists the same year (1921) had drastically cut its price down to 75 cents--an indication that the Harris Suspender Company was trying to sell off its remaining stock as quickly as possible. And we do not see ads for suspender wa
ists much later than 1921 whereas waist union suits continued to be sold by major
manufacturers of children's underwear such as EZ, Hanes, and Nazareth (as well as by Sears and Wards) as late as the early 1940s.
A variety of garter waists and underwaists made for both boys and girls continued
to be available for mothers who still wanted to purchase separate
support garments for their children, but the waist union suit was both
practical and cheaper than buying separate garments. The Nazareth ad
obviously tries to capitalize on the convenience and economy of buying
a garment that offers a "shirt, pants [i.e., underpants], and waist"
all in one. But Nazareth also sold the famous Nazareth underwaist
(made for children of both genders from 2 to 15), and the separate
garment gets equal billing in the same ad. So obviously The Nazareth
Waist Co. was covering all bets and appealing, on the one hand, to
mothers who valued the economy and convenience of a single garment and,
on the other hand, to mothers who preferred the traditional or
"original knit underwaist" in addition to an untaped union suit or
other form of children's underwear. The text of the ad explains both
options very clearly. Note that the illustrations show both the front
of the waist union suit with the shoulder straps, buttons, and
supporter tabs and the back of the garment with the back waist buttons
and drop seat. Both the boy and girl are wearing identical suits,
there being no distinction between boys' and girls' styles--an
advantage for mothers who could pass on a suit that her son had
outgrown to a younger daughter or vice versa. Notice also that this is
summer underwear, made without sleeves and knee length, although it has
legs that apparently cover the knees and end just below them. The ad
appeared in July, a warm month in most of the United States. The black
long stocking shown would have been worn by boys and girls the year
round.
Here is the full ad copy text:
The Nazareth ad copy read, "The Original Knit Waist For Boys and Girls. Nazareth Waist. Millions
of mothers during the past 34 years have shown a preference for the
Nazareth Waist because it gives the utmost satisfaction in comfort and
wear. Made of soft, elastic, knitted fabric worn next to the skin, it
absorbs perspiration and keeps little bodies cool and dry. Knitted
suspender tapes support the weight of outer garments direct from
shoulders. Metal pin tubes for hose supporters. Buttons down front.
For boys and girls 2 to 15 years. {N.B. The front-buttoning arrangement
of these waists makes them suitable for both boys and girls. Most boys
did not wear underwaists that buttoned in back.]
The Nazareth ad copy read,
Nazareth Waist Union Suit. The ideal knee length, sleeveless
undergarment for growing children. Shirt, pants and waist in one. A
new improved non-irritating tape finish at arm holds; also new, a
durable binding to prevent drop seat from tearing. Practical and
economical. Easy to put on, helps children dress quickly. Fewer
garments to buy, less to wash. Sizes 2 to 15 years. Always look for the
Nazareth trade mark. If your dealer can't supply you, write us.
Nazareth Waist Co. 349 Broadway. Dept. K. New York. Mills at Nazareth,
Pa.
The ad copy read, "Send for Nazareth Doll Cut-Outs. The children will enjoy them. Two
dolls in color with two costume changes for each one, sent free." The paper dolls advertised at the bottom of the ad would obviously appeal to girls more than to boys although perhaps younger boys might enjoy them. Interestingly the text does not tell us whether the paper cut-outs were male or female. Perhaps (since two cut-outs are available, each with two changes of costume) both sexes are represented.
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