Material Used in Boys' Clothing: Elastic


Figure 1.--

An fabric is one which has been made elastic (capable of returing to its own length or shape after being streached). This is normally done by adding strips of rubber. Elastic appeared in the early 19th century. It was invented by Thomas Hancock. Hancock was an English inventor who was the moving force in founded the British rubber industry. All rubber at the time was natural rubber harvested in tropical countries. Hancock in 1820 obtained a patent for elastic fastenings. He used them for for gloves, suspenders, shoes, and stockings. He also invented a machine he called the masticator. After he began producing elastic fabrics he found that in in cutting rubber he was wasting large quantities of the expensive imported raw material. The mastucar allowed him to use the scaraps from the manufacturing process. The masticaror shredded rubber scraps. The rubber could then be recycled. We notice elastic being used for suspenders and pants waistbands and eventually the tops of kneesocks. One common use of elastic today is in pants waistbands. This was not nearly as common in the 19th and early 20th century. We notice a vestee suit in 1902. We are not sure at this time just why elatic wauists were not more common..





HBCr





Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main fabric material A-L page]
[Return to the Main material page]
[Return to the Main romper page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Cloth and textiles] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Topics]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Satellite sites] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]




Navigate the Historic Boys' Clothing Web chronological pages:
[The 1840s] [The 1900s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s]
[The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]
[The 1990s]



Created: 6:47 AM 8/28/2004
Last updated: 6:47 AM 8/28/2004