Figure 1.-- This knit-style underwaist looks to date to the 1910s, probably about 1910-15. This is a typical knitstyle underwaist with reinforcement straps for the support of outer clothing such as trousers, skirts, bloomers, and additional underwear. It has two rows of bone buttons around the waist line and, additionally, on the sides, tabs for hose supporters. It isn't quite clear whether these tabs are metal pinning tubes of just tape loops to which the saftey pins can be attached. The buttoning is in the back, which would make it perhaps preferable for girls up to the age of about 14 or boys younger than 10 years.

This knit-style underwaist looks to date to the 1910s, probably about 1910-15. This is a typical knitstyle underwaist with reinforcement straps for the support of outer clothing such as trousers, skirts, bloomers, and additional underwear. It has two rows of bone buttons around the waist line and, additionally, on the sides, tabs for hose supporters. It isn't quite clear whether these tabs are metal pinning tubes of just tape loops to which the saftey pins can be attached. The buttoning is in the back, which would make it perhaps preferable for girls up to the age of about 14 or boys younger than 10 years. But the waist may have been reversible. Underwaists were worn on top of ordinary underwear (usually union suits) and, in addition to their function as supporting garments, provided additional warmth in winter. Most underwaists during this period were for both boys and girls from about age 2 to 12. But underwaists were also worn by older girls up to about 14 or 15. Even some boys still wore them into their teenage years, although suspender waists were more common for boys older than 12.