Figure 1.--.

We do not have much information on wear, but I suspect many boys wore out their stocking at the knee. Active children are also on their knees playing on the floor or running around and falling down. All this leads to holes at the knees. A reader writes, "I suspect that this was a major problem--especially for younger boys who crawled around on their knees a good deal." We note a German boy with holes in his stockings also--but he is somewhat older than we might expect. Notably period catalogs advertized long stockings with reinforced knees. When hose supporters were first introduced in the last quarter of the 19th century, the buttons were metal and often had the disadvantage of tearing the stocking tops. But then the "velvet grip" technology came along in the early 1900s with the metal buttons covered with rubber so that they didn't tear the tops of the stockings when attached. Velvet Grip even became a trade term. Details are available in contemporary catalogs and magazine advertisements. A good example is a Velvet Grip ad in 1911. Rubber buttons became standard in all American hose supporters from at least 1905 onwards. So the main place that stockings tended to wear out were the heels and toes (which were often reinforced) and also the knees which often were made with double thread to make them more durable for children hard at play. The stocking ads never talk about reinforced tops to counteract the wear occasioned by the attachment of the supporter clasps. This was a problem, however, for women who wore silk stockings and who sometimes complained of stocking runs, started often at the point where they attached their garters.

Knees

We do not have much information on wear, but I suspect many boys wore out their stocking at the knee. Active children are also on their knees playing on the floor or running around and falling down. All this leads to holes at the knees. A reader writes, "I suspect that this was a major problem--especially for younger boys who crawled around on their knees a good deal." We note a German boy with holes in his stockings also--but he is somewhat older than we might expect. Notably period catalogs advertized long stockings with reinforced knees. This often meant double thread to make them more durable the stocking knees more durable for children hard at play.

Tops

When hose supporters were first introduced in the last quarter of the 19th century, the buttons were metal and often had the disadvantage of tearing the stocking tops. One of the problems with stocking wear in the 19th century was the metal button on hose supporters of the period which tended to tear or make holes in the tops of the stockings. Early in the 20th century manufacturers hit on the device of covering the button with rubber so as to prevent the damage. The new technology was referred to as "velvet grip" (because of the rubber button), and soon rubber button hose supporters became standard on almost all brands. The "velvet grip" technology came along in the early 1900s with the metal buttons covered with rubber so that they didn't tear the tops of the stockings when attached. Velvet Grip even became a trade term. Details are available in contemporary catalogs and magazine advertisements. A good example is a Velvet Grip ad in 1911. Rubber buttons became standard in all American hose supporters from at least 1905 onwards. The stocking ads never talk about reinforced tops to counteract the wear occasioned by the attachment of the supporter clasps. This was a problem, however, for women who wore silk stockings and who sometimes complained of stocking runs, started often at the point where they attached their garters. In the 1930s Hickory garters (made by Stein and Co.) became the best known brand of children' supporters. Hickory, which had adopted the same technology of a non-damaging rubber button as "Velvet Grip," wrote in an advertisement of 1932 that their supporters had the "Hickory rubber cushion" and "run-proof clasp". "Velvet Grip" pin-on supporters were still being sold by Sears in 1939.

Heels and Toes

Long stockings also tended to wear out were the heels and toes, the sa,e place wear modern socks wear out. Contemprary catalogs and ads often mentioned reinforced toes and heels.