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Another garment from the 1870s is referred to as a "Combined Stocking Supporter and Skeleton Waist". This was designed by August M. Stiger of Brooklyn, NY, and was registered for a patent on 30 August, 1870. The patent no. is 106,885. A girl is shown in the drawing, but, presumably, this garment would be equally appropriate for a boy. The idea of skeleton waists was to make the necessary support functions of the traditional underwaist lighter in weight and more comfortable to
wear as well as more flexible for active children. The complexity of this garment is really astonishing, and it is hard to imagine how it could have been comfortable for a boy or girl. It looks very much like the 19th-century ancestor of the garter waist with its harness-like
construction (suspender straps and a cross piece on the chest). There is a waist belt with buttons around it for the attachment of outer clothing such as skirts, knee trousers, and perhaps additional
underdrawers. Attached to the waist band are straps which end in three separate buckles (one on each side over the hips and another in front). The side buckles have a single elastic hose supporter attached whereas the front buckle divides into two straps with hose supporters for the front of the leg. Thus each stocking is held by two different clasps. Notice how long the supporter straps are--necessary because of the shortness of the stockings, which barely cover the knee. This
harness was also supposed to serve as a restraint for shoulders, although the posture aspect of the garment seems to be secondary. The main purpose is the suspension of trousers, skirts, and stockings.
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