Figure 1.--This advertisement for children'd full-length stockings appeared in the Fall and Winter 1940-41 Sears catalog. This style was marketed for both boys and girls in sizes from 6-10 years.

The Pilgrim brand was Sears first and longest lasting clothing brand. Pilgrim is probably best known as hosiery and underwear, but actually was used for a wide range of garments (hosiery, underwear, shirts, ties, hats, pajamasa, and children's clothing). The first Pilgram item was socks advertized in the 1905 catalog. Sears was known for "satisfaction guaranteed", especially for Craftsmen Tools and appliances. The original 1905 ad included a guarantee. It read, "We guarantee these socksto give absolute satisfaction and service. If they do not, return them to us at our expense in exchange for other merchandise or a return of your money. Sears'in the 1910s provided a 3-month guarantee on packs of Pilgrim and Positive-Wear cotton socks. The company reports, "Pilgrim socks were popular items among Sears customers, and Sears added Pilgrim Babe socks for infants." An indicator that the Pilgrim band was well received was that by the 1920s, a much wider range of garments (flannel shirts, undershirts, and union suits) appeared with the Pilgrim label. We notice that Pilgrom label items were especially orominant in the 1940s catalogs. This declined during the 1950s, I'm not precisely sure why. The Pilgrim labe last appeared in the fall/winter 1963-1964 catalog which offered Pilgrim-brand men's underwear.

Sears Brands

The Pilgrim brand was Sears first and longest lasting clothing brand. Sears also had a line just for children's clothes, Boyville/Girlville. There were also brands for other products. The best known is probably Craftsman tools.

Product Line

Pilgrim is probably best known as hosiery and underwear, but actually was used for a wide range of garments (hosiery, underwear, shirts, ties, hats, pajamasa, and children's clothing). As far as I can tell from my knowledge of the Sears catalogs, this brand name was mainly for long stockings and underwear, but it was also applied to other items of clothing. In connection with children's clothing I have only seen the term "Pilgrim" in connection with long stockings and underwear, mainly union suits and waist union suits.

Wards

Wards had a similar brand name for their long stockings ("Playhard")--the Wards equivalent, I think, of "Pilgrim".

Chronology

The first Pilgram item was socks advertized in the 1905 catalog. Sears was known for "satisfaction guaranteed", especially for Craftsmen Tools and appliances. The original 1905 ad included a guarantee. It read, "We guarantee these socksto give absolute satisfaction and service. If they do not, return them to us at our expense in exchange for other merchandise or a return of your money. Sears'in the 1910s provided a 3-month guarantee on packs of Pilgrim and Positive-Wear cotton socks. The company reports, "Pilgrim socks were popular items among Sears customers, and Sears added Pilgrim Babe socks for infants." An indicator that the Pilgrim band was well received was that by the 1920s, a much wider range of garments (flannel shirts, undershirts, and union suits) appeared with the Pilgrim label. We notice that Pilgrom label items were especially orominant in the 1940s catalogs. This declined during the 1950s, I'm not precisely sure why. The Pilgrim labe last appeared in the fall/winter 1963-1964 catalog which offered Pilgrim-brand men's underwear.

1900s

The first Pilgram item was socks advertized in the 1905 catalog. Sears was known for "satisfaction guaranteed", especially for Craftsmen Tools and appliances. The original 1905 ad included a guarantee. It read, "We guarantee these socksto give absolute satisfaction and service. If they do not, return them to us at our expense in exchange for other merchandise or a return of your money.

1910s

Sears in the 1910s provided a 3-month guarantee on packs of Pilgrim and Positive-Wear cotton socks. The company reports, "Pilgrim socks were popular items among Sears customers, and Sears added Pilgrim Babe socks for infants."

1920s

An indicator that the Pilgrim band was well received was that by the 1920s, a much wider range of garments (flannel shirts, undershirts, and union suits) appeared with the Pilgrim label. The earliest Pilgrim item for children we have archived on HBC is long stockings in the 1927 catalog. This ad mentions our "famous Pilgrim brand", showing that Pilgrim has been featured in Sears catalogs for several years.

1930s

We seem numerous Pilgrim brand items offered in the 1930s. In 1936-37 Sears again offered long stockings for boys and girls in "Pilgrim brand", referring to them as our "greatest sellers". We note a Pilgrim one-piece suit for a younger child, probably from the 1930s. We see Pilgrim brand for the regular union suits for boys in 1938. Curriously in the same year Sears offered waist union suits for boys and girls were using the "Handywear" brand name, not "Pilgrim". We are unsure as to how Sears decided on using Pilgrim or another of its store brands.

1940s

We notice that Pilgrim label for stockings and underwear were especially prominant in the early and mid-1940s catalogs. There are many examples archived on HBC We see Pilgrim long stockings advertised by Sears in 1940-41, 1942-43, 1943, 1943-45, and 1945. In 1941-42, we wee "Pilgrim" waist union suits, but also "Handywear" waist suits the same year. In 1942-43 boys' union suits were sold under the brand name "Boyville", but "Pilgrim" was used for selling "waist union suits".

1950s

1960s

The Pilgrim label last appeared in the fall/winter 1963-1964 catalog which offered Pilgrim-brand men's underwear.

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Created: 11:49 PM 7/12/2006
Last updated: 6:56 PM 7/13/2006