Figure 1.--Here's an interesting and valuable period advertisement for a "Hickory Waist and Garters for Girls and Boys". I think this must date from the late 1930s (perhaps 1938-39) because the model shown is almost identical to the Hickory waists advertised by Wards in those years and also because the stockings shown are very long and leave almost no gap between the child's underwear and stocking tops. Also notice that the stockings are the typical beige color of the late 1930s.

Here's an interesting and valuable period advertisement for a "Hickory Waist and Garters for Girls and Boys". I think this must date from the late 1930s (perhaps 1938-39) because the model shown is almost identical to the Hickory waists advertised by Wards in those years and also because the stockings shown are very long and leave almost no gap between the child's underwear and stocking tops. Also notice that the stockings are the typical beige color of the late 1930s. The fact that a girl model is shown may be of some significance although the caption specifies that the garment is for both "girls and boys" and therefore unisex. This advertisement clearly illustrates the back and front straps that keep the waist from slipping off the shoulders. It also shows the little tabs at the sides of the waist that protect the hips from coming in contact with the metal safety pins with which the hose supporters are attached. In the higher quality waists, the supporters were often detachable and therefore replaceable when they wore out. Hickory was perhaps the best known brand name for children's hose supporters and garter waists during the 1920s, 1930s, and early 1940s. It was the brand name adopted by the Stein Company of Chicago, the manufacturer. Hickory garter waists were sold in stores all over the nation, but they achieved great recongition by being offered for sale by both Sears and Roebuck and by Montgomery Ward. This is the only color photograph of a Hickory waist that we have found. I managed to find a bit more about this rare advertisement. It was found during the renovation of a building in San Francisco that used to be a clothing store. I had originally thought that the ad was taken from a magazine, but in fact the image comes from a cardboard display placard that was apparently set on a counter in the section of the store that sold boys' and girls' underwear and stockings during the 1930s. There is no specific date on the cardboard display, but the style of the waist and particularly the length and color of the stockings establish it pretty certainly as being from about 1937-39 (just before World War II). San Francisco remains fairly chilly even during the summer months, and long stockings would have been worn by children of both genders fairly commonly during this period.

Created: 1:16 AM 10/29/2006
Last updated: 1:17 AM 10/29/2006