Figure 1.-- Here is an ad for hose supporters from the Eaton's 1901-02 Fall and Winter catalog. This garment is a suspender waist for boys and girls from the ages of 2 to 10. It appeared on p. 77. I'm not sure why this waist was only made in sizes to age 10. |
We have some information on support garments from the Eaton's catalog. Here is an ad for hose supporters from the Eaton's 1901-02 Fall and Winter catalog. This garment is a suspender waist for boys and girls from the ages of 2 to 10. It appeared on p. 77.
T. Eaton's was a well known Toranto department store. Their catalogs provide a good indication of the styles popular in Canada at the time. This Canadian retailer began publishing mailorder catalogs in 1881, at least that is we begin noticing them. We have catalogs from the 1970s, although we do not know about the company's current status. The 1970s catalgs were full of clothes which look like American styles. Timothy Eaton, founder of the huge all-Canadian department store
chain bearing his name, was an Irish immigrant born on a tennant farm in northern Ireland. He was born in 1834 and followed his brothers to Canada in 1854. His brothers had opened a small dty goods store in St. Marys. Timothy Eaton began his business with a small dry goods business in Toronto during 1869. He built a giant retail store in Ontario’s capital city along with a country-wide mail-order business and a big new branch store in Winnipeg, by the time of his death in 1907. The Winnipeg branch was the first of many branches. Eaton Company business establishments eventually spread all across Canada when Timothy’s family successors extended the Eaton
empire. Timothy masterminded the company during the crucial period of its early development, spanning nearly 40 years. It was Timothy who implemented the concept of the "Department Store", in Canada, a concept which were already flourishing in London, Paris, and New York.
We have some information on support garments from the Eaton's catalog. Here is an ad for hose supporters from the Eaton's 1901-02 Fall and Winter catalog. This garment is a suspender waist for boys and girls from the ages of 2 to 10. It appeared on p. 77. It is a "Suspender Waist" for boys and girls from the ages of 2 to 10. It is similar in construction to the "Samson Suspender Waist" later advertised in the U.S. during the early decades of the 20th century. This device supports pants and skirts as well as long stockings. The ad copy reads: "C345. Holds children's clothing together (see cut). Does not bind the waist, but rather clings to it; may be worn with skirt, waist or blouse, the buttons are placed for trousers or drawers. When ordering state age of child. Sizes for children from 2 to 10 years, 25 c. each."
We are unsure why this suspender waist was made just to size 10. Was there something about the waist that was just appropriate for younger children. At the time much older children and teenagers wore long stockings.
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