Yankee Waist (United States, 1896)


Figure 1.--This ad for Yankee Waists is intended to appeal to young bike riders. We doubt if boys saw the ad and requested one. Presumably it was intended to appeal to mothers interested in outfitting their cycilist children. Cyclilists at the time commonly wore knee pants or knickers and long stockings. This include young men because the cuffs of long pants might get caught in the chain. This ad was, however, for children without any age specified. As is often the case, the ad mebtiions posture benefits for these waists.

We do not yet have much information on 1896. We know that knee pants had become almost universal for boys, except in rural areas. Almost all American children wore long stockings. Boys wore long stockings with knee pants as did girls with dresses. And thus stocking supporters were needed. In Europe various ad hoc approaches were common. Inventive Americans produced a range of more taylor made approaches. We also notice a specialy underwaist for biking. The Yankee Waist illustrates another aspect of athleticism in boys' underwear--an ad the emphasizes the appropriateness of this particular underwaist for boys who cycle. It appeared in the mass market Ladies Home Journal. This not only illustrates fashion trends, but in increasingly affluent America, many children were receiving bicycles. This was much less common in Europe.

Ladies Home Journal

This ad appeared in the Ladies Home Journal (November 1896, vol. 13, no. 26, page 26). As the oldest still publishing, most respected women's service magazine in the country, The Journal has always focused on issues of crucial importance to millions of women. Since its first issue in December 1883. This long history make The Ladies Home Journal and invaluable source of information on American fashion trends. Its covered an incredibly wide range of topics beyond just fashion, from the latest medical research and consumer news to parenting know-how, workplace survival, good skincare, nutrition facts and much, much more. It was The Ladies Home Journal who sucessfully merged the elements and produced the right formula, becoming the top ladies magazine in America. The Ladies' Home Journal both empowered women and applauded their growing power. We also notice patterns offered in the magazine. This is interesting because the Journal was a mass market magazine. This mean that advertisers were appealing to the American mass market. Thus we know that bicycles were being bought for children and not just wealthy children.

Manufacturer

The Yankee Waist It was manufactured by the William H. Burns Company of Worcester, Massachusettes. This is not a compsny we know anything about at this time.

Bicycles

Americans began to take an interest in bicycles as soon as they appeared after the Civil War. The first bikes we note were European imports. All the early work on bikes was done in Europe. The firsr bikes were called Penny Fathings, an English term based on the different sizes of the two penny and farthing coins. These were bikes with different sized wheels. We see studio portraits with bikes. We are unsure to what extent these were studio props or if the individuals involved were actually bikers. A strong clue is if the indidividual was wearing biking clothes. The boy here seems to wearing a bike club outfit (figure 1). Early bikes were very difficult for children to ride. For the most part, only teenagers had the physical skills to master them. Trikes were developed for younger children. The bicycle became a very popular item and we see clubs organizing. These clubs became advocates for better roads even before automobiles appeared (1880s). Also Americans in the many bike shops tht appeared began tinkering with building better bikes. And bike shops began to appear across the country. (One of these shops interestingly would lead to the first air plan.) Safety bikes appeared in the 1890s which opened the way for children's bikes. They were not, however, primarily for children. Middle class men used them for sport. Working-class men if they could afford them, used them to get to work. At first it was mostly wealthy children that had them. By the end of the century we see boys riding bikes in their ordinary clothes rather than bicycle club uniforms. Almost always this was knee pants which by the time was the standard type of trousers worn by boys.

Knee Pants

Knee pants among American boys increased significantly in popularity during the 1890s. They were not quite as common in rural areas, but they became the standard wear for American boys. Not only do we see more boys wearing knee pants, but we see older boys wearing them as well. They are very common in the photographic record and we see them represented as the most common type of boys' trousers offered in catalogs and advertising. We see teenagers beginning to wear knee pants in the early 1890s. A good example is an unidentified Iowa boy who looks to be about 14 years old. Another example is a Chicago boy, Robert Mason Hamilton, in 1897. Family portaits commonly show teenagers wearing knee pants until aboput age 15 years. After this the pattern is more varied. We even see older teenagers wearing them, although unlike boys and younger teens they were not univerrsal. The age at which boys made the transitiin from knee pants to long pnts varied from family to family. Kneepants become shorter in the 1890s, commonly cut to knee lengths. And the stAndard klength becomes just at or below the knee cap in the 1890s. We no longer see the longer lengths tht were fairly common earlier. Knee pants were almost universal at the turn of the 20th century. A good example is two New York City boys.

Long Stockings

As knee pants became increasing common in the 1870s, most boys began to wear long stockings. And they became increasingly commonn in subsequent decades. Tights were not worn. Boys commonly wore long, mostly wool stockings. They were the same long stockings as worn by girls. These long stockings continued to be worn by children, including older boys and girls, throughout the 19th Century. Colors were at first varied, including brightly colored stripped stockings. Gradually dark, solid colored stockings became the dominate style for boys. The long stockings were eventually held up with a kind of suspender waist, but I am not sure when this first appeared. By the 1890s we see European boys wearing socks, commonly three-quater socks. This was less common in America where boys and girls mostly wore long stockings, even in the summer. We do see many children gping barefoot, but boys when wearing shoes and knee pants mostly wore long stockings.

Underwaists

Underwaists were another type of support garment for children. Underwaists (sometimes called panty-waists) were worn by younger boys and girls to support additional underwear (such as bloomers or panties) or outer clothing (such as trousers or skirts). These bodices tended to be worn by boys only until about age 10, although some models came in ages for boys as old as 12. Some models were specifically for girls and others for boys, but the great majority of styles could be worn by both boys and girls. They tended to be made of elastic knitted fabric (and therefore rather form-fitting) or of cambric material and a bit looser. They nearly always were equipped with reinforcement straps, waist buttons, and garter tabs for attaching hose supporters. The popularity of underwaists declined in the later 1930s and early 1940s although they were still available, usually in the preferred knitted style, up until about 1945. When long stockings stopped being worn by school children, the main function of the underwaist ceased to exist.

Lithography

Lithography is the process by which illustrations can be printed for publication in books, magazines, and newspapers. Small advances were made in the late-19th century, but as you can see here the illustrations were still fairly simple and either black or white--no shading. This was one of the most important publications in the United States at the time, yet the illustration is still rather primitive. Almost all printed 19th century images were like the one here with out any shading to make the illiustration look more realistic. It is at this timr, however, that major impriovements were being made. At the turn-of-the 20th century you begin to see not only illustrations with shading, but the first printed photographic images.

Yankee Waist

This Yankee Waist, advertised in the Ladies Home Journal illustrates another aspect of athleticism in boys' underwear--an ad the emphasizes the appropriateness of this particular underwaist for boys who cycle. Waist had different meanings, in this case it meant an underwaist.

Specialty Desisn

We didn't realize that underwaists were made for boy and girl cyclists. It is likely that there swere more boy cyclists, but girls are mentioned.

Construction

The Yankee Waist looks rather complicated in construction with the bodice held by suspender straps that go over the boy's shoulders and a wide belt with buttons for knee trousers. There seem to be short elastic straps between the chest bodice and the waist belt to allow for more stretch during the exertions of bicyling. Hose supporters are attached at the sides to the waist belt as in most underwaists, but they appear to be attached at the top of the waist belt and the strap passes under it--a rather odd arrangement compared with most other waists. It isn't quite clear whether the supporters come with the waist or must be purchased separately.

Ages

Not many children rode bikes until the 1890s. They were not only expensive, but rather dangerous, especially for young riders. The safty bike appeared in the 1890s and thus we begin to see more choldren riding them.

Gender

Although we see a boy in the illustration (he looks to be about 12 yeatrs old), the same waist, apparently of identical construction, was also worn by girls.

Grades

There were two grades mother could chose from-- No. 1 and No. 2. The cheaper being only half as expensive as the better one. We are not sure about the difference, but may relate to the materials used.

Offers

For readers who write directly to the manufacturer in Worcester, a pair of hose supporters is supplied free of cost (ordinarily worth 20 cents). Children are also invited to participate in a poetry contest as a promotion device, the winner to receive "$1,000 in gold." This would be an enormous sum for a child in 1896. We wonddr if anyone actually won. It certainly would be interesting to see the resuilting poem.

Ad Copy

Here is the as copy," Ease for Mother, Comfort for Children, in the Yankee Waist. Great Bicycle Waist for Boys and Girls. Yankee No. 1, 50 cents. Yankee No 2, 25 cents. [I'm not sure what the difference in price implies--obviously cheaper materials in the cheaper waist.] Buttons don't come off; Button-holes don't tear out. Gives absolute freedom of motion. Prevents round shoulders; saves strain on clothes, and will outwear two ordinary waists. Thousands of mothers now using them and will not have any other. Satisfaction guaranteed or money refunded. Free: If not sold by your dealer send us his name and 50 cents, state size wanted [presumably age 4 to 14 or 16], and we will mail you our best waist and include a pair of hose supporters, worth 20 cents, free. Also, our circular about poem contest, where we offer the children $1000 in gold. Wm. H. Burns Co., Manufacturers, Worcester, Mass."







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Created: 1:02 AM 9/30/2011
Last updated: 1:02 AM 9/30/2011