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Fabrics and Material Used in Boys' Clothing: Wool and Health


Figure 1.--

Wool was especially appreciate in the manufacture of warm clothing in the milenia before moderm central heating. Some actually mounted a veritable crusade for wool. Fashion and health experts in the 19th century promoted the use of wool in children's clothes. Dr. Gustav Jaeger, Professor of Zoology at the University of Stuttgart, in the 1870s and 1880s, promoted the idea that the wearing of woolen underwear was essential for health. He even made the nonsensical claim that wool is cooler in hot weather because it does not conduct the heat of the atmosphere to the body. Not only did Jaeger promote these theories, he capitalized on them by founding Jaeger's Sanitary Woolen Clothing Company. The company prospered and had worldwide influence. In fact, it exists today, although now is a largely a purveyor of womens' fine woolens, and not long underwear.

Woolen Clothing

Dr. Gustav Jaeger, Professor of Zoology at the University of Stuttgart, in the 1870s and 1880s, promoted the idea that the wearing of woolen underwear was essential for health. He even made the nonsensical claim that wool is cooler in hot weather because it does not conduct the heat of the atmosphere to the body. Not only did Jaeger promote these theories, he capitalized on them by founding Jaeger's Sanitary Woolen Clothing Company. The company prospered and had worldwide influence. In fact, it exists today, although now is a largely a purveyor of womens' fine woolens, and not long underwear. One London women wrote "I still remember the childhood misery of tickly Jaeger combinations, which one hot spring day I threw out of my bedroom window, demanding indignantly of my mother: "What did you expect me to wear?" Unfortunately it was windy as well as warm, and the offending garment drifted into next-door neightbour's garden, where I was sent shamefacedly to retrieve it."

The Merits of Wool

Garments

The merits of wearing woolen clothing overall, and not just woolen underwear, were promoted in books in the 1880s and 1890s by Miss Ada S. Ballin. The titles of her books varied from the earlier "The Science of Dress," and later to "Health and Beauty in Dress." Miss Ballin's theories were very thorough, and she provided detailed suggestions as to proper clothing for boys, girls, men and women on a year-around basis. For example, she recommended that younger boys could wear coordinated woolen outfits, with woolen Jersey suits worn over woolen combinations (i.e., over long underwear) and woolen stockings, whereas in summer older boys might wear woolen sailor suits over wool flannel vests and drawers or combinations. She cautioned, however, that the jacket of the sailor suit "must not, as is sometimes done, be cut low in the neck,or if so cut, it must be filled up with a thick white flannel, so as to keep the warmth equal. "

Seasonality

Thus, she firmly extended Dr. Jaeger's theories that woolens should be worn at all seasons, stating that "My own opiniion is that woolen should be worn not only in winter, but in summer also, the only difference being in the thickness of the make and number of garments, and I am led to believe this by the physiological facts that I have stated. Woolen garments, if themselves kept clean, preserve the skin in a clean and healthy condition, keeping it warm in winter, and preventing chill in summer." She went on to state" That irritation which sometimes follows the unaccustomed wearing of woolen next to the skin is generally caused by the material being of recent manufacture or coarse quality, and in all but the rarest cases it passes off within a few days, if the practice is persevered in."

Types 0f Clothing

Woolen underwear

Medically sound or otherwise, the practice of wearing woolen underwear persisted for decades. Well past the turn of the century, many physicians strongly continued to recommend that children should be clad in woolen underwear the year round, the belief being that the wearing of wool would help stave off childhood diseases. Similar advice was provided in magazines dealing with women's and children's clothing, although there were occasionally dissenting voices.

The need for extra warmth even on s

Summer days alludes to the conviction that the wearing of woolen underwear is essential for health. However, the article goes on to stress that woolen underwear is also desirable for comfort in the summer, because the older boy can derive quite as much comfort from blouse or sailor suits worn over light-weight wool union underwear as the younger boy still in dresses.

And so in spite of contrary views, the insistence that children should wear long woolen underwear the year around for health and comfort persisted for decades. The custom was still prevalent in the 1930s and 1940s, although presumably it is rare today.

Dresses and drawers

The Designer in an article entitled "Summer Blouses and Suits for Little Lads" (June 1906) recommended that boys still in dresses may wear knickerbockers made of the dress materials under the frocks instead of petticoats, or may wear ordinary drawers, with either the drawers or knickerbockers being attached to an underwaist. For the extra warmth sometimes required during summer days, union suits of light-weight wool are worn under the knickerbockers and underwaist.

Popularity

We're not sure how childen liked being clad in woolen underwear, but they most probably disliked it, particularly in summer. An article on dress for little boys in The Ladies' Standard Magazine (March 1896) voiced a mild protest, stating "As regards underclothing each mother knows what is best adapted to the climatic conditions in which her little ones live. Physicians recommend wool next to the skin all year round, but I cannot help thinking that once a child can run around, wool becomes a cruelty in warm weather. This point, however, must be decided by the mother according to the needs of each individual child."

Knitting

Presumably much of the woolen underwear was machine knitted, but it must have also been common for mothers to make hand knitted underwear for their children. Patterns for underwear appear in some old fashion magazines, such as a those that appeared in the New York Fashion Bazar for a child of 6 or 8. The outfit described consisted of a heavy knitted long woolen "vest" to be worn next to the skin around the chest, and accompanied by equally heavy long drawers attached to a waist or bodice suspended by shoulder straps. The drawers were fitted with a row of buttons around the waist so that a knitted woolen petticoat could be suspended from them, creating in all an exceptionally warm three-piece outfit of underclothing. The seasons for which the outfit was to be worn was not specified, but given that many mothers of that era firmly believed that their children must wear woolen underwear the year around, some children were probably compelled to wear the outfit even in summer, although it might not have contributed much to their comfort.








Christopher Wagner

histclo@lycosmail.com


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Created: February 25, 2000
Last up dated: February 25, 2000