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Linda Spigelmyer of Hartleton, PA, registered a patent
for an "improvement in a children's body brace and supporters" on 12
April, 1870. The patent no. is 121,934. Patents seem to have
registered by state.
Although she calls the garment a "body brace" it is really a sort of
canvas bodice or underwaist with lacing in back and buttons down the
front. Presumably its stiffness would keep the boy's or girl's body
erect and would thus affect posture. It has a strip of tape around the
waistline onto which outer clothing could be attached. There seem to
be buttons front, back, and sides on the waist band. Two elastic
y-shaped hose supporters are attached by buttons on the front of the
bodice, and the shoulder straps seem to have buttons for adjustment of
size on the front. These would allow for a child's growth. There are
reinforcement straps down the front of the waist with what look like
buckles or fasteners of some sort. I'm slightly mystified about what
these are for. They could be for additional garters or perhaps for
attaching skirts or trousers. No age is specified, but boys and girls
wore underwaists in the 19th century up until their teenage
years--perhaps as old as 16 for girls and maybe a bit younger for boys.
Later on, underwaists were usually worn only by younger children (12 or
younger), and stocking supporters of other kinds (such as suspender
waists) were worn by older boys.
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