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HBC has archived quite a few advertisements during the period from 1937 to 1945 for garter waists sold by Sears and Roebuck. Most of these models are labled as "Kern's Dandy," "Kern's Daisy," "Kern's Button-on Sateen Waist," or simply "Kern's Garter Waist" or "Kern's Child's Waist." HBC has now discovered where the name "Kern's" comes from. This name refers to the Frank Kern Manufacturing Comany of Mattoon, Illinois, which specialized in making boys' and girls' hose supporters. The company goes back to at least 1914 in Mattoon, Illinois. About 1931 the company was bought out by two Neoga business men, Trace Higgins and Harry Hill. Neoga is a nearby town in Illinois. In 1942 the company went into backruptcy, and a Mrs. Oakley of
Neoga, who had long been an employee of the company, became the receiver. After the company was sold again, Mrs. Oakley remained the manager of the Frank Kern Manufacturing Co and entered into an arrangement with A. Stein & Co. of Chicago (who made Hickory Garters, a related product) for the Kern Co. to do work on contract for Stein & Co. So Hickory Garters and Kern's Garter Waists are historically related products.
Sears and Roebuck was the most important mast marketer in the United States. HBC has archived quite a few advertisements during the period from 1937 to 1945 for garter waists sold by Sears and Roebuck. Most of these models are labled as "Kern's Dandy," "Kern's Daisy," "Kern's Button-on Sateen Waist," or simply "Kern's Garter Waist" or "Kern's Child's Waist." Sears sold both Hickory Garters and Hickory Garter Waists, manufactured in Chicago by Stein & Co. up until about 1936; then Sears began selling Kern's garter waists in various models from 1937 until 1945-46 when the market for children's hose supporters dried up because of changing fashion trends causing the demand for long stockings to virtually disappear. Some of the Sears catalog offerings included: 1937, 1939, 1939, 1940, 1940, 1941, and 1942.
Kerns product line that was sold for many years by Sears & Roebuck. Wards, interestingly, sold Hickory garters and garter waists made by Stein. Both companies used the famous Dr. Parker garter waist design with shoulder straps, a belt (sometimes with extra buttons), and supporters at the sides. The Stein Company used the Dr. Parker brand name (which they must have acquired). The Kern's Company made essentially the same product but didn't use the Dr. Parker brand name. They used the "Kern's" or sometimes the "Perfect" brand name.
"Garter waists" applies to a broad variety of devices for holding up long stockings. Theoretically it would apply to any garment worn on the upper body used for this purpose (including underwaists, pantywaists, and suspender waists). But HBC uses the term to apply specifically to waists with hose supporters already attached, even though in some cases these supporters are detachable. Most of these garments are designed to have the strain of the garters carried by the child’s shoulders. Some have waistbands and some do not, but all are worn under the outer clothing and therefore as a species of children’s underwear. One of the first such garments we notice was in the Sears 1902 catalog Sears refers to a "combination belt and supporter, but the garment was essentially a garter waist. The use of different terms somewhat complicates the assessment if the garments. Interestingly, even when the wearing of long stockings was supposedly declining in the late 1930s and early 1940s, a proliferation of styles of garter waist became very prominent in the Sears and Wards catalogs of this period. We have more different styles for this period than for any other on HBC.
Frank Kern came from Mattoon, Illinois. He was a business man and major figure in the politics of the town. He was also an inventor. Kern began as a drygoods and clothing salesman. which florished in Mattoon, Illinois as a manufacturer of boys' and girls' garter waists. Frank Kern was briefly mayor of Mattoon, Illinois, 1891-92. He went on to open a factory to to manufacture an improved stocking supporter he designed for women and children. It became a major brand known all over the United States
The Frank Kern Manufacturing Company dates to the late 19th century in Mattoon, Illinois. A local historian tells us,
" The business became a success and in 1895 he built the Virginia Building at 1501-07 Broadway [in Mattoon]. The second floor of the building was fitted for the factory [of hose supporters], but the main floor became a hardware and furniture store. In 1898 Kern constructed an annex to the Virginia Building into which he moved his hose supporter factory, and there manufactured a million dollars worth of [various garments under the general heading of] 'The Perfect Stocking
Supporter.' By 1913 Kern claimed a total of 50 inventions and employed twenty-five girls." [Johnston]
Tthe company was bought out by two Neoga business men, Trace Higgins and Harry Hill (about 1931). Neoga is a nearby town in Illinois. In 1942 the company went into backruptcy, and a Mrs. Oakley of Neoga, who had long been an employee of the company, became the receiver. After the company was sold again, Mrs. Oakley remained the manager of the Frank Kern Manufacturing Co and entered into an arrangement with A. Stein & Co. of Chicago (who made Hickory Garters, a related product) for the Kern Co. to do work on contract for Stein & Co. There were two factories--one in Mattoon and, later, another one in Neoga, IL. I think what
happened is that eventually the Mattoon factory closed (due to bankruptcy and a change of ownership) in the 1930s and that the making of the hose supporters was transferred to Neoga, a town very close by. Both factories, however, were known as the Kern's Manufacturing Co. I believe that the Kern's garter waists that we show on HBC (the Sears pages, 1937-45)) were actually made in Neoga, although Mattoon had earlier made such waists. During the 1940s the
factory moved to Neoga, Illinois, a nearby town. The Kerns Manufacturing Company still exists today (in Neoga, Illinois). It now manufactures maternity garments.
Kern specialized in making boys' and girls' hose supporters. Because of the various corporate reorganizations we see that Hickory Garters and Kern's Garter Waists are historically related products. These are two of the best known line of garter waists and in fact are quite similar. Kerns originally sold underwaists and hose supporters under the brand of "Perfect Underwaists" and "Perfect hose supporters". I discovered that Frank Kern, the founder of the company, "invented Kern's Perfect Stocking Supporter {in 1884] and returned to Mattoon, Illinois [his home town, presumably] to manufacture and sell his product."
The company was affected by World War II. In 1942, when the metal used in the manufacture of children's hose supporters was difficult to obtain because of the war effort, the company began using a plastic substitute for the buckles and clasps of the supporters.
The Kern's company advertised in many American newspapers, We have discovered. Kern's garter waists for boys and girls were widely advertised in American newspapers all over the nation during the early decades of the 20th century. Frank Kern, one of the chief figures in the sales of children's hose supporters nation-wide, and who eventually
collaborated with J. Stein of Chicago in the manufacture of Hickory Garters. Various models of garter waists sold by Sears & Roebuck used the Kern's brand name, such as "Kern's Dandy" or "Kern's Daisy" or "Kern's Sateen Button-on Garter Waist" or "Kern's Child's Waist" or simply "Kern's Garter Waist". Kern's Supporters were also advertised much earlier in 1910 in local newspapers such as that of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
"Kern's Perfect Shoulder Hose Supporters, fitted with Lindsay felt buttons, sizes 2 to 12" in the Eau Claire Leader, Wisconsin (11 Feb. 1906, p. 12).
Here is a 1910 advertisement illustrating Kern's Supporter Waists. The ad appeared in the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern (November 30, 1910, p. 16), and shows two different models. Kerns called them Supporter Waists. They were actually a type of garter waists. It looks superficially as though one model is for boys and other for girls, but this is misleading. Both styles were sold for both genders. No ages are given in this particular advertisement, but we know from other ads that the Kern's Perfect garter waists (some were ordinary underwaists with supporters attached and are not shown here) were made for both boys and girls from 2 to 14 years of age. For many years Sears and Roebuck sold the Kern's garter waists, offering different styles over the years. Kern's garter waists were still being offered in Sears catalogues into the 1950s. The Kern's garter waists were the main national competitor to the Hickory waists (manuactured by Stein of Chicago and sold nationally as well as by Montgomery Ward).
"Kern's Perfect Waist and Hose Supporters for boys and girls" in the Des Moines Daily News, Iowa (25 May 1911, p. 3).
"Kern's Perfect Stocking Supporter; the weight falls entirely upon the shoulders, comfortable and easy to adjust.' in the Mansfield News, Indiana (28 Feb. 1918, p. 9).
"Kern's Perfect Waist Supporters" [for children] in the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, Indiana (22 Feb. 1918, p. 12).
"Kern's Perfect Supporters" [for boys and girls] in the Logansport-Pharos-Tribune, Indiana (14 May 1925, p. 7).
"Kern's Perfect Supporters for Children [a waist with garters attached] in the Alton Evening Telegraph, Illinois (14 July 1927, p. 5).
"Kern's Perfect Stocking Supporters" [a garter waist for boys and girls up to the age of 12] in the Lima News, Ohio (12 March 1931, p. 3).
Children, mostly younger children were still wearing long stockings. Sears offered several styles of waists for use as stocking supporters in its Fall-Winter 1937-38 catalog. This is the Dr. Parker style waist, mentioned on previous HBC pages, but here labeled simply as "Kern's 'Daisy' Waist". They were offered in two styles in sizes 2-14 and 2-12 years. I'm not sure why there was a difference,
Gater waists were used to hold up long stockings. There is an ad for a children's garter waist. The ad stresses the strength of the hose supporters with a cocker spaniel playfully pulling one of them with his teeth. The text reads, "Pull Hard, Pal! They've got to stand a lot of tugging before I'm through with 'em." 35 c. each."
This Sears advertisement for boy's suspenders and garter waists/stocking supporters show the standard means of keeping up long stockings in the late 1930s and early 40s. At this point in U.S. history boys usually wore tan long stockings, made of cotton, with short pants, although they could also be worn with knickers and sometimes were. Girls wore the same garter waists under skirts, but the fact that this particular ad restricts itself to boys is of some interest. The fact that both short pants and skirts were getting shorter necessitated making the stockings extra long, stretching (as in this photograph) to mid-thigh or even higher. The Sears ad copy read, "More Comfort for Kiddies in 'Free Play' Garments."
Sears in the Fall and Winter catalog (p. 302) offered garter waists in sizes 2 to 12. I think the sizes were expressed in chrnological ages. The ads were fairly prominently placed, suggesting that a substantial number of children were still wearing long stockings. There was a choice of two styles. There were both Child's and Kern'a garter waists. The ads stressed that the garter waists helped the children to look neat. The ad copy sressed that they were wasy to wear, comfortable and made for active wear. The ad stresses that they were appropriate for both boys and girls.
Johnston, Jean. Pictorial history of Mattoon (St. Louis: 1968).
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