Figure 1.--We have found many advertisements for garter waists so we know that they were extesiveky sold from the late 19th century to the early 1940s. The ads clearly indicate that they were worn by both boys and girls from ages 2 to 12 years of age. Of course there is no way of telling from the photographs of boys wearing kneepants and long stockings just what kind of devise is being used to hold up the stockings. One question we have is to what extent garments like garter waists were used to hold up long stockings rather than make-shift arrangements. Our general assessment is that before World War I, make-shift arrangements were common, but much less so after the war.

We do not know when the garter waist was invented and first appeared. We begin to see garter waist ads in the 1880s, although the term was not yet used. We believe that many children used make-shift arrangements to hld up their long stockings rather than garter waists and other stocking supporters. Sears refers to a "combination belt and supporter, but the garment was essentially a garter waist. Another term used was "skeleton suit", but again this was a type of garter waist. The use of different terms somewhat complicates the assessment if the garments. The term garter waist doesn't seem to have come into general use until the 1930s. But the garments referred to as "garter waists" in the 1930s are really the same sort of garments sold earlier but without this particular name. Our choice of "garter waist" is an attempt to introduce one single term to provide some organizational simplicity. Not only were many different terms used, bit even the same companies like Eatons, Sears, and Wrds used a variety of different terms. 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. A good example is the Sears 1939 garter waists. The use of different terms here complicates our assessment. Notice Sears Suspenders and Stocking Supporters in 1939 which is essentially a garter waist. Thus we are not yet sure just how to assess the number of ads in terms of the popularity of these garments over time.

The 1880s

We do not know when the first stocking supporters were manufactured. We believe that many children held their long stockings up with make-shift arrangements, but this is just a guess at this point. The earliest advertisements we have found date from the 1880s. We note a 1885 ad for Lewsis Stein stocking supporters. The company used the term "stocking supporters", but the type of stocking supporters they offered were garter waists. The ad appeared in The Youth's Companion.

The 1890s

We see more advertisements for stocking supporters in the 1890s. We are not sure this is because stocking supporters were more widely worn. We believe that this was a factor because we see an increasing number of boys wearing kneepants during the decade as well as older boys than was the case during the 1880s. One reason we begin to see more stocking supporter advertisements is the expanding advertising industry in America and the popularity of catalogs. Developments in lithography also made possible rapid improvements in illustrations for advertisements. We see for example hose supporters advertized in a Montgomery Ward catalog during 1895. Again terms like "hose supporters", "hose shoulder supporters", and "child's waist", but they were all garter waists. We note that many of the early ads emphasize the hose supporters being attached. We think this is because in the early years, waists were generally worn for multiple purposes, not just keeping stockings up. We believe that the most common practice at the end of the 19th century, for instance, was to buy hose supporters separately to be attached to underwaists without supporters. Then the waist with hose supporters already attached was introduced. Buyers were confronted with the possibility of buying a waist and hose supporters in a single garment. And this option became more and more attractive and practical.

The 1900s

We note extensive adveryising for stocking supporters in the 1900s. Again the term garter waists was often not used, although this was one of the principal styles being offered. We see them in both Canada and the United States. We note skeleton waists in the 1901 Eaton's catalog. The skeleton waist was a type of garter waist. We also notice another children's combination belt and supporter in the 1902 Sears catalog. Sears refers to a "combination belt and supporter", but the garment was essentially a skeleton suit style of garter waist. These skeleton suits were an early example of what would be called the Dr. Parker style of garter waists.

The 1910s

We begin to see more ads for garter waists and other stocking supporters in the 1910s. We believe that the number of these ads that we have found and archived is an indicator as to the relative popularity of the different styles of stocking supporters. What we di not know is if the number of ads reflects on the extent to which these garments may have been used. Does the relative rarity of these ads in the late 19th century compared to the early 0th century mean that children more commonly used make-shift arrangements before the turn of the 20th century. A factor hre may be rising living standards. Perhaps more parents could afford to spend more for clothing. Here at this stage we are still guessing. What we do know is that we have found quite a number of advertisements for garter waists in both America and Canada during the 1910s. One factor that has to be considered is the greater vailability of 20th century catalogs and magazines compared to 19th century publications. We notice an ad for Dr. Parker waists for the first time in the Eaton's catalog during 1912. Eaton's repeated this same ad in 1913 and 1914. We notice waists offered in the Ward's 1915 catalog. Ward's used a variety of terms: "adjustable waist" , "skeleton waist", and "athletic waist" and stressed "hose supporters" were attached, but these were garter waists. (Note under waists which were different types of stocking supportes were also advertized on this page.) We see garter waists prominantely featured throughout the 1930s. They become much less prominately featured after the early 1940s and disappear after the early 50s.

The 1920s

We continue to see garter waist ads in the 1920s. We see a belt with supporters in the Ward' 1921 catalog. This was a Dr. Parker style garter waist. There was an actual Dr. Parker's waist offered by Wards in their 1922 catalog. We see several different styles of children's hose supporters offered by Sears in 1925. We see another hose supporter in the Ward's 1926 waist. It was a Dr. Parker-style garter waist.

The 1930s

We have more advertisements for garters waists in the 1930s than any other decade. We are not sure how to interpret this. We know that fewer boys wore long stockings in the 1930s than earlier. Now it is possible that more of the children wearing long stockings had stocking suppoters rather than make-shift arrangements. We think it is more likely that 1930s catalogs and magazines are more available than earlier publications. The term "garter waist" became commonly used in the 1930s. We notice several styles of garter waists in the Ward's 1931 catalog. We are not sure when the term "garter waist" was first used, but this is the earliest ad we have yet found using the term. We notice more garter waists offered by Wards in 1933. One of the styles of garter waists offered were Hickory garter waists. Also offered here was simple elastic garters. We see four styles of garter waists offered by Wards in 1936. We notice the terms "shoulder hose supporter" was still used as well. These garments were also prominently featured in the Sears catalogs. We see several styles of button waists offered by Sears in 1937. I'm not sure why the buttons were stressed in this ad. We notice several ads in 1939. We note garter waists offered in the an Eaton's 1939 catalog. Unfortunately the French-language ad copy is difficult to read. We see various stocking supporters in the Sears 1939 catalog. Sears used a variety of terms, such as "button-on garter waists", "pin-on garters", and :daisy". There were also garter waists offered in another sears 1939 catalog. This was the shoulder-style garter waist, the Kern's Dandy. A HBC reader addresses the prominence of garter waists and of different styles of garter waists in the 1930s and early 1940s. "Even though knickers with knee socks were replacing knickers and knee pants (or shorts) with long stockings for older boys, younger boys and most girls still wore long stockings, and some older boys wore long stockings even with below-the-knee knickers for a look of greater formality and neatness. Some boys in the far north and Canada may have even worn them with long pants. But at the same time, the other purposes of underwaists supporting clothing other than stockings) were in decline. In other words, if you wore a waist at all, it was mainly to hold up long stockings--especially so, if you were a boy. Therefore the garter waist became the most popular form of waist in the 1930s even though underwaists were still much in use and even though some garter waists had waist buttons for underpants, bloomers, short trousers, etc. underwaists. But note that many garter waists were designed only for the support of long stockings and for nothing else. The number and prominence of ads for both long stockings and garter waists (many choices to be had in both categories) shows, I believe, that there was a solid minority of mothers who still wanted their sons to wear long stockings--especially up to the age of about 10 years. Sears and Wards would not have offered so much choice in these garments if they were not selling briskly or at least well. And as I said in an earlier comment on long stockings, I think there was a resurgence of the style of wearing long stockings with short pants (possibly influenced by central Europe) from about 1937 to 1943. Then when WW II ended, long stockings with short pants almost immediately disappeared. We go from many ads to almost no ads. Look at the many styles of garter waists and the varieties of long cotton stockings during this period--then their almost total disappearance by the year 1945. In Canada the style lasted a bit longer, and long stockings with shorts continued to be common in Germany and Russia throughout the 1950s and even to a limited extent into the 1960s, especially in Russia.

The 1940s

We continue to see stocking supporters in the 1940s, especially the early 1940s. After the early 40s they are less common and less prominately featured. We note two garter waists in the 1940 Sears catalog. Sears referred to them as both garter waists and child's waist. We also note Sears Dandy garter waist in 1940. We note more garters waists in the 1940-45 catalogs. [Note: Here we need to break this page down.} We note garter waists in a Ward 1941 catalog. Here the Hickory brand is prominently featured. More garter waists were offered by Sears in their 1942-43 catalog. Two different styles were offered, both called garter waists. There were also garter waists offered in Sears 1945-49 catalogs. We see garter waists offered by Sears in their 1949 catalog. [Note: This is another page that needs to be broken down.] Here we note garter waists as well as other terms being used. We also notice stocking supporterrs still being offered in Canada. We notice garter and under waists in the Eaton's 1949 catalog. These gwaists included one Dr. Parker's-style skeleton waist.

The 1950s

We notice some stocking supporters in the 1949-50 catalogs. They may have appeared in American 1950 and 1951 catalogs, but disappear after the early 50s. They apparently continued to be made for a few years longer. We notice a box label for garter waists made in 1959. They were Glassford's garter waist in the shoulder, skeleton, or Dr. Parker style.

Unknown Date

Advertisements from magazines and catalogs have the advantage that they are dated, making it easy to develop the chronolohy here. We have a few ads, however, that we have not been able to date. Box labels are especially difficult to date. One of these is a box label for stocking supporters. It is a shoulder style garter waists, probably from the 1920s.

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Created: 8:14 PM 7/9/2005
Last updated: 8:14 PM 7/9/2005