Figure 1.--This Sears advertisement for boy's garter waists from their 1939-40 catalog shows available suspeners and stocking supporters. The stocking supporters were the standard means of keeping up long stockings in the late 1930s and early 1940s. 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.

This category 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. A good example is the Sears 1939 garter waists.

Broad Category

This category 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). Areader writes, "I've been using the term "garter waist" generically as an overall designation for a whole collection of garments that have shoulder straps with hose supporters suspended from them. The exception is the "suspender waist" (which HBC has dealt with)--an exception of convenience to separate the particular combination of boys' trousers suspenders with hose supporters from most of the other garments.

Specific Usage

But HBC uses the term to apply specifically to waists with hose supporters already attached, even though in some cases these supporters are detachable.

Overlap

There's a bit of overlap here, however, because both garter waists and suspender waists perform the same function--that of holding up stockings. For illustration, the 1902 "Combination Belt and Hose Supporters" is really just an earlier version of a garment called a "garter waist" in the 1930s and 1940s--the Dr. Parker style waist. The over-the-shoulder style of hose supporters on HBC (for instance, the 1921, 1926 examples) are really garter waists without the use of the name. The same principle holds true for the so-called Dr. Parker waist. This too is a garter waist, and the general style persisted from at least 1902 until the middle 1940s. It's just that the terminology for the same garment tends to vary over time. The Dr. Parker style garter waist is referred to by this name in the early Eaton ad (about 1910--I forget the exact date of our image), and then the same garment with very minor modifications reappears in the 1920s and 1930s without the Dr. Parker label (or, to be precise, sometimes with it and sometimes without it). Sears tended to use the term "Kern's Daisy Waist" but it's just a different name for the same thing (i.e., the Dr. Parker style waist). I guess what I'm trying to say here is the same garment with minor variations was worn by boys and girls from the turn of the century up through the mid-1940s but referred to by different names. We shouldn't be misled into classifying these waists differently just because a particular name was or wasn't used for it.

Design

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. This is somewhat confusing because the term waist suggests that the waistline, but remember waist here refers to the shirt waist and many early garter waistrs were shirt-like garments called wauist suits. All garter waists are worn under the outer clothing and therefore as a species of children’s underwear. <>br>

Dr. Parker Waists

One of the best known types of garter waistsare the Dr. Parker waists. The destinguishing feature of the Dr. Parker waists were ????. We are not sure, however, just who Dr. Parker was and what company made them. We first notice them about 1910. They were offered in major mail order catalogs (Eatins, Sears, and Wards). We are not sure, but assume they were also sold in retail stores.

Chronology

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. 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. 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.

Created: 5:04 PM 10/19/2004
Last updated: 10:02 PM 1/12/2012