Of Bodkins and Braids

Here is a great little item from my collection.  The braid was used mostly for replacement laces for corsets, but could be used for other underwear applications as well.  The bodkin, for those who don't have a clue, is used to run the braid thru the casing or holes in the lace or garment easily.  It wouldn't work for lacing a corset, however, and the ends of the braid would have to be tipped or hardened in some manner to pass easily through the eyelets of the corset.

That's where the bodkin would go if it was still with the package. :(

This patent took me longer to find, as there was no number--but there was a name and a date. Here it is, by Edwin M Goldsmith, of Philadelphia, PA.

A little more exploration into the patents database turned up Edwin M Goldsmith patenting lots of varied items including a Pneumatic Gun in 1899, a Lamp Chimney Raiser in 1891, a Carrying Device for Pocketbooks in 1900, a Soap Holder in 1902, some kind of coin-operated Clock in 1903, a Pencil Sharpener and point protector in 1903, a Paper Holder in 1905, another Braid Holder in 1913, a Ribbon Reel in 1916, a Holder for Elastic and Braid in 1915, some kind of washing Scrubbie in 1918, a Hair Curler in 1923, and the arrival of grandchildren probably prompted this Washable Doll in 1919. Edwin would have been a fun grandpa to have! He even invented a waterproof bathing suit  in 1930. Unsanitary public bathrooms prompted his invention of individual tissue towels wrapped around powdered soap for one-time use in 1925.  I think his Buttonhole Tape in 1930 is my favorite because I really hate making buttonholes. Edwin had a few other inventions involving ribbons and tapes and reels to hold them.

Edwin Meyer Goldsmith and Sarah Virginia (Jennie) Friedberger got married in 1891 and had Cecilia in 1892 and Henry in 1893.  They lived in Philadelphia, PA.  He and Jennie were both first-generation Americans whose parents were born in Germany.  Son Edwin, Jr came along in 1902.  In 1900 Edwin, Sr was a clothing manufacturer.  In 1910 Edwin was a manufacturer of (something) and lace.  In 1920 Edwin Sr was a manufacturer of chocolates, which seems quite contrary to all his other interests. He was 47 when he patented his bodkin and braid invention.  In 1930 Edwin, Jennie, and Edwin, Jr were living in Longport, NJ and Edwin was a textiles manufacturer, so his inventions must have paid off. A search for Edwin M Goldsmith on Google turned up an Edwin M Goldsmith, III, Philadelphia lawyer, his father dying in 1991. Edwin took out a passport in 1923 so he and Jennie could visit France, Italy, and Egypt and here is their picture from that document. Edwin Jr accompanied them for "study", and had his own passport.

They had been overseas at least three other times before 1923 without a passport, and no previous passport was listed on the 1923 one. I will have to research when passports became necessary for travel. I'll bet World War I had something to do with it.

Edwin died in 1944 and Jennie died in 1933; both in Philadelphia.

Here is another Lingerie Braid Holder with Bodkin called Jewel Lingerie Braid by RitCo, and looks like Fig 5 in the Goldsmith invention, above.

There is an illustration of a lady and the back of her corset under the braid.  Also the following copy:  "Jewel Corset Laces combining maximum durability and elasticity, will make your corset easy to adjust and comfortable to wear.  Ask for Jewel Corset Laces wherever Jewel Lingerie Braid is sold."

Buttons

These have no company name, but a patent search reveals they were invented by Hans Kanoffsky of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1921 and patented in 1925.  He also patented it in Canada that same year.  His idea was to have flexible buttons that would stand up to use and washing and ironing and be flexible.  Well, these are no longer flexible, but they have outlived Mr Kanoffsky!

I found Hans and wife, Martha Wallschlaeger, on the 1930 Milwaukee census.  They were both 50 years old and had been married for 10 years (Martha was actually 5 years older).  He was born in Bavaria and she in Wisconsin.  He immigrated in 1892 and was naturalized.  He was a chemist with his own shop and she was a department store artist.  I didn't find either of them in the Social Security Death Index or at Find-A-Grave.

Note the cigarettes on both cards.  Why is it that men are always portrayed with a stink-weed from the '20's through the '50's?  Is it supposed to be sophisticated?  Devil-may-care?  Urbane?  Note the half-closed eyes of #2.  He is trying very hard to look cool.  #1 is laughing, but won't be in 30 years when his face looks like an old shoe.

My Last Post on Lingerie Guards

I promise!  But I found these and just had to show you.

Gold and Rhodium Plated!  They're still shiny.  Probably from the 1950's.  I believe the Chadwick-Miller Company is still in business.

Follow Up to I Need Support!

After I posted this I found some more items.  For your enjoyment:

Doesn't everyone dance around the house and listen to records wearing only a bra, girdle, hose, and shoes?

Bored with plain old hose supporters?  Try something entirely modern--Inviz-A-Grips by Gemco.

And here's how you use them.  Check out this ad from 1937.  Oh Boy!  Here's the patent.

So what do you do when you develop a run and you don't have any clear fingernail polish in your purse?

The Realsilk Mending Kit

Use an Arrestor Wand.  No, you don't wave it at the run.

Here's a neat ad from 1941.  It seems the company went out of business in 1999.

Lingerie Guard Follow-Up

Since I posted this I found some more lingerie guards. I can now reasonably date these items as I have also found the patent for them.  Unfortunately the digital scanner they used screwed up the page so you can't read all the specifics of the patent, but you can see that the patentee is Jeanne Miller, of Muskegon, Michigan (my home town), and she patented the lingerie guard in 1924 in Grand Rapids, Michigan (my current town).  I had no idea she was a homie.  Subsequent information shows she located her factory, the Pin-In Lingerie Guard Co at 706 W kalamazoo Ave, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  I know it was still there in 1935 because I found an online city directory showing someone working there.  Sadly, I could not locate Jeanne Miller in either the 1920 or 1930 census, as she may have had a different last name than the one on the patent.

It looks like our Jeanne had a sex-change operation--that, or speaking French was no longer cool.

Here's a link to that address.  Seems it's an 1860's house.  This real estate listing shows the upper apartment.  Jeanne and company probably ran the business in one of the downstairs rooms.

BFF Gertrude

Girls at the turn of the century didn't get allowances and most did not work, so when birthdays and Christmas rolled around it took ingenuity and skill to come up with presents for their friends.  Most turned to the needlework and fashion magazines that were prevalent at the time for their gifts.  Here is an example:

Who wouldn't like Gertrude for a friend?

To put this gift in context you must know that coat hangers were not common and the typical closet had hooks around the walls for hanging up the clothes that were not stored in bureaus and chests and trunks.

Here is a clip from the wikipedia article on clothes hangers:  "In 1906 Meyer May, a men's clothier of Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first retailer to display his wares on his wishbone-inspired hangers. Some of these original hangers can be seen at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Meyer May House in Grand Rapids."

As I live in Grand Rapids, I have visited this house many times.

Here is another item I have which could fall into the same category.

This is full-size.  It is crocheted out of silk or rayon thin ribbon and is meant to be pinned to the blouse front either as a corsage or at the neck.  It's just beautiful.

I Need Support!

This post will cover support from top to bottom.  First up:  the brassiere.  In the 'teens and 'twenties these garments were for flattening, not enhancing and were mostly just strips of cloth with hooks or buttons, shoulder straps, and sometimes a hook to fasten to the front busk of a corset to hold it down.  The chemisette went on over this to hide it and provide coverage under the mostly sheer blouses of the time.  There were also slips--either colored to go under same color dresses, or white.  These sometimes took the place of the brassiere and chemisette if they were of sturdy fabric and you weren't too buxom.  Later on the bra developed (ha!) into more of a support garment when the full corset went out of fashion and pretty slips started to get some shape into them as well.  Elastic was still being developed as a woven fabric and there was no spandex (thankfully!--I hate spandex!), so these garments were made of non-stretchy fabrics, as well as the straps.   When they wore out you just made or purchased a new pair and buttoned them on.   That's the "adjustable" part on the card below.  You sewed several buttons on the straps and had matching buttonholes in the slip.  Someone used the straps from this card, but didn't need the buttons.

Here's a modern set made of oooooohh  Nylon!  And a buckle.

These straps are "Perfection"!  You sew them on and they are adjustable.

Heading south, here are some elastic hose garters.  I think they are for a woman, as the men's version is usually more complicated.  These went on either above or below the knee and could become quite uncomfortable if too tight and you were on your feet all day.  I have some elastic roll garters that I have worn, but don't know where they are right now.

Here are some Trolley Supporters.  Trolley Supporters?  That sounds so British!  I am not totally sure why they are called this except for the fact that they hang from the bottom of the corset like a trolley hangs from its electric wire.  If anybody knows the origin of the name, let me know.

These sound more American.  Hose Supporters.