{"id":26173,"date":"2017-10-20T11:50:11","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T15:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=26173"},"modified":"2017-10-20T11:50:34","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T15:50:34","slug":"an-intimate-look-at-our-female-ancestors-lives-their-underwear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/an-intimate-look-at-our-female-ancestors-lives-their-underwear.html","title":{"rendered":"An Intimate Look at our Female Ancestors\u2019 Lives: Their Underwear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak searches old newspapers and records from the U.S. Patent Office to learn about the patents for women\u2019s underwear \u2013 especially by women inventors. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.<\/em><\/p>\n

Admit it, you\u2019re curious \u2013 just what kind of underwear did women wear in the past?<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Jackson Citizen Patriot (Jackson, Michigan), 19 May 1914, page 10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To find out about historical underwear, I searched old newspapers and patents and found some interesting examples. Men designed undergarments \u2013 but not surprisingly, women did too. Most of their designs served specific purposes. It\u2019s not clear which of these became household items, but even if they didn\u2019t, they were of use to women somewhere.<\/p>\n

Note<\/em>:<\/strong> if you\u2019re squeamish about looking at what goes under a woman\u2019s outfit, close this blog page now. Some of the designs address garments for menstruating women and nursing mothers \u2013 and others are not exactly what you would call attractive or sexy.<\/p>\n

An Improvement in Underclothing for Women (1875)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would suggest that Susan T. Converse\u2019s design could be described as cuter than most, and if the accompanying description on Google Patents is correct, an improvement over other designs.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: drawing from Susan T. Converse\u2019s patent for women\u2019s underwear. Credit: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Google Patents.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1875, she received United States Patent #166,190 \u2013 and much to my delight, it contained useful genealogical data you\u2019re likely to spot in other patent records.<\/p>\n

No, we do not learn the names of family members, although one could assume her witnesses, Julia Moulton and J. P. Convers, were either associates, friends or family. If you find her in your family tree, I suggest you track them down to see how they are connected.<\/p>\n

In addition to the witnesses, we also find this information in her patent record:<\/p>\n