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EVE WORLD: WOMEN OF GREATNESS Mary
Phelps Jacob
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She was also politically active and founded the organization Women Against War. In 1875, manufacturers George Frost and George Phelps patented the "Union Under-Flannel" a no bones, no eyelets, no laces or pulleys underoutfit. In 1893, a woman named Marie Tucek patented the "breast supporter", the device included separate pockets for the breasts and straps that went over the shoulder which were fastened by hook-and-eye closures. In 1889, corset maker Herminie Cadolle invented the "Well-Being" or "Bien-être", a bra-like device sold as a health aid, the corset's support for the breasts had been squeezed up from below, Cadolle changed support to the shoulders down. World War I dealt the corset a fatal blow when the U.S. War Industries Board called on women to stop buying corsets in 1917. It freed up some 28,000 tons of metal! In 1928, a Russian immigrant named Ida Rosenthal founded Maidenform. Ida was responsible for grouping women into bust size categories (cup sizes). Information Source: American Heritage of Invention & Technology, Spring 1997, Volume 12/Number 4. CONTINUES ON P35
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time
and demands from friends and family were high for the new brassiere.
On November 3, 1914, she was awarded a patent for the "Backless
Brassiere". Caresse Crosby was the business name Jacob used for her
brassiere production. However, Jacob did not enjoy the business, so
she sold the brassiere patent to the Warner Brothers Corset Company in
Bridgeport, Connecticut for $1,500. The Warner Brothers Corset Company
made $15 million dollars from the bra over the next 30 years. The
undergarment name "brassier" was derived from the old french word for
"upper arm". Her patent was for a device that was lightweight, soft
and separated the breasts naturally. The following describes the bra's
evolution: Mary Phelps Jacob After decades of stuffing themselves into
seemingly barbaric undergarments of a mostly corset-like nature, women
around the world finally began to get fed up. In 1913, a New York
socialite decided to do something about it: the first modern brassiere
was created by Mary Phelps Jacob. She patented her design, and now the
brassiere is a standard part of nearly every modern woman's wardrobe.
Jacob came up with the idea for her brassiere after she bought an
evening gown for an event she was planning to attend. At the time,
women wore corsets stiffened with whaleback bones and steel rods. She
tried on the dress with one of these corsets, however, and found that
the whalebones poked out visibly around the plunging neckline and
under the sheer fabric. Jacob had a better idea. She took two silk
handkerchiefs and some pink ribbon, and fashioned herself, with the
help of her maid, the very first bra. Family and friends almost
immediately asked Jacob to create brassieres for them, too.
One day, she received a request
for one of her contraptions from a stranger, who had offered a dollar for
her efforts. She knew then that this could become a viable business. On
November 3, 1914, she was awarded a patent for the "Backless Brassiere".
The undergarment name "brassiere" was derived from the old french word for
"upper arm". Then, Jacob set up a business, using the name Caresse Crosby
instead of her own. Later she sold the brassiere patent to the Warner
Brothers Corset Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut for $1,500. The Warner
Brothers Corset Company made $15 million dollars from the bra over the
next 30 years. It is important to note that Jacobs did not invent the
first bra ever. Her design was simply the first one to be widely used. It
appears that a woman named Marie Tucek patented the first brassiere in
1893. Her device included separate pockets for the breasts, straps that
went over the shoulder which were fastened by hook-and-eye closures.
Jacobs' patent was for a device that was lightweight and flattened the
breasts, but her bra did not have cups to support the breasts. Many
innovations were made to the brassiere throughout the years, including the
use of elastic and standard cup sizes, for example. In 1928, a Russian
immigrant named Ida Rosenthal founded Maidenform. Rosenthal was
responsible for grouping women into bust size categories (cup sizes). It
has been said that the bra, as it came to be called in the 1930s, took off
the way it did all because of World War I. The War shook up gender roles,
putting many women to work in factories and uniforms for the first time.
Then, in 1917, the U.S. War Industries Board asked women to stop buying
corsets to free up metal. They did stop buying corsets, which freed up
some 28,000 tons of metal -- enough to build two battleships. Jacob died
in 1970, but she lived long enough to see the bra go through a number of
transformations and become immensely popular all over the world.
Photo:
The Bali ad/repro of Jacob's design.