# United States patent 956957

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THE SPIRELLA COMPANY
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
HENRY W. GILBERT AND EVA MAYNARD MARTIN, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA,
ASSIGNORS TO THE SPIRELLA COMPANY, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

# CORSET.

956,957. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 3, 1910. Application filed May 2, 1908. Serial No. 430,497.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that we, HENRY W. GILBERT and EVA MAYNARD MARTIN, citizens of the United States, and residents of Meadville, in the county of Crawford, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Corsets, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.
This invention consists in a novel construction of a corset designed to afford great convenience to the wearer of the corset and permit ample physical exercise essential to promote the health of the person and also produce dress-improvement of the person.
Figure 1 is a detached plan view of a corset embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section on the line --X--X-- in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary face view of one of the corset-sections showing one of the forms of the variously curved wire-stays adapted to be used in our improved corset; and, Figs. 4 and 5 show the corset applied to a person and illustrating the effects of the corset.
The fabric body of the corset is composed of a back-section -A- and two front sections --B--B--. The back section --A-- is formed with side extensions --A$^1$--A$^1$-- and the front sections --B--B--. are extended to the said side extensions and are adjustably connected thereto by means of elastic lacings -a- which pass through eyelets --b-- between the hemmed edges --c-- and stays disposed in pockets --c$^1$-- formed in the fabric body.
The front edges of the front portions --B--B--. are each provided with two parallel hems as shown at --d--d-- and one of said sections is provided with button-holes --e-- between the two hems. The front edge of the other section --B-- is provided with a corset-stay disposed in a pocket --f-- between the two hems --d--d--. This latter section has a series of tape loops --f$^1$-- attached to the hem --d-- farthest from the edge of the said section, and to these loops are attached buttons --f$^2$--f$^2$-- adapted to pass through the button-holes --e-- in the operation of donning and removing the corset onto and from the person. The stay in the pocket --f-- imparts the desired vertical stiffness to that portion of the corset, while the button-carrying loops --f$^1$-- attached to the fabric body separate from the aforesaid stay, affords an elastic connection of the two front sections --B--B--. To further increase the circumferential elasticity of the corset we employ corset stays composed of spring wire --1-- curved successively into a series of loops --2-- which are disposed transversely in relation to the pockets --3-- into which said stays are inserted. These pockets extend curvilinearly from the top to the bottom of the corset and the said wire-stays readily conform to the said curvilinear arrangement of the pockets and permit universal flexure of the corset without causing wrinkling of the fabric-body thereof.
We do not limit ourselves to any specific form of the curved wire --1-- as this feature admits of many modifications. The essential feature of the said wire stay is in its ability of being flexed in any direction without danger of being broken.
The top edge of the said corset is formed with increased downward curvature as shown at --h-- at the underarm portions of the corset for the purpose of rendering the corset convenient to the wearer when practicing athletic exercises.
--i--i-- denote shoulder straps which are tapered from their permanent attaching ends partway toward the free ends thereof. Said attaching ends are formed with wide transverse edges which are sewed to the top edge of the back section --A--, from whence the 'said straps extend across the adjacent shoulders of the wearer as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings and are pinned or otherwise adjustably connected to the top portions of the front sections --B--B--. Said shoulder straps are curved longitudinally and the attachment of the wide ends thereof to the top edge of the back section --A-- causes them to be maintained flat, comfortable, and secure on the shoulders of the wearer.
--t--t-- represent buttons for attaching the waist-band of a garment. These buttons are attached to tape loops --n-- attached to the fabric body adjacent to the stay-pockets --3--. Said buttons are thus securely retained on the corset and conveniently manipulated in connecting the aforesaid waist-band to the corset.
What we claim as our invention is:
A corset consisting of a fabric body composed of a back section and two front sections, and having its top edges formed with increased downward curvatures at the underarm portions, the said back section formed with side extensions, the rear edge portions of the front sections and adjacent edge portions of the extensions being hemmed and formed thereat with pockets, stays consisting of looped wire disposed in the pockets, eyelets fastened to the said front sections and extensions and arranged between the hemmed edges and stays, elastic lacings passing through the eyelets for adjustably and yieldingly connecting said front sections and extensions, the front edges of the front sections each provided with two parallel hems and one of the said front sections provided with button-holes between the two hems, the front edge of the other front sections provided with a pocket between its two hems, a wire stay disposed in said pocket, a series of tape loops attached to the latter section at the hem farthest from the edge thereof, buttons secured to said loops and arranged correspondingly with the aforesaid button-hales, shoulder-straps sewed to the top edge of the back section, said straps being tapered from their permanently attached ends partway toward their free ends and curved longitudinally and formed with wide transverse attaching edges to maintain them flat and secure on the shoulders of the wearer, the free ends of the straps being detachably and adjustably connected to the top portions of the aforesaid front sections, and waist-band attaching means consisting of a series of tape loops fastened to the corset body adjacent to the stay-pockets and provided with buttons as set forth and shown.
HENRY W. GILBERT. [L, s.]
EVA MAYNARD MARTIN. [L. s.]
Witnesses: W. W. KINCAID, J. H. PARDEE.