The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-17
history OF HOSIERY.
In the Time of Elizabeth Women
Went StockingIess.

In the Time of Elizabeth women
Went Stockingless.
Boston Herald.
Fancy a lady of the present time going
about well dressed, but stockingless! Tn
very idea seems an aggravated case of alb
surdity, and yet hundreds of years ago 1T
about without stockings, since the long
trousered garment that was then the rage
covered the leg to the ankle. and
Copies of statues in the Louvre represent
the ladies of Gaul in ancient days arrayed
toned like breeches, very long and baggy at
the ankles, met by shoes of leather. When
people spoke of hose in those days the word
nowadays ordinarily give to it. 1t referred
to the breeches or GLASSES then SO much in
vogue, and the term stocking; the hose a99sseeimnaass
were appended to the large breeches.
AS early as the twelfth century we hear
of them as being worn beneath the long
gowns then usually adopted by both sexes;
but they were very expensive, and some
times one stocking cost as much as twenty
shillings. When the French fashions We're
introduced It the English court, in the four
teenth century, stockings were made of very
leg differing from the other. making the
common term of a pair inedmissible. Chau-
Ger speaks of ladies' hose In "A Wife of
Of fine skarlet redde."
The lower classes wore hose cut out of
blanket. and, like those of more expensive
they were perfectly plain, without embel-
ishment At this time Henry Ill so it is
recorded, ordered three pairs for his sister
Isabella, to be embroidered in gold 1t was
in the sixteenth century that they were
adslgha eentin av ttoekif fe the ol t n9ne; f hose or or
breaches of that period. They were also
called neither stocks, and were. often made
of velvet and satin and embroidered in gold.
Prior to the middle of this century stock
ings of silk were unknown, and a pair of
long Spanish silk hose at that period was
C0ngt66rQd "A donation WnrfhX of the QP-
still intact Of hose Of black silk woven
gold, woven like unto a caul, and lined with
blue silver sarsenet, edged with a passemain
Queen Elizabeth set the fashion for silk
stockings in England when she had been
upon the throne about three years. 1t was
ample she was enabled to encourage this
species OF home manufacture IN that coun-
try. Her silk woman. Mistress Montague
of black silk knit stockings which she her
self made, and which so pleased her Males
ty that she never afterward wore cloth
And 50 by degrees came the evolution of
the knit stocking, and from this time on
there began the gradual disappearance of
the cloth stocking, cut into shape and
sewed up by hand. Stocking knitting be-
a great many women supported themselves
at the trade. There is extant a description
Of them in 1888: Their stockings are Of silk.
a Ao[yy WOiolCd, Xix = III eau,
or cloth, of cheangeable color, as green,
red. white, russell, cunningly knit. and curl
oIusly indented in every, point with quirks.
cloths and open seams
In 1888 William Lee applied for and was
refused a patent for a knitting frame that
goes that he was very much in love with
a knitting woman, who rejected his suit,
and In order to be revengeful ne tried to de,
patent for his invention. There was a storm
of indignation among the knitters, and he
France, where he established a factory in
Rouen. The machine was introduced into
the United States shortly after the revolu-
ton, and was modified and adapted to pow
er by Timothy Bailey, of Albany. in 1881,
and a stocking factory was established at
Cohoes in 1882.
In the early days of the stocking frame
there was but little shape in the hosiery.
There was no means provided for shaping
a board and cut narrow at the ankle, and
was sewed up in shape by hand. The art
Scotland IN the fifteenth century, and from
that country knitted stockings found their
way to France, and led to the establish
ment of a guild of stocking knitters, who
chose for their patron st. Fiacre of Scot
land.
Of course, William Lees machine under
went a great many improvements. The first
of marked Importance was the ribbing ap-
paratus, invented by Jedidah Strut in 1752.
This consisted in adding a second series of
needles, with an arrangement for working
them, to Lees machine, which could only
make a plain WoD, ana not a rlDD6Q one
Early in this century Sir Marc Brunei in
vented a circular knitting frame, which pro-
duced a tubular web. 1t was considered a
very meritorious machine, but did not come
much into use until improved upon, twenty
eight years after, by Claussen, of Brussels.
In 1847 it was so modified as to be widely
adopted, and from time to time since has
received various improvements. Since then
hosiery machines have become plentiful, and
every stitch of the work that appears now
adays upon all the fancy hose, of no matter
how many colors or of how intricate a de-
sign, is done by machine.
The styles have varied In color and design
from time to time, but at present the out
look is that fast black stockings will be
worn by women of this country from now
ON to the end of time.
Thirty years ago nothing was worn but
white stockings, either pure white or the
balbriggan hose, and a stocking counter of
a shop in those days would present box
after box of white stockings, both for
women and children. After a few years the
and stripes and figures appeared upon the
white ground. There were stripes circling
the stockings and stripes going up and down
the stockings. After a time other colors
were substituted for a background, and col
ored stockings were in vogue Pretty soon
the solid color was in demand, and red was
the popular tone. Blacks were at that time
in demand by a few, but they did not be-
come popular on account of the poor dye
stuffs, that caused an itching and burning
of the feet. AT last Hermsdcrff, a German.
discovered a perfectly. fast dye that would
not crock, and Immediately black stockings
came in vogue.
Thu ONLY Sofo Cnuo