page_title: Maidenform
section_title: Pigeon Bras
hierarchical_section_title: Maidenform / Pigeon Bras
caption_attribution_description: English: A Pigeon Bra in use by WW II soldier
context_page_description: Maidenform Brands is a manufacturer of women's underwear, founded in 1922 by three people: seamstress Ida Rosenthal; Enid Bissett, who owned the shop that employed her; and Ida's husband, William Rosenthal. They rebelled against the flat-chested designs of the time and instead produced both dresses and support undergarments, particularly bras that accentuated the natural shape of a woman's figure, hence the name Maidenform.
context_section_description: “When Maidenform converted factories to assist the U.S. military during World War II, the bra brand manufactured two things: parachutes and pigeon bras. Or, as they are known in polite society, pigeon vests, made out of bra-like materials and designed for paratroopers to strap to their chests. (Seen above, or on a paratrooper here.) After landing in a war zone, the paratrooper would undo his pigeon's bra, load the bird with a message, and send it back to home base.”
caption: A Pigeon Bra in use by WW II soldier
exif: {}