An Improved Bodice, Stay, or Waist for Children's Wear.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th July, 1896-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Bodice, Stay, or Waist for Children's Wear.
I, REGINALD WILLIAMS CLARKE of Worcester in the State of Massachusetts,
United States of America, Commercial Traveller, but at present of the Hotel
Victoria, London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to an improved bodice, stay or waist for children's wear,
from which the lower garment or garments may be suspended, and by which they
may he carried, the bodice, stay or waist being particularly applicable for the use
of boys for suspending their trousers or knickerbockers and drawers thereto,
though it may also be adapted for girls for suspending and carrying the petticoats
and skirts.
In the accompanying drawing is illustrated the bodice stay or waist constructed
in accordance with this invention, Figure 1 being a front view and Figure 2 a back
view of same.
The bodice, stay or waist consists of the usual body portion a of linen, canvas,
or some suitable stout material having shoulder pieces bb and the usual openings
for the arms and neck. As shown in Fig. 1 the garment is closed upon the person
by buttoning in front at c. At suitable points around the garment at the front,
back and sides are arranged a number of loops d of tape, or such loops may be
metal eyes. To these loops or eyes are hung by means of hooks e attached
to strips of elastic webbing or the like, a hand g which extends around the
garment and may be buttoned in front at h as shown in Fig. 1.
The band carries buttons i to which the trousers or the like may be attached,
or in place of buttons, hooks or other devices may be used, and the band further
carries buttons or it may be hooks or other devices to which the drawers or under
garments may be hung or fastened. Inside of the garment may be attached strips
of material kk which may carry suitable stocking suspending devices. The band g
it will thus be seen is entirely detachable from the body portion a so that the
latter may be separated therefrom for the purpose of washing, which process
would ruin the elastic portions of the band. The band forms a means of
suspending in a flexible and natural manner the garments of the child, the weight
of the latter being equally distributed over the garment which in turn transfers it
on to the shoulders. For this purpose the body portion a is traversed by straps /
of the same or a stouter material, which strips unite or are attached to or form
at the shoulders a single strap m, the other cuds of the straps / terminating at the
points where the eyes or loops d are secured and in a direct line with the buttons i
and j, so that the weight carried by the band g and transferred to such loops or
hooks is taken directly by the shoulder straps m.
The hooks c and loops or eyes d may be covered and protected by a flap n of
material which is shown in Fig. 1 as parily broken away although such band may
be suspended flexibly in other ways to the body portion. The stocking
suspenders are also hung directly from a point in line with one or more of
the straps 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
ided with a hand removable and ferible attached

page_text: to same, such band carrying means for suspending the lower garments to,
substantially as described.
2. A bodice, stay or waist provided with a band to which are secured strips of
elastic webbing provided with hooks by which they may be attached to the body
portion, such band being provided with buttons or the like for attaching the lower
garments thereto, substantially as described.
3. A bodice, stay or waist provided with a band removably and flexibly attached
to same, the band carrying means for suspending the lower garments thereto, and
being attached to the body portion in such a manner that the weight is taken
directly by the shoulders, substantially as described.
4. In a bodice, stay or waist and in combination, the body portion, straps l
and m applied to same, a removable band g carrying elastic webbing f, means for
attaching the webbing to the body portion directly in line with or to the straps ?,
and means carried by the band for suspending the lower garments thereto, such
means being applied to the band in line with the straps, substantially as and for
the purpose described.
5. A bodice, stay or waist constructed substantially as described and illustrated
in the drawings.
Dated the out 1..
1000
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Applicant.