Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 16th Nov., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 5th Jan., 1887.
RESERVE
I, JOSEPH LOUIS WELLS, of the City of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United
States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows.
My invention has reference to bustles, and has for its object to provide a covering
for the same which will serve to protect garments worn adjacent to the bustle from
being soiled by contact with the latter, said covering being elastic, so as to contract
and expand with the bustle, and open, so as not to interfere with the free circulation
of air through the latter.
My invention consists in the combination with the body of a bustle of a braided,
knitted or openwork textile covering therefor constructed and applied substantially as
liereinafter set forth.
The braided wire composing the body of the bustle is liable to soil garments with
which it may contact and particularly white garments constituting underwear. To
prevent such soiling I provide the body with a covering. Said covering is of textile
material and of open-work character, and is preferably cotton knitted with open loops
so as to have considerable elasticity and to permit the free circulation of air through it.
But braided fabrics of any suitable material may constitute the covering, provided that
they possess the essentials of clasticity and openness.
The covering is applied to the body before the waistband is attached to the latter,
and is fastened to said body at its ends by means of stitching through tapes which
form the coverings for said ends and the media for connection with said waistband,
said tapes being folded over the covering, outside the ends of the latter and held in
place by stitching or other equivalent fastening. Or.any other suitable fastening
for the cover may be employed."
The covering described prevents contact of the wire of the bustle when in use with
adjacent garments and so avoids the soiling of the latter by such contact. Said
covering being of an elastic nature adapts itself to the contour of the bustle, and does
not interfere with the contraction or expansion, compression or flexion of the latter,

page_text: but, on the contrary, conforms to or follows the changes in shape of the body. Being
open-work it does not impede the free circulation of air through the bustle body, so
that the latter remains, as heretofore cool and healthful. The covering described
improves the appearance of the article and enhances its attractiveness.
I have described the covering as applied to a braided wire hustle, but I do not
confine myself thereto, as the covering may be used on a bustle body of woven wire,
or wire otherwise constructed or adapted to form a bustle-body. Nor is my improve-
ment confined to a wire bustle, as the covering described may be applied to a bustle
the body of which is material other than wire.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: 1, JOSEPH LOUIS WELLS, of the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United
States of America, manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BUSTLES OR DRESS IMPROVERS" and in what manner. the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein the figure is a
perspective of a bustle embodying my improvements part of the cover being removed
to show the wire beneath :-
My invention has reference to bustles and has for its object to provide a covering
for the same which will serve to protect garments worn adjacent to the bustle from
being soiled by contact with the latter, said covering being elastic, so as to contract
and expand with the bustle, and open, so as not to interfere with the free circulation of
air through the latter.
My invention consists in the combination with the body of a bustle of a braided,
knitted or openwork textile covering therefor, constructed and applied substantially as
hereinafter set forth.
Referring to the accompanying drawing A represents a bustle the body of which, B,
is shown as composed of braided wire, and which has a waistband C.
The braided wire composing the body of the bustle is liable to soil garments with
which it may contact and particularly white garments constituting underwear. To
prevent such soiling I provide the body B with a covering D. Said covering is of
textile material and of open-work character, and is preferably cotton knitted with open
loops so as to have considerable elasticity and to permit the free circulation of air
through it. But braided fabrics of any suitable material may constitute the covering,
provided that they possess the essentials of elasticity and openness.
The covering D is applied to the body B before the waistband is attached to the
latter, and is fastened to said body at its ends by means of stitching through the tapes
EE which form the coverings for said ends and the media for connection with said
waistband, said tapes being folded over the covering, outside the ends of the latter and
held in place by stitching or other equivalent fastening. Or any other suitable
fastening for the cover may be employed.
Said
The covering described prevents contact of the wire of the bustle when in use with
adjacent garments and so avoids the soiling of the latter by such contact.
covering being of an elastic nature adapts itself to the contour of the bustle, and does
not interfere with the contraction or expansion, compression or flexion of the latter,
but, on the contrary, conforms to or follows the changes in shape of the body. Being
open-work it does not impede the free circulation of air through the bustle body, so
that the latter remains, as heretofore cool and healthful. The covering described
improves the appearance of the article and enhances its attractiveness.
I have shown and described the covering as applied to a braided wire bustle, but I
do not confine my claim thereto, as the covering may be used on a bustle body of
woven wire or wire otherwise constructed or adapted to form a bustlerbody. Nor is
my improvement confined to a wire bustle, as the covering described may be applied
to a bustle the body of which is material other than wire.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination with the body of a bustle of a covering therefor of knitted,
braided or other elastic open-work textile material, substantially as shown and described.
2. The combination with the body B of a bustle of a covering D therefor, said
covering being composed of knitted, braided or elastic open-work textile material
fastened to said body at each end of the latter, substantially as shown and described.
3. The combination with the waistband C and body B of a bustle and tapes E E
which form end connections therefor of an elastic open-work textile covering for said
body having its ends fastened to the ends of the latter beneath the tapes, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
4. The combination with a braided body B of a bustle of an elastic, open-work
covering therefor substantially as shown and described.
5. The combination with a bustle the body of which is composed essentially or
mainly of naked wire of a textile elastic covering of braided, knitted or equivalent
open-work material, substantially as shown and described.
JOSEPH LOUIS WELLS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.