AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING THE SKIRTS OF LADIES' DRESSES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, E.C., Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING THE SKIRTS OF LADIES' DRESSES."-
A communication.
Sealed the 1st March 1859, and dated the 3rd September 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 3rd September 1858.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, E.C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING THE SKIRTS OF LADIES'
DRESSES," (communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad,) to be as
follows:-
This Invention is an improvement in a lady's dress, whereby the skirts may
be supported upon the hips in a manner which shall relieve the body from
compression around the waist, as well as from the great thickness of numerous
skirts around that part of the body.
Around the body is fitted a band of varying breadth, being narrowest at the
sides or upon the hips, and extending down to some distance in front and at
the back. The upper line of this is straight, or nearly so, and is at the place

page_text: of the lower line of the waist; the back of this band is strengthened with
whalebone, and is made generally to fit to the form at that part. The front
portion is also similarly stiffened, and is made to be opened along the front
central line, and is there secured by lacings in order that it may be readily
put on and off, as required. As thus constructed, the band has a close
resemblance to the lower part of the "corset" usually worn. To the upper
edge of it is attached a frame of springs, similar in construction to the upper
part of a hooped skirt, except that the framework must be more close and
capable of supporting the weight of all the dress without being broken down.
The front ends of its hoops are secured to the sides of the broad part of the
band. The framework is generally circular in form, if seen in a top view,
although the opening where it closes around the waist is not central, but is
nearly tangential to the front edge of the general circle. When the appa-
ratus thus formed is worn it will afford a perfect support for any number of
skirts that may be desired, and without involving the necessity of bringing
any of them into contact with the waist, since if each of those has an opening
at all smaller than the spread of the supporter they cannot fall off. The
bearing surface of the band is upon those parts of the body which are
enlarging generally in size from the waist, while the amount of surface upon
which it bears is so large that the pressure is slight upon any part.
The dress supported may be further improved by having an elastic strap
passed around the back part of the band, the ends of which strap are attached
to the lower front corners of the framework. The effect of this will be that
inasmuch as the back part of the framework is drawn downward by the act
of sitting, the elastic strap will draw upon the front when the wearer rises
again, and cause the back part to resume its original position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent
© Office on the 3rd March 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD 3
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, E.C.,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign, 3.
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto me, the said

page_text: Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, .the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, adminis-
trators and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING THE SKIRTS OF LADIES
DRESSES," (a communication,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and, seals;
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention;
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed; that is to say:-
This Invention, is an improvement in a lady's dress, whereby the skirts may
be supported upon the hips in a manner which shall relieve the body from
compression around the waist as well as from the great thickness of numerous
skirts around that part of the body. It is well known that this thickness of
clothing is injurious to the health of the wearer, and hence many devices have
been resorted to in order that the skirts should be properly supported without
any deleterious result. That the present method effects this in a remark-
able degree will be evident from the following description thereof :-Around
the body is fitted a band a, as seen in the accompanying Drawings, of varying
breadth, being narrowest at the sides or upon the hips, and extending down to
some distance in front and at the back. The upper line of this is straight, or
nearly so; and is at the place of the lower line of the waist, as shown at b, in
the sectional view, Figure 2. The back of this band is strengthened with
whalebone, as shown at c, and is made generally to fit to the form at that
part. The front portion is also similarly stiffened, and is made to be opened
along the front central line, as seen at a¹, and is there secured by lacings in
order that it may be readily put on and off as required. As thus constructed,
the band has a close resemblance to the lower part of the "corset" usually
worn. To the upper edge of it is attached a frame of springs e, similar in

page_text: construction to the upper part of a hooped skirt, except that the framework
must be more close and capable of supporting the weight of all the dress
without being broken down. The front ends of its hoops are secured to the
sides of the broad part of the band a, as at d, in Figure 1. The framework
is generally circular in form, if seen in a top view, although the opening
where it closes around the waist is not central, but is nearly tangential to the
front edge of the general circle, as is clearly seen in Figure 1. When the
apparatus thus formed is worn it will afford a perfect support for any number
of skirts that may be desired, and without involving the necessity of bringing
any of them into contact with the waist, since if each of those has an opening
at all smaller than the spread of the supporter they cannot fall off. The
bearing surface of the band a is upon those parts of the body which are
enlarging generally in size from the waist, while the amount of surface upon
which it bears is so large that the pressure is slight upon any part.
The dress supporter may be further improved by having an elastic strap
passed around the back part of the band a; the ends of which strap are
attached to the lower front corners of the framework e. The effect of this
will be that inasmuch as the back part of the framework is drawn downward
by the act of sitting, the elastic strap will draw upon the front when the
wearer rises again, and cause the back part to resume its original position.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, constructing a
supporter for the skirts of ladies' dresses substantially in the manner herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
K. A. BROUMAN.
(L.S.)