Improvements in or relating to Skirt-protectors.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATIO
Improvements in or relating to Skirt-protectors.
A communication from ANNIE DIXON, wife of Alexander Hutton Dixon, of the City
of Toronto, County of York, Province of Ontario, Canada, Gentleman.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of the invention is to provide an over-skirt which will enclose a lady's
dress and under-skirts and effectually protect them in rainy and sloppy or dusty
weather;
and it consists, essentially of an annular piece of material connected at its
bottom edge to or formed integral with, a suitably-supported outer skirt, and having
holes in its centre for the passage of the lady's legs, the said under-skirt being
supported by garters around the wearer's legs, or by straps suspended from the
waist-band or any other convenient portion of the underclothing.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a figure provided with the improved skirt-
protector, a portion of the dress being broken away to expose the interior
connections.
Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of the skirt-protector.
A is a narrow skirt which I support from the waist of the wearer by tapes B
connected at their bottom ends to the skirt A and at their upper ends to the belt C;
or, if preferred, the said skirt A may be made a full skirt and be connected to the
waist of the wearer in the usual manner, but for the purpose of this invention a narrow
skirt suspended by tapes B as shown in the drawing is sufficient. D is a piece of
material connected around its edge to, or made integral with, the skirt A. This piece
or material is made large, as shown so that its centre may be raised above the knees
of the lady wearing the garment; holes being made in it through which the lady's legs
are passed, and suitable garters E (see fig. 1) or straps E (see fig. 2) are provided
near each hole so as to suspend the inner skirt either from the legs or waist of the
wearer.
The piece of material or skirt D forms an effective covering for all the skirts of
the wearer, while the outer skirt A effectually protects the bottom outer edges of the
skirts the outer skirt A and the inner skirt D thus forming a bag enclosing all
portions of the skirts which usually suffer in sloppy weather.
With the view of protecting the legs of the wearer I provide for each leg a legging F
which may be connected to the skirt D either by means of the garters E or they may
be formed integral with the said skirt D.
A lady provided with a garment such as I have described may walk in the sloppiest
kind of weather without fear of wetting any part of her garments. It will also be
found serviceable in sleigh-riding, or tobogganing, and as a protector in cold draughts
of air, or in dusty weather.
My correspondent does not wish to confine herself to any particular kind of material,
but of course it must be made of water-proof material in order to secure the full.
benefit of the invention, when made for use in wet weather; or, if required for dusty
weather, it should be made of light linen or any other light fabric.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
: 1. A skirt protector composed of a piece of material connected at its bottom edge.
to, or formed integral with, a suitably-supported outer skirt, and having holes in its

page_text: centre for the passage of the wearer's legs, and garters or straps for suspending it,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. A skirt-protector: composed of a piece of material connected at its bottom edge
to, or formed integral with, a. suitably-supported outer skirt, and having holes in its
centre for the passage of the wearer's legs, and garters or straps for suspending it,
together with leggings, substantially as-andifor the purpose specified.
Datad(this 12th down's Fa