IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LADIES' STAYS AND CORSETS, AND OTHER GARMENTS USED FOR UNDER CLOTHING FOR THE HUMAN FRAME
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Dixon and James Calvert, the younger,
of Nottingham House, Long Row, in the Great Market Place, in the
Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Drapers and Silk
Mercers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF
LADIES' STAYS AND CORSETS, AND OTHER GARMENTS USED FOR UNDER CLOTHING
FOR THE HUMAN FRAME."
Sealed the 22nd July 1864, and dated the 29th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Dixon and James
Calvert, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 29th January 1864.
We, STEPHEN DIXON and JAMES CALVERT, the younger, of Nottingham
House, Long Row, in the Great Market Place, in the Town and County of
the Town of Nottingham, Drapers and Silk Mercers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF
LADIES' STAYS AND CORSETS, AND OTHER GARMENTS USED FOR UNDER CLOTHING FOR
THE HUMAN FRAME," to be as follows:-
Heretofore stays, corsets, bodices, bands, belts, and under vests worn by
either sex have been composed of linen, cotton, woven, merino, lambs' wool,
fleecy material, or worsted, and each such material has been more or less
complained of in various respects, whereas our improvements consist in the
introduction of wadding made of cotton, wool, fleecy hosiery, or down between
the front and back surfaces of stays, corsets, bedices, belts, and bands worn
next the body or in proximity thereto, and of under vests, either in connection

page_text: with or without other material. These combinations will, on pressure, yield a
soft, delicate, and agreeable feeling, and afford a most convenient pliability,
besides conducing to health and elegance. By a skilful or intelligent
arrangement of these materials, not only will the human frame be guarded
against the injurious effects of vicissitudes of weather or climate, (thus pre-
venting colds and coughs with their attendant evils,) but a more graceful
appearance will be given to it; while to the weak and delicate such a
garment will act as an anti-consumptive garment.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Stephen Dixon and James Calvert, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, STEPHEN
DIXON and JANES CALVERT, the younger, of Nottingham House, Long Row, in
the Great Market Place, in the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
Drapers and Silk Mercers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Stephen Dixon and James Calvert, Her special
licence that we, the said Stephen Dixon and James Calvert, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Stephen Dixon and
James Calvert, our executors, administrators, 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 Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LADIES' STAYS AND CORSETS, AND OTHER GARMENTS
USED FOR UNDER CLOTHING FOR THE HUMAN FRAME," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Stephen Dixon and James Calvert, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, or them, should par-
ticularly 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Stephen Dixon and James Calvert,
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, that is to say:-
Heretofore stays, corsets, bodices, bands, belts, and under vests worn by
either sex have been composed of linen, cotton, woven merino, lambs' wool,
fleecy materials, or worsted, and as at present manufactured they have been
more or less complained of in various respects, whereas our improvements
consist in the introduction of a wadding or an interlining of cotton or
other wool, fleecy hosiery materials, or down, employed either separately
or two or more of them combined, between the front and back surfaces
of stays, corsets, bodices, bands, belts, or under vests worn next the body
or in proximity thereto. The article so produced will, on pressure, yield a
soft, delicate, and agreeable feeling, and afford a most convenient pliability,
besides conducing to elegance and health. By an intelligent arrangement
of these materials not only will the human frame be guarded against the
injurious effects of vicissitudes of weather or climate, thus preventing colds
and coughs with their attendant evils, but a more graceful appearance will
be given to it, and to persons of weak and delicate constitution these gar-
ments will act as anti-consumptive garments.
Having thus set forth the nature of our Invention, we proceed to describe
more particularly the manner of performing it.
In the production of our wadding or interlining, the material we prefer to
use is the down of the eider duck or other bird, or the down of cotton or
other fibrous materials, either alone or in combination with silk down, or
with cotton or other wool, or with fleecy hosiery materials.
In carrying out our Invention we proceed as follows:-In the manufacture
or production of stays, corsets, bodices, bands, belts, or under vests we intro-
duce a wadding or interlining of down between the front and back surfaces
of the articles, whether such down be of the eider duck or other bird, or silk
down, or the down of cotton or other fibrous materials. Sometimes we intro-
duce eider down alone in producing these articles, or the down of any other
bird alone, or silk down alone, or cotton down alone, or the down of other
fibrous materials alone; or sometimes we use for the purpose two or more of
such descriptions of down in combination, or sometimes we combine the down
with cotton or other wool or fleecy hosiery material. Or sometinies instead
of using down we introduce between the front and back surfaces of the stays,
corsets, bodices, bands, belts, or under vests a wadding or interlining of
wool or fleecy hosiery material, either alone or combined with each other.

page_text: Sometimes we use either or any of these above-named materials, whether
cotton or other wool, fleecy material or down, separately or alone, in pro-
ducing our wadding or interlining, but we mostly introduce the eider down
or other down, that is to say, each distinctive down, or any or all of them,
either alone or in combination with cotton or other wool, or with fleecy
hosiery materials.
And in order that no misapprehension may be entertained as to what we
mean by the term "interlining," we have to state that we place between the
exterior and interior substance of the stay, corset, bodice, band, belt, or under
vest the down, cotton, or other wool, or other fibrous materials, or fleecy
hosiery materials, either separately or in combination, as herein-before stated,
and this we call interlining.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, we declare that we claim,--
First, the manufacture or production of stays, corsets, bodices, bands, belts,
or under vests having between the front and back surfaces thereof a wadding
or in terlining of down of the eider duck or other bird, or of silk down, or
the down of cotton or other fibrous materials employed separately, or of any
two or more such downs employed in combination, or of either or all the
downs employed in combination with cotton or other wool, or fleecy hosiery
materials.
Second, the manufacture or production of stays, corsets, bodices, bands,
or belts having between the front and back surfaces a wadding or interlining
of cotton or other wool, or of fleecy hosiery materials used separately, or of
wool and fleecy hosiery materials used in combination with each other.
In witness whereof, we, the said Stephen Dixon and James Calvert, the
younger, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-seventh
day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-four.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
STEPHEN DIXON.
(L.S.)
JAMES CALVERT, JUNE. (L.S.)
Nottingham.