Wade Corset Collection
name: label: Inventor
content: Wade , Alzira Hewitt Cowardin , 1839-1929
label: Manufacturer
content: Wade Corset Company
label: Donor
content: Colby, Anne
label: Actor
content: Marlowe, Julia, 1865-1950
topic: label: Topic
content: Corsets
label: Topic
content: Women inventors -- 20th century
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection donated by Anne Colby, July 2022.
creator: label: Inventor
content: Wade , Alzira Hewitt Cowardin , 1839-1929
setName: label: See more items in
content: Wade Corset Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection documents the Wade Corset Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota, founded by inventor, Alzira Hewitt Cowardin Wade.
bioghist: label: Biographical
content: Alzira Hewitt Cowardin Wade (1839-1929), was born in Huntsville, Alabama to Colin Manley Cowardin and Mary Hewitt Morehead. She was one of six children that included Agnes Hunter Cowardin; Mary Elizabeth Cowardin; Margaret Cowardin; Henry Cowardin and Robert Cowardin.

She married Dr. James Howlett Hunter on June 11, 1857 and had two children, Colin Hiram Hunter and Alzira Allie Belle Hunter. Dr. Hunter died of Yellow Fever in 1860. Her second marriage was to William Elijah Wade on June 26, 1866, and the couple had two children, Margaret Ruth Wade and George Munson Wade. 

Wade worked as a seamstress and established the Wade Corset Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, expanding eventually to New York City, Atlantic City, Paris and London. The company offered corset waists, abdominal bands, bust supports, corsage ruffles and girdles. Wade patented an abdominal supporter (US 517,941) in 1894; a reversible corset busk (US 640,839) in 1900; and an apparel corset (US 656,913) in 1900.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: .15 Cubic feet (1 box)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1894-1906
label: Date
content: bulk 1900-1906
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1580
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Ephemera
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged into one series, topically.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection procesed by Clare McElhaney, intern, and Alison Oswald, archivist, 2022.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Collection digitized in July 2022.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Ephemera
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
scopecontent: label: Content Description
content: Ephemera and photographs related to the Wade Corset Company founded by inventor, Alzira Hewitt Cowardin Wade.