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ZEEB ROAD, ANN ARBOR, Ml 48106 18 BEDFORD ROW, LONDON WC1 R 4EJ, ENGLAND 7922476 | DICKSON* CAROL ANNE PATTERNS FOR GARMENTS: A HISTORY OF THE PAPER GARMENT PATTERN INDUSTRY IN AMERICA TO 1 9 7 6 . THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, P H . D . , 1979 COPR. 1979 DICKSON, CAROL ANNE University Microfilms International s o o n , z e e b r o a d , a n n a r b o r , m i 4 8 io 6 ©Copyright by Carol Anne Dickson 1979 PATTERNS FOR GARMENTS: A HISTORY OF THE PAPER GARMENT PATTERN INDUSTRY IN AMERICA TO 1976 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Carol Anne Dickson, B.S., M.S. ***** The Ohio State University 1979 Reading Committee: Dr. Goodwin Berquist Dr. Lois Dickey Dr. M. Roe Smith Adviser Department of Textiles and Clothing To my parents, alive in my memory ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to extend her sincere appreciation to the following people who provided her with the incentive, the encouragement and the special talents essential to the completion of the study: To Dr. Lois Dickey for her patience and continuing encouragement throughout the entire research process. Her interest, enthusiasm and assistance often provided needed support. To Dr. Goodwin Berquist, Dr. M. Roe Smith and Professor Mary Millican for their sustained interest in the study from its inception and for their guidance through out the investigation. The writer is indebted to the following pattern company representatives, museum curators and librarians for their assistance in gaining access to the documents and artifacts needed for the completion of the study: Mr. Sydney Keane and Ms. Lynn Hudes, McCall Pattern Company; Mr. Art Joinnides, Butterick Fashion Marketing Company; Mrs. Caroline Hutchins Shapiro, Simplicity Pattern Company; representatives of the Sterling Historical Society; representatives of the Fitchburg Historical iii Society; Ms. Lorene Mayo and Ms. Claudia Kidwell, Smithsonian Institution; Mr. Robert Lovett, Baker Library, Harvard University; Ms. Eleanor Devlin, The Ohio State University Libraries. The School of Home Economics Alumni Association, The Ohio State University and the Graduate School of The Ohio State University for the support they provided during the doctoral study. Fellow graduate students for their continuing moral support and encouragement throughout the graduate studies. My brother, David, who has always supported all my endeavors, has encouraged me and has been a mainstay in my life for many years. VITA 197 4 .............................. B.S., Fontbonne College St. Louis, Missouri 197 5 .............................. M.S., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1977 ..............................Recipient of Graduate Research Award, School of Home Economics, The Ohio State University 1977.............................. Recipient of Graduate Student Alumni Research Award, The Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Textiles and Clothing Studies in Behavioral Aspects of Clothing. Professor Lois Dickey Studies in Historic Costume and Textiles. Professor Mary Millican Minor Fields: Mass Communications and Journalism Studies in Mass Communications. Dr. Goodwin Berquist Studies in Journalism and Public Relations. Dr. Robert Holsinger v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION......................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................... iii VITA............................................... v LIST OF PLATES.................................... viii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION................................ 1 Statement of the Problem............... 4 Justification........................... 4 Objectives....................'.......... 7 Limitations............................. 8 Organization of Presentation........... 9 II. DISCOVERY METHODS.......................... 10 Exploratory Trip to Identify Resources.................. 11 Second Trip: Washington and New York......................... 15 Analysis of Data........................ 18 III. GARMENT PATTERNS: SLATE TO WOOD AND WOOD TO PAPER................. 19 IV. DEMOREST vs BUTTERICK: FROM UNSIZED PATTERNS TO SIZED PATTERNS................................ 29 vi V. EBENEZER BUTTERICK: TAILOR TO ENTREPRENEUR......................... 32 VI. BUTTERICK COMPETITION: THE ROYAL CHART TO 10-CENT PATTERNS................................ 46 VII. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: PAPER PATTERNS TO PAPER TRUSTS............... 75 VIII. SUMMATION................................... 158 APPENDIXES A. CHRONOLOGY OF IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF GARMENT PATTERNS................................ 172 B. DEFINITIONS OF THE PAPER GARMENT PATTERN INDUSTRY........................ 176 C. PATTERN COMPANIES IN BUSINESS IN 1934........................ 178 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY...................... •..... 180 LIST OF PLATES Plate Page I. Unsized Pattern for One Garment with Pieces Overlapping...................................... 27 II. Unsized Patterns for Three Garments: Jacket, Cape and Skirt........ 28 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Before the introduction of the paper garment pattern for homesewers, homemakers and dressmakers were frequently required to take an old garment apart in order to have a pattern with which to construct a new garment. Other methods used to obtain a pattern included drafting a pattern from body measurements; tracing a small, scaled pattern from a periodical or book and then increasing the size of the tracing to the appropriate scale; draping muslin directly on the body and then using the draped and cut pieces for a pattern. The paper garment pattern, therefore, grew out of a distinct need to make the dressmaking process less time consuming and easier than it had been. Today the homesewer can purchase a graded and stylish pattern with easy-to-read instructions at any fabric store, many department stores, some variety stores and even in some drugstores and grocery stores. The beginnings of the paper garment pattern industry in America have been considered obscure and have been controversial. Several authors (Post, 1976; Furnas, 1969; Tate and Glisson, 1961) have commented briefly on the beginnings of the paper garment pattern industry in America. Furnas (1969) stated that standardized paper patterns in graduated sizes were first made from tissue paper by Mme. Ellen Demorest who promoted the patterns in her magazine, Mme. Demorest's Mirror of Fashions. Post (1976) alluded to the possibility that Mme. Demorest was the first to present paper patterns to home sewers in America, however, a firm statement was not made. Tate and Glisson (1961), Siciliano (1955), and Simplicity Pattern Company (1975) attributed the beginning of the paper garment pattern industry in America to a New England tailor, Ebenezer Butterick, and his wife, Ellen, in 1863. One question underlying the pre sent research w a s : Who first made and marketed graded and sized paper garment patterns in America? The Buttericks were more successful than Mme. Demorest in their pattern making endeavors based on the fact that the Butterick company has continued to manu facture and market patterns to the present time. What happened to Mme. Demorest and her tissue paper pattern interests was not clear. Mme. Demorest's products and services reflected the latest fashion ideas of Europe and New York. Butterick1s patterns were a reflection of the current fashions actually in existence in New York. By the end of the 19th century, several additional pattern companies had been established. McCall Pattern Company began operations in 1870, according to the historical comments published by the company. Vogue Pattern