According to _Handbook of English Costume in the 19th Century_ by C Willett
Cunnington and Phillis Cunnington, a patent for elastic, made of India
Rubber, was filed in Patent Office in 1837. In that same year, elastic sided
half boots first appeared.
Marjorie
Marjorie Gilbert
author of THE RETURN, a historical novel set Georgian England
www.marjoriegilbert.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dawn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Historical Costume" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 7:37 PM
Subject: Re: [h-cost] elastic
Sylvia Rognstad wrote:
Does anyone know when elastic was first used in clothing and how?
I don't have sources for this, but it developed in the early 1800s. Rubber
had been used on cloth to make waterproof clothing, and then it was
pressed and cut into strips for belts and things. It wasn't terribly
stretchy like what we have now, and it tended to be pretty sticky. Rubber
"thread" wrapped with fiber was developed to counter the stickiness, and
became the kind of elastic we use in clothing now.
Dawn
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