Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Great Underwear Emporium

If you ever wondered why people didn't smile in old photographs, this may be the answer: wool underwear. Wool underwear would certainly put a serious expression on my face. As you can see, the child in this picture, an advertisement for the Great Underwear Emporium of Tioga County, is probably wearing those wool undergarments too.


Here's where you can go to stock up on your Shetland knit underwear.

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11 comments:

  1. L. D. January 18, 2012 at 6:32 AM

    My memories of wool things are not positive either. I had a wool sweater and I just couldn't wear it ever.

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  2. Lisa BJanuary 18, 2012 at 6:58 AM

    I've never been able to wear wool next to my skin (or even over t-shirts or long sleeves), so woollen underwear doesn't bear thinking about!

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  3. Cappuccinoandartjournal.blogspot.comJanuary 18, 2012 at 8:28 AM

    I wondered about that.........LOL

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  4. Archie TechtJanuary 18, 2012 at 10:58 AM

    I would love to see a fashion show of the Straus spring 1888 collection, I'm sure things have changed a bit, aside from the lack of wool! I think the expression on the girl may be due to the fact that the somewhat guilty looking dog just swallowed her doll, rather than wool skivvies though...

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  5. Tattered and LostJanuary 18, 2012 at 1:42 PM

    My mother always told me stories about the wool undies she had to wear. She hated them. And when they got damp in the snow she hated them even more because they were then cold, heavy, and smelly.

    It's a lovely card.

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  6. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2012 at 6:18 PM

    I understand the warmth aspect of wool, but silk was invented back then so why suffer?

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  7. JudyJanuary 18, 2012 at 6:28 PM

    It is rare to see smiley people in old time photos. I remember noticing this as a child and asking my mom why. She seemed to think it was bad teeth. Also I've read that long camera exposure times needed absolute stillness, so non-smiley faces were required. However itchy underthings would make me The Queen of Grumpy, so maybe you're on to something. Maybe it was all three. Thank goodness for modern times!

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 19, 2012 at 4:04 AM

    Ooooh - itchy, scratchy, itchy, scratchy! I can't wear wool either.

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  9. Little NellJanuary 19, 2012 at 7:06 AM

    That would explain an awful lot!

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  10. Postcard RoundupJanuary 20, 2012 at 3:52 AM

    "The Great Underwear Emporium"....I thought that was Victoria's Secret!

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  11. LindaJanuary 20, 2012 at 7:24 PM

    ugh, that must have been unbearable, esp with dry skin common in the winter.

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