Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and Suspenders by Kaye Spencer #trivia #sweetheartsofthewest #fashionhistory

"First Suspenders" Public Domain Image

Suspenders (aka braces and galluses) have been around for centuries as a practical means of holding up one's britches, particularly because of the high waists on men's trousers before belts and belt loops became functionally popular, which was roughly around World War I, when soldiers were introduced to uniform belts. Since the 1920s, suspenders have continued to ride a roller coaster of fashion popularity.

An article on the website Time.com (HERE) offers this tidbit about the origins of suspenders along with an amusing anecdote:

The first suspenders can be traced to 18th century France, where they were basically strips of ribbon attached to the buttonholes of trousers. Benjamin Franklin is said to have worn them — although it's probably best not to ask how historians know that; back then, suspenders were considered an undergarment never to be seen in public. In fact, visible suspenders were considered risqué as recently as 1938, when a town in Long Island, NY tried to ban gentlemen from wearing them without a coat, calling it "sartorial indecency."


This article goes on to explain that in the 1820s, a British designer named Albert Thurston manufactured suspenders as we know them, which brings me to Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka author Mark Twain, as an inventor of an alternative idea for suspenders.

Samuel Clemens (Public Domain)

Clemens received his first patent (#1221992) on December 19, 1871 for an alternative to suspenders, which he reportedly loathed entirely as miserably uncomfortable. He called this invention an "Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments" (ADSG). However, as with many inventions, the original designs are often adapted and the inventor's intent is either lost completely or altered in new and interesting ways.

Suspenders in Hollywood:

John Wayne*

Humphrey Bogart**

Add caption

Clemens' suspenders patent didn't catch on for suspenders. According to an article from Smithsonian Magazine (HERE):

His “improvement in adjustable and detachable straps for garments” was a button-on adjustable strap that could be used to tighten garments–it could pinch a shirt at the waist, for example. “The advantages of such an adjustable and detachable elastic strap are so obvious that they need no explanation...” It would also be simple to make non-elastic detachable straps, Clemens wrote, “but I prefer to make them elastic.”

An article in The Atlantic Monthly (HERE) explained it this way:

Clemens designed the adjustable and detachable strap to be used from one garment to another in order to 'fix' whatever clothing issue the wearer encountered. However, he did not elaborate on exactly how his invention should be used. He wrote that the "advantages of having a stretchy strap for any item is so obvious that they need no explanation."

  

His invention 'ADSG' did not catch on for pantaloons, suspenders, or vests. It did, however, find its niche with one particular garment: the brassiere. So, now you know who to thank, or cuss, for how a traditionally designed bra fastens.

ADSG Patent Image

On a side note, the other patents Clemens received were for a self-pasting scrapbook technique (1873) and a history trivia game (1875). He made $50,000 from the scrapbook invention. His other inventions either cost him money in the long run or simply didn't work. The website ThoughtCo.com has more information about his other inventions and investments-gone-wrong HERE.

Until next time,

Kaye Spencer
Writing through history one romance upon a time

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Resources/References
Shop Mr & Mrs Renaissance - https://www.mrm-accessories.com/blog/2015/1/5/the-look-and-history-of-suspenders-braces
Smithsonian.com - SmartNews - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-mark-twains-hatred-suspenders-drove-him-invent-180967577/
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/mark-twain-granted-his-first-patent-december-19-1871
The Atlantic - https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/07/celebrity-invention-mark-twains-elastic-clasp-brassiere-strap/241267/
Time.com - http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2037331,00.html
ThoughtCo.com - https://www.thoughtco.com/what-were-mark-twains-inventions-740679
Images:
First Suspenders image Public Domain - Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Samuel Clemens - Public Domain image: Unknown author, MarkTwain.LOC, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons
*John Wayne imbd - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000078/mediaviewer/rm2120462592
**Humphrey Bogart - https://goo.gl/images/KU44HM
Openclipart.com - 'wow'

Major Inventions of the 1800's by E. Ayers

Oops! I'm late. But I've brought a few dates with me. Sorry, not the tall, dark, and handsome types. These are important moments in history. Well, some are more important than others. Where would we be without the rubber band? Oh, just because it was invented, doesn't mean it was put into use. Quite a few things took a few years to become a tangible product.

I find these kind of things to be fascinating because they directly influenced the way people lived. And I enjoy writing about the old West but I wouldn't want to go back and live then. Of course, no one expected the house to be as clean and neat as we attempt to keep ours today because they didn't have the things to keep a home as clean.

The 1800’s were filled with inventions. A few people who love to study such things claim that we really didn’t have many inventions during the 1900’s - we just figured out how to make things better, cheaper, and smaller. Here’s a quick overview of inventions, around the world, during the 1800’s. You might find a few surprises.

1801 Jacquard Loom (programmable loom)

1806 Percolator

1809 Tin Can

1817 Draisine (bicycle with no pedals)

1820 Stethoscope

1824 Portland Cement

1827 Photography/Lawnmower/Fountain Pen

1829 Braille

1830 Electromagnetic Motor

1831 Safety Fuse for Explosives

1832 Electrical Motor

1833 Analytical Engine (computer)

1834 Combine Harvester/Refrigerator

1837 Electric Telegraph

1838 Morse Code

1843 Vulcanized Rubber/Paper from Wood/Christmas Cards

1845 Rubber Band

1846 Sewing Machine with Lockstitch

1847 Candy Bar

1849 Safety Pin/Telephone

1850 Bunsen Burner

1853 Kerosene Lamp

1857 Aniline Dyes/Milk Chocolate/Commercialized Toilet Paper

1858 Can Opener

1859 Escalator

1860 Internal Combustion Engine/Vacuum Cleaner

1861 Color Photograph/ Solar-powered Engine

1863 Quad Roller Skates/Granula Cereal (commercial no cooking required cereal)

1864 Pasteurization

1866 Dynamite/Winchester Rifle

1869 Motorbike

1873 Denim Trousers

1876 Four-Stroke Engine/Telephone (US Patent)

1877 Phonograph

1879 Electric Light Bulb

1884 Steam Turbine/Peanut Butter

1885 Anthrax Vaccine/Rabies Vaccine/Photographic Film

1886 Coca-Cola

1888 Modern Day Air Tires/Mass Produced Box Camera

1889 Motorwagen (Automobile)

1891 Basketball/Escalator (an amusement ride)/Incandescent Lamp

1892 Dewar flask (Thermos)

1895 Hearing Aid

1897 Jell-O

It took almost fifty years before someone figured out we needed a can opener to open those tin cans? Don’t you think that someone should have worked on that invention a little sooner? I seriously doubt that opening such a can with a hammer (yes, hammer) was a fun job. 

Did one of these inventions surprise you?

Ice cream was once a delicacy

Before 1846 making ice cream was a drawn out process.  A bowl was filled with cream, then nested in another bowl filled with ice or snow and the cream was whipped vigorously while shaking both bowls up and down.  Not only was it an arduous task but the need for ice or snow would be another detriment to making the loved dessert.

President George Washington loved the creamy dessert. $200 was spent in the summer of 1790 to keep him in ice cream. There were two pewter ice cream pots kept in the Mount Vernon kitchen to make his favorite dessert.

Even the temperance movement applauded ice cream. They thought it the perfect treat to persuade an alcoholic to stop drinking.

Godey’s Lady’s Book said, “A party without ice cream would be like a breakfast without bread or a dinner without roast.”

The treat was thought as such a treat and emotionally uplifting that the Civil War was when the military began serving it to troops to boost morale.

I think it’s sad that the woman who made so many people happy with her invention didn’t profit from it. In 1846 Nancy Johnson invented a simple hand-cranked freezer that made it easier for people to make ice cream at home. Unfortunately she never patented the invention. I've often wondered how many intelligent people who invented items we use every day never profited from their ingenuity. 

As a child we rarely made ice cream because we sold our cream to a creamery and bought 5 gallon tubs of ice cream from them. But as an adult I’ve made it several times.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Have you ever made it? 

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