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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Railway clothing - Bib Overalls

The Author - Kelowna, BC July 1999
Overalls are popular with farmers, painters, and small children alike. They are comfortable, covered in pockets and straps for holding tools, and are firmly rooted in American history. While some form of overalls have been around since the 1700s, the bib overall that many of us know and love wasn’t invented until 1851.
Railroad worker in overalls
Tired of patching up her railroad-worker husband’s clothing, Abigail Carter took some canvas and a pair of dungarees and combined them to create the first pair of bib overalls. The item was an instant hit not just with her husband but also with other railroad men, gold miners, and the men in similar professions. Out of this demand H.W. Carter and Sons was born. Overalls were now available to everyone, and a fashion legend was born.


3 comments:

  1. Bruce you forgot the Stormy Cromer story also.


    John

    ReplyDelete
  2. I-COULDN'T-LIVE-W/OUT'M ! ! ! ! ! !

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  3. Railway wives had a lot of influence in fashion... practicality dictated.

    My Mum did it with socks , mitts with finger and thumb and high necked sweaters. She also used rug wool from Montreal factories to knit them since the wool was heavy with lanolin and were easier to clean. They out lasted what was offered on the supply cars.
    When sweaters were worn beyond repair, she boiled them into wool felt which were cut into liners for boots.

    Cool post.

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate you stopping by for a visit and thanks for writing! Your comments and any anecdotes you care to share are gratefully accepted. Bruce "Hotwheels" Harvey