Tula circus performers negligee set...40s?

The Vintage Vendeuse

The Vintage Vendeuse

VFG Member
Hello, everyone!
I can't seem to find anything about the lingerie company Tula. There are ads from the 40s so I assume this set is from then? It's so unusual, I couldn't resist sharing. There are balloons and feathers on the left bust of the gown and circus performers on each lower sleeve of the jacket thingy. The Tula label is on a small shoulder pad in the jacket. Does anyone know anything about this maker? Isn't there a website where one can check when a company name was registered? Thank you!
~Donna

tula9.jpgtula9b.jpgtula9a.jpg
 
Oh my, that's fantastic! The circus performers look like they may be handpainted? Gorgeous!

I found hits for Tula lingerie from the 40s and early 50s, but nothing on the company itself. Perhaps someone else will be along who knows something...

You can always check USPTO for info on when a company has trademarked its name or a brand:
http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp

(I took a look, but didn't find anything on Tula...:))
 
Thank you, Gayle and Carrie! This is the first novelty negligee set I've ever had.
But I've looked up the word "negligee" and now wonder if it applies to this set. Apparently, a negligee is a light, typically sheer, dressing gown. "Peignoir" may be more appropriate, according to the description in the VFG lingerie guide. This jacket thingy is open front and ties at the neck.
(Funny, the word negligee always brings to mind the 1950s American TV show called"I Love Lucy", and the episode in which Lucy and Ethel are scheming to purchase negligees for themselves direct from a salesman at wholesale prices.)
~Donna
 
Carrie, as for the possibility of the circus performers being handpainted, I don't think so. They definitely look applied in some way, if you know what I mean. In fact, one sleeve has them applied as a mirror image of the other sleeve and if you look closely, you can see that on the sleeve with the mirror image, it's like looking at the back of the decal, or whatever it's called. It doesn't have the lines of definition. Here are photos of one of the figures from sleeve one and from sleeve two.

tula9c.JPGtula9d.JPG
 
I found a 1946 article about lingerie that noted: "One of the most striking black ensembles with the Tula label seen recently in a Tremont street store was rayon, filmy as a cloud, with brilliant hand-painted ballet motifs. The sheer black coat was loose and floaty, knee-length with a bow neckline, and gay little ballet figures painted on the long, full sleeves. The matching gown was cut like a curvaceous evening dress with a matching painted motif on the bodice--just enough bright color to relieve the black in a dramatic manner." That sounds like your ensemble and ballerinas.
 
lkranieri said:
I found a 1946 article about lingerie that noted: "One of the most striking black ensembles with the Tula label seen recently in a Tremont street store was rayon, filmy as a cloud, with brilliant hand-painted ballet motifs. The sheer black coat was loose and floaty, knee-length with a bow neckline, and gay little ballet figures painted on the long, full sleeves. The matching gown was cut like a curvaceous evening dress with a matching painted motif on the bodice--just enough bright color to relieve the black in a dramatic manner." That sounds like your ensemble and ballerinas.
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OMG, that's got to be it! (But the "hand-painted" description still doesn't seem true to me.) Can you post a link to the article or give me some advice on how to find it for myself? Thanks!!
 
The Vintage Vendeuse said:
(But the "hand-painted" description still doesn't seem true to me.) Can you post a link to the article or give me some advice on how to find it for myself? Thanks!!
Click to expand...

The article is copyrighted, as it came from a database to which I subscribe, so I cannot link to it for you. The newspaper in which the article appeared was the July 10, 1946 Boston Traveler.

My transcription is exact and additional comments note that black was popular with brides and the hand-painted effects "are smart."
 
Technically speaking, just how would a RTW garment be hand-painted? Would the painting be done on some other surface and applied to the garment fabric at the factory?
Click to expand...

I'd think that the painting was typically done directly onto the fabric, though whether the garment was made before or after the painted designs were added probably depended on what type of garment it was. In the case of handpainted ties (big in the 40s); the companies would hire artists to come in and paint designs on the finished ties (ie horses, birds, etc).
 
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