Victorian long johns, stitching and what is means?

Emily O

Emily O

Registered Guest
Hi,

I found 2 pairs of Victorian men's long johns. I have never dealt with them before, but I know that the red stitches applied by the seamstress have a significance. Could you please educate me?

Thanks,

Emily
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7904.jpeg
    IMG_7904.jpeg
    38.4 KB · Views: 253
  • IMG_7905.jpeg
    IMG_7905.jpeg
    36.7 KB · Views: 266
They might have been tacked together when they were folded - are those stitches loose - as in could you pull them out easily? Socks and stockings were sometimes stitched together.
 
I wonder if it is related to the similar marks found in women's tights (printed or woven), I've never found out what they were for but always thought it was back and front!
 
I purchased them from a vintage store owner. She told me to "look up the meaning of the stitches as it is very interesting!" I know they have a meaning.

They are not stitched loosely.
 
A mystery! When you find out, perhaps let us know too? There is so much to know about vintage clothing - if all else fails, it sounds like you could ask the lady who sold them to you.
 
Where are the marks....what part of garment (waist, knee, etc)? The only long johns I know of with markings are from the Mormons but I really don't think that is what yours are. Very interesting.
 
I wonder if they are laundry marks? Clothing that went to communal laundries were given identifying marks to enable the laundry to easily identify whose clothes were whose. These marks were sometimes obscure and coded so only recognisable to the laundry. I thought they were only done in ink, but researching I see they were also stitched. The article below states:

Marking was [...] the first stop on a bundle's odyssey. [...]. A marker handled circa 5,000 pounds of dirty laundry a week, creating an identifying mark with a pen, small stitches or a pinned-on tag.

http://www.66bellstreet.com/Laundry Building History/Building History1, Pt2.html
 
After my father remarried, I was the oldest of six kids who all had a household responsibility. My job was to maintain everyone's clothes: all the mending and washing. I sewed a different colour thread in every piece so I could easily identify who's was whose.

So a variation on that idea could be a possibility but I suspect they have a symbolic meaning rather than laundry related.
 
It reminds me of the dots I used to identify my kids' stuff. One dot (with a Sharpie) on the tag for the oldest child. Hand it down and add a dot. Hand it down again and add another dot. Easier than stitches, but we use what we have, right?
 
Perhaps they were ' issued', could they be army? If you were issued with three pairs you would have one pair in the wash, one pair on and a pair with your kit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top