In praise of the zipper

The zipper ... what would we do without it??

Well, I know you historic clothing people could probably do without it.  But, really can you imagine having to either hook up, button up or lace up every garment you wearing.

That wouldn't leave any time for surfing the internet now would it??

This is what one of the first zippers looked like. Pretty clunky and not meant for the back of a dress, for sure.

From Thomas Net website.

The first semblance of a zipper model traces back to Elias Howe, the founder of the sewing machine. In 1851, he created a patent for a device named An Automatic Continuous Clothing Closure, which had a similar function to the modern zipper, although the composition was significantly different. The product operated as individual clasps that were joined manually, and pulled shut by using a string, creating a “gathered” effect. Ultimately, Howe did not continue developing his model, and several years went by before another patent was created. 

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More than 40 years later, inventor Whitcomb L. Judson began devising the patent “Clasp Locker or Unlocker for Shoes.” (See drawing above) The design was essentially a guide (now known as a fastener or slider) that was used to close the space between a shoe’s clasps on one side to the attachments on the other. The guide could be removed after use, and had the double function of pushing the bulky clasps down and subsequently pulling them together to close. The guide was difficult to produce due to its very specific functions, and was also seen as time consuming. 

Whitcomb’s second patent in 1893 was a transition from the former bulky clasps to hooks and eyes. This device, later called “C-curity” was a series of loops (short metal extensions) that were manually laced into the boot or shoe. The improvement was significant because the device functioned as a unit instead of as individual clasps. Eventually, it proved to be ineffective because it had a tendency to spring open.

The design used today, based on interlocking teeth, was invented by an employee of Whitcomb Judson's, Swedish born scientist Gideon Sundback. In 1913 and patented as the "Hookless Fastener" and after more improvements patented in 1917 as the "Separable Fastener". Only after Gideon Sundbach, had remodeled Judson's fastener into a more streamlined and reliable form, was the fastener a success.

And I'm so happy he was Swedish, since I am in the process of finding my Swedish roots.

Here is some basic knowledge about him from the Idea Finder website.

Inventor - Gideon Sundback
Criteria - First to patent. Modern prototype. 
Birth - 1880
Death - June 21, 1954
Nationality - Swedish 
Invention - zipper in 1913
Function - noun / zip-per / Originally a trademark
Definition - A fastening device consisting of parallel rows of metal, plastic, or nylon teeth on adjacent edges of an opening that are interlocked by a sliding tab
Patent - 1,060,378 (US) issued April 29,1913

Milestones:
1851 Patent # 8,540 issued Nov. 25, automatic, continuous clothing closure, Elias Howe, 
1893 Patent # 504,037 issued Aug. 25, shoe fastener, hook-and-eye, Whitcomb L. Judson, 
1894 Universal Fastener Company formed
1904 Automatic Hook and Eye Company
1905 C-urity, Whitcomb L. Judson, 
1913 hookless fastener, Otto Frederick Gideon Sundback, 
1917 Patent # 1,219,881 (US) issued Mar. 20, 1917, Talon, separable fastener, Gideon Sundback,
1925 Zipper name, B. F. Goodrich Company,
1928 Hookless Fastener Comapny renamed Talon, Inc.
1934 zipper manufacturing, YKK group, 
zipper, clothing, fastening device, apparel, Sundback, Gideon Sundback, Elias Howe, Whitcomb L. Judson, B. F. Goodrich Company, history, invention, facts, inventor, biography.

So, when did Zippers start to be used in garments? I found this neat Talon ad on Amy Barickman's blog.  A nice blog ... check it out!

I would say sometime in the 30s. But, there is a wonderful scene in the TV series "House of Elliot", about fashion designing sisters in the early 20th Century, when a zipper is put into a dress for an elderly client during the 1920s so she can dress herself easily.

And, if you haven't seen this series, it really is a must.  Here is a link to it.  I think you can get it on Netflix.

I really loved watching it ... so did my sister Theresa LaQuey.

Here's something I never thought of, and I should have! But, the kind of zipper or lack of and it's placement can help you date a vintage garment.  Check out this article at Vintage Visage.