Rubber Pants: 1871

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

Rhight here http://historicaltidbits.blogspot.com/2011/06/rubber-pants.html

[Sticks]

Well done, Christine. I knew that they were making rubber pants around the turn of the century (1900), but didn't know how far back they went. I found an add for a pair of rubber pants in a 1908 Sears & Robuck catalog. They weren't the button kind like you found, but more of the short, bloomer style panty. Petite 100 noted that Playtex had been making other than rubber pants back in the 40's. I don't know who or when modern day plastics were discovered, but if I had my guess, I would believe it was back during WWII. The 50's, 60's, and early 70's were it's hey-day for plastic pants as far as I know. I've done a lot of research in women's journals (Better Homes & Garden, Red Book, Ladies home Journal, etc.) starting back in the early 50's. If you're near a University Library, check to see if they have kept copies of these magazines/journals. Some have archived them or put them on microfishe. Some are stored away and depending on what you want to look at, you can get the librarian to bring them in for you. When you find them, you'll spend hours going through them. You don't see adds like these anymore.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

I had both materials of panties put on me that I remember and it had to be before mid 1949 I have seen references to homemade plastic panties in the wartime era.

Items from the classic rubber panty era from the RUFFLES & RIBBONS GIRLS' HOME Rubber Panty Hall of Fame

http://sandralyn.net/1871.html

http://sandralyn.net/rpantyad11.html

http://sandralyn.net/rpantyad22.html

http://sandralyn.net/rpantyad47r.html

http://sandralyn.net/rpantyad47ry.html

http://sandralyn.net/rpantyad47w.html

http://sandralyn.net/playtex.html

http://sandralyn.net/rpantyad49k.html

http://sandralyn.net/rpantyad49e.html

http://sandralyn.net/rpantyad50k.html

http://sandralyn.net/rpantyad50p.html

http://sandralyn.net/valex.html

[Gejoe]

Nice vintage material. I have a baby photo of me when I was 15 months old, I am in nothing but a shoes, a diaper and see through plastic pants. The year was 1948.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

I do not know if you would remember them, were they a kind of translucent light goldish-tan or ecru in color?