I begin a series of posts from the archives of the Spring Cotton Mills Company (later Spring Mills aka Spring Maid). I am sorry I couldn't get larger format images as it is the ad copy in small print (extra sorry,
@Barbaria1 ) that makes the humor. I suggest, if you are interested, download the image and magnify on your viewer. These began during WWII and then became rather famous risque entries in the post-war period. Like others, Spring increased their capacity significantly to aid the war effort and then was hard pressed to find customers after the war. The president of the company, Elliot White Springs, wrote most of the copy.
One part of their important war work was developing a special fabric for camouflage. it was to be used in the Pacific to conceal ammunition dumps and gun emplacements, but the Japanese learned to detect it because of its lack of jungle smells.
Spring Mills came up with a novel solution.
When the fabric was dyed it was also impregnated with a permanent odor of hibiscus, hydrangea and old rubber boots. The deception was so successful that when Tokyo fell, the victorious invaders hung a piece of this fabric on a Japanese flagpole.
Triumphant from their many success during the war, Spring Mills patented that process along with several other innovations and marketed them for use in women’s foundation garments.
The new post-war ads all began explaining the company’s many war triumphs and touting the peacetime use of its war-time fabrics: “….the fabric is now available to the hip harness and bosom bolster business as Springmaid Perker. The white with gardenia, the pink with Camellia, the blush with jasmine and the nude, dusty. ”
It concluded, “If you want to achieve the careless look and avoid ‘skaters steam’ kill two birds with one stone by getting a camouflaged callipygian camisole.
Ladies, be sure to order your "anti-rebound rompers." And, in a clear reference to Subs, "If you bruise easily, you can face the future confidently" You can't make this stuff up!
)
Defy Diaphoresis and the Steatopygic stance
Note the goat on the bed
