The Makers
The Worcester City Directory listings divided corset making activity between two business types. There was the corsetiere, a small shop with usually one proprietor who was a woman taking measurements and making the product. There was also the corset manufacturer, a larger operation with more employees, division of labor, a larger facility, namely, a factory. This website features two manufacturer profiles, both researched and written when I still imagined City of Corsets as a general overview of the industry in the city, before deciding to focus on the women’s businesses. We’ll consider these to be “bonus material.”
Please read more about two early Worcester corset manufacturers:
– Park Corset Works (1882-1894) – at 84 Front Street, one of the city’s earliest corset manufacturers, run by a Civil War veteran and former “notions” shop owner
– Linehan Conover Company (1913-1929) also in business as Linehan Corset Company (1908-1912, 1927-1931), started at a downtown location (12 Austin Street) and later moved to a larger facility around the corner from Mary Bowne’s factory in the Junction Shop Manufacturing District
- Austin, H.A. Co. 1933-1942
- B & G Brassiere Co 1934
- B & G Corset Co 1940-1944
- Barclay Corset 1927-1929
- Beauti-Stay Foundation Co. 1938-1950
- Bryant Solon Co. 1892
- Circlette Mfg Co. 1928
- Columbia Corset Co. 1914,1916
- Corset E R Co 1938
- Cusette Foundations 1942-1949
- David John Co. Inc. 1972-c1979
- Deering Corset Co. 1918-1929
- Denholm & McKay Co
- Doyle, John F. Co. 1961-1963
- Fanning Corset Co. 1884
- Fitwel Girdles 1930-1967
- Globe Corset Co 1894-1905
- Graceform c1983
- Hazelton-Debevoise Inc. 1936-1937
- Houghton & Son 1882
- Ivy Corset fka Corset H 1905-1961
- Jantimate Inc. 1968-1972
- Keystone Braiding Co. – corset laces 1921-1952
- La Unique Corset 1914-1934
- LeCoutre A J – The Salon 1926-1939
- Liberty Specialty Co. 1919
- Linehan Conover Company 1913-1929
- Linehan Corset Co 1908-1912, 1927-1931
- Linette Corset Co 1932-1937
- Lorette Corset Co. 1919-1920
- MacInnes, John C. Co
- Marvelette 1932-1935
- Massachusetts Corset Company 1908-1920
- Maynard Corset Company 1911-1926
- Mills Corset 1921-1931
- Mills, E R 1933-1935
- New England Corset, Slipper Company 1910, 1914
- P & N Corsets 1951
- P M Manufacturing 1946-1951
- Paramount Corset 1932-1937
- Park Corset Works 1882-1894
- Regal Corset Co. 1922-1926
- Reynolds, George W 1881
- Roth Creations 1938-1950
- Royal Worcester Corset Company 1902-1950
- Solon & Bryant Co. 1880-1892
- States Corset Co. 1904-1905
- United Corset Shops 1922-
- United States Corset 1922-1963
- Washburn and Moen Mfg. Co.
- Worcester Corset Co (thru 1901)
- Worcester Skirt Co. 1867-1874
- Wylie, Rollins R 1908