The New York It-Girl Mary Phelps Jacob was bothered by the tightness and conspicuousness of her corset. Therefore, in 1914, she designed a brassiere from silk handkerchiefs that sold well in the Upperclass. The rest was taken care of by World War I.


Extravagant parties can indeed be the catalyst for technical innovations. A good example is the invention for which the American Mary Phelps Jacob (1891–1970) received a patent on November 3, 1914. The daughter of New England's elite enjoyed celebrating and had the means to appear in extravagant dresses. To make them even more exciting, she quickly developed a new garment, the brassiere.

This hit the nerve of the time for the daughter born in 1891 to William Hearns Jacob and Mary Phelps. Until then, it was considered good style, at least in better circles, for ladies to squeeze their upper body into a corset. This had little to do with eroticism but was mainly about self-torture. The tight-fitting garment was pressed against the body with metal or whalebone, causing the ribs and kidneys to be squeezed. Fainting spells were the result.

Mary Phelps Jacob added two aspects. The evening dress she had chosen for a debutante ball was so captivating with reduced fabric that the corset was visible. However, her remarkable bust made it seem necessary to shield the breasts in some way. So, she herself grabbed a needle and, with a servant, sewed a backless bra from two silk handkerchiefs and pink ribbons. The success was overwhelming. Many women of the Upperclass in New York suddenly saw their problems solved and willingly paid the then proud price of one dollar for the lightweight wonder called "Backless Brassiere." Subsequently, Mary Phelps Jacob patented her invention in February 1914, not only for economic but also for political reasons. The 22-year-old was passionate about women's rights, including abandoning the corset. Her dog was named Clytoris.

By the way, the bra did not only spring from Phelbs Jacob's genius. In 1893, a certain Hugo Schindler in Switzerland had patented a brassiere. Six years later, Chistine Hardt from Dresden presented her "women's bodice as a breast carrier." The Frenchwoman Herminie Cadolle and the Swabian Wilhelm Meyer-Ilschen from Cannstatt also joined the list of bra developers. That Mary Phelbs Jacob became a symbol figure was probably due in part to her social status as a celebrated It-Girl. After her first marriage, she married poet and banker's son Harry Crosby in 1922, henceforth calling herself Caresse Crosby. She wrote books, became a publisher in Paris, owned a racing stable, and ran an art gallery in Washington.

That the bra became a billion-dollar business today is owed not only to its acceptance in better circles but also to World War I. After the entry of the USA into the war in 1917, the War Department urged women not to wear corsets anymore. The metal used in them was needed for weapons. Millions of American women gladly complied with the request and exchanged their corsets for bras. It is said that 28,000 tons of metal were collected in this way. Another reason for abandoning the corset was likely the working conditions in the industry. There, women took over the positions of men who went to war.

However, the big business was not Phelps Jacob's thing. She sold her patent for $1,500 and dedicated herself to her sex parties, writing, and other social obligations. The big business with bras was made by the Warner Brothers Corset Company.

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