For the theme of family this November, we wanted to draw your attention to women who have helped dress women 
when they were in a “family way.” Did you know that before the early 1900s, ‘proper’ women could not be seen in public when they were pregnant? We are talking here about middle class and upper class women, whose clothing was made for them by private seamstresses or family servants. Not surprisingly, there were no commercially available maternity clothes. Working class women, who did work throughout their pregnancy, ‘made do’ with larger size clothing or men’s overshirts topping their regular skirts and tops.
Early in the twentieth century, Lena Bryant set out to change that situation. Later, Rebecca Mathais would ensure that pregnant professional women had suitable business attire to wear to work. We know you will enjoy reading about their stories.
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