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Wire Wonders
Let's forget for the moment the unfortunate reputation cast upon wire hangers by Ms. Crawford, and examine some of the beautiful shapes and forms included in the over five hundred U.S. Patented hanger designs.
Steel wire has been used to shape our hanging garments, sometimes combined with wood, fabric, or sheet metal, for better or for worse, the functions changing with the requirements of the era's clothing styles.
Victorian women's skirts and bustles received great care by hanger inventors and manufacturers, with adjustable hangers often using spring systems to hold the waistbands and allow the skirts to retain pleats and folds. These hangers often took the shape of flying birds and are referred to as eagle wing hangers.
Moving further into the twentieth century, wire manufacturers were producing hundreds of styles of hangers meant to shape and contour. Spring coiled wire gave dimension to some, while extra hooks allowed belts and other accoutrements to hang from others. Travel hangers collapsed, folded, and telescoped with ease.
Not to be outdone, tailors and clothing merchants advertised their businesses on specialty hangers, while gasoline companies gave away coat and hat hooks meant to hang over your automobile window.
With so many wonderful designs and ideas, what happened to bring about the use of today's inexorable wire hangers? And the unavoidable mass-produced plastic version?
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