For the bacterium with a similar name, see spirillum.
The name Spirella refers to the Spirella Stay which was invented by Marcus Merritt Beeman in the US in 1904 and made from tightly twisted and flattened coils of wire. The founders were Beeman, William Wallace Kincaid and Jesse Homan Pardee.[1]
Advertisement drawing of a Spirella corsetier delivering and adjusting in a customer's home.
The Spirella name was used by the Spirella Corset Company Inc that was founded in 1904[2] in Meadville, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded on a patent of dressbone,[3] for bustles, but started corset manufacture in 1904. The company manufactured made-to-measure corsets. Benefits for the company's employees included travel, education and health care.[4]
The UK subsidiary was The Spirella Company of Great Britain. Spirella co-founder and entrepreneur William Wallace Kincaid commissioned the architect Cecil Hignett to design a state-of-the art factory of architectural beauty. The design included embellishments in Arts & Crafts styling. This factory, the Spirella Building, was built and expanded in stages between 1912 and 1920. During World War II, the Irvin Airchute Company expanded its production of parachutes into the Spirella Building and women working for the British Tabulating Machine Company secretly produced components for the decoding machines called Bombes.[5] The company's most popular corset was the Model 305. Spirella products were not sold in shops. Instead, female staff called corsetiers (or corsetières) were sent to customers' homes.[6] After an ill-fated attempt to market garments of "Stub-tex", a form of Gore-Tex being used under licence from W. L. Gore & Associates, the company was sold in 1985 to the rival Spencers of Banbury and finally closed in July 1989.
A 180 degree panoramic view of Oxford Circus, looking south down Regent Street. Spirella House is the second building from the left fronting onto the circus.
The Spirella Building was designed to provide workers with a highly productive and pleasant environment that focused on the comfort of factory employees. Referred to as the "factory of beauty", it offered a wide array of employee amenities including "baths, showers, gymnastics classes, a library, free eye tests and bicycle repairs".[7] In 1979 it was Grade II* listed.[8] The Letchworth Garden City Foundation bought the neglected building in 1995, restored the interior and re-opened it for leased office accommodation.[9] It currently houses over twenty businesses.[10]
Locationsedit
At its height the company had factories in the USA (Meadville, Pennsylvania, New Haven, Connecticut, and Lincoln Nebraska[11] ), in Canada (in 1910), in the UK (in 1910; from 1912 in the Spirella Building in Letchworth) and in Sweden (Malmö) in 1920 and Niagara Falls NY (in 1917). Their flagship location was Spirella House on Oxford Circus, London.[12] A factory built in 1910 in Niagara falls, Ontario, eventually became the premises of the Bird Kingdom Tropical Adventure.[13]
Archival Collectionsedit
A number of organisations have collected archival examples of documents and objects related to the Spirella Factory. The Garden City Collection in Letchworth includes over forty objects and documents in its collection.[14] Additionally, collections are maintained by Hertfordshire's Community Archives Network.[15] Archival examples include: the Castle Corset cartoon and an advertisement for the Spirella War Savings Association.[16][17]
Referencesedit
^"Exhibitions". Garden City Collection. Letchworth Garden City heritage Foundation. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^"Notes on the European Offices". History of Spirella. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^Lauffenburger, Julie A. (January 1993). "Baleen in Museum Collections: Its Sources, Uses, and Identification". Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. 32 (3): 213–230. doi:10.2307/3179545. JSTOR 3179545.
^"HM1194". Historical marker Project. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^McEvoy, Louise. "Corsets and Codes at Spirella in Letchworth". Hertfordshire Life. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^"History of the Spirella Building". Building Futures Blog. 19 August 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^"Spirella Building | Letchworth". www.letchworth.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
^The Ladies' Home Journal. Curtis Publishing Company. 1917-03-01. p. 65.
^"A Potted History of Spirella House". NJC (The National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry). 5th Floor, Spirella House, 266-270 Regent Street, London, W1B 3AH: National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry. Retrieved 15 May 2016. In 1959 a Spirella shop assistant is reported to have described three brassiere sizes "The Totalitarian – designed for suppression of the masses; the Salvation Army – to uplift the fallen; and the Political Agitator – to make mountains out of molehills".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^"Bird Kingdom A Tropical Adventure". Bird Kingdom. June 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^"Spirella | Garden City Collection". www.gardencitycollection.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
^"Castle Corset cartoon". Corsetiers.net. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
^"Spirella-ites!: an advertisement for the Spirella War Savings Association". Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation. Garden City Collection. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spirella.
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Portal:Spirella
Photograph of Spirella workers in Meadville, Pennsylvania
Corsetiere.net's History of Spirella
The Textile Society's Report of an exhibition in 2013 on 'Spirella Company - Corset Makers & Corsetieres'
[1] The Spirella_Manual (1913)
The Garden City Collection, Spirella theme of images
Nebraska Memories
April 27, 2024
spirella, bacterium, with, similar, name, spirillum, name, refers, stay, which, invented, marcus, merritt, beeman, 1904, made, from, tightly, twisted, flattened, coils, wire, founders, were, beeman, william, wallace, kincaid, jesse, homan, pardee, advertisemen. For the bacterium with a similar name see spirillum The name Spirella refers to the Spirella Stay which was invented by Marcus Merritt Beeman in the US in 1904 and made from tightly twisted and flattened coils of wire The founders were Beeman William Wallace Kincaid and Jesse Homan Pardee 1 Advertisement drawing of a Spirella corsetier delivering and adjusting in a customer s home Contents 1 Origins 1 1 United Kingdom 2 Locations 3 Archival Collections 4 References 5 External linksOrigins editThe Spirella name was used by the Spirella Corset Company Inc that was founded in 1904 2 in Meadville Pennsylvania USA It was founded on a patent of dressbone 3 for bustles but started corset manufacture in 1904 The company manufactured made to measure corsets Benefits for the company s employees included travel education and health care 4 United Kingdom edit nbsp The Spirella Building in Letchworth The UK subsidiary was The Spirella Company of Great Britain Spirella co founder and entrepreneur William Wallace Kincaid commissioned the architect Cecil Hignett to design a state of the art factory of architectural beauty The design included embellishments in Arts amp Crafts styling This factory the Spirella Building was built and expanded in stages between 1912 and 1920 During World War II the Irvin Airchute Company expanded its production of parachutes into the Spirella Building and women working for the British Tabulating Machine Company secretly produced components for the decoding machines called Bombes 5 The company s most popular corset was the Model 305 Spirella products were not sold in shops Instead female staff called corsetiers or corsetieres were sent to customers homes 6 After an ill fated attempt to market garments of Stub tex a form of Gore Tex being used under licence from W L Gore amp Associates the company was sold in 1985 to the rival Spencers of Banbury and finally closed in July 1989 nbsp A 180 degree panoramic view of Oxford Circus looking south down Regent Street Spirella House is the second building from the left fronting onto the circus The Spirella Building was designed to provide workers with a highly productive and pleasant environment that focused on the comfort of factory employees Referred to as the factory of beauty it offered a wide array of employee amenities including baths showers gymnastics classes a library free eye tests and bicycle repairs 7 In 1979 it was Grade II listed 8 The Letchworth Garden City Foundation bought the neglected building in 1995 restored the interior and re opened it for leased office accommodation 9 It currently houses over twenty businesses 10 Locations editAt its height the company had factories in the USA Meadville Pennsylvania New Haven Connecticut and Lincoln Nebraska 11 in Canada in 1910 in the UK in 1910 from 1912 in the Spirella Building in Letchworth and in Sweden Malmo in 1920 and Niagara Falls NY in 1917 Their flagship location was Spirella House on Oxford Circus London 12 A factory built in 1910 in Niagara falls Ontario eventually became the premises of the Bird Kingdom Tropical Adventure 13 Archival Collections editA number of organisations have collected archival examples of documents and objects related to the Spirella Factory The Garden City Collection in Letchworth includes over forty objects and documents in its collection 14 Additionally collections are maintained by Hertfordshire s Community Archives Network 15 Archival examples include the Castle Corset cartoon and an advertisement for the Spirella War Savings Association 16 17 References edit Exhibitions Garden City Collection Letchworth Garden City heritage Foundation Retrieved 11 May 2016 Notes on the European Offices History of Spirella Retrieved 11 May 2016 Lauffenburger Julie A January 1993 Baleen in Museum Collections Its Sources Uses and Identification Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 32 3 213 230 doi 10 2307 3179545 JSTOR 3179545 HM1194 Historical marker Project Retrieved 11 May 2016 McEvoy Louise Corsets and Codes at Spirella in Letchworth Hertfordshire Life Retrieved 11 May 2016 The Spirella Corsetiere Ivy Leaf s Archives Ivy Leaf Retrieved 11 May 2016 www vohm com The Spirella Building Letchworth Garden City www letchworthgc com Retrieved 2018 02 07 Historic England The Spirella Building associated fountain lamp standards and steps 1347670 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 15 June 2008 History of the Spirella Building Building Futures Blog 19 August 2013 Retrieved 11 May 2016 Spirella Building Letchworth www letchworth com Retrieved 2018 02 09 The Ladies Home Journal Curtis Publishing Company 1917 03 01 p 65 A Potted History of Spirella House NJC The National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry 5th Floor Spirella House 266 270 Regent Street London W1B 3AH National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry Retrieved 15 May 2016 In 1959 a Spirella shop assistant is reported to have described three brassiere sizes The Totalitarian designed for suppression of the masses the Salvation Army to uplift the fallen and the Political Agitator to make mountains out of molehills a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint location link Bird Kingdom A Tropical Adventure Bird Kingdom June 2012 Retrieved 11 May 2016 Spirella Garden City Collection www gardencitycollection com Retrieved 2018 02 09 Spirella Factory Herts Memories Retrieved 2018 02 09 Castle Corset cartoon Corsetiers net Retrieved 15 May 2016 Spirella ites an advertisement for the Spirella War Savings Association Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation Garden City Collection Retrieved 15 May 2016 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spirella nbsp Wikisource has original text related to this article Portal Spirella Photograph of Spirella workers in Meadville Pennsylvania The Ballroom of Spirella s factory in Letchworth England Corsetiere net s History of Spirella The Textile Society s Report of an exhibition in 2013 on Spirella Company Corset Makers amp Corsetieres 1 The Spirella Manual 1913 The Garden City Collection Spirella theme of images Historical photos of the Lincoln Nebraska location Nebraska Memories 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Spirella amp oldid 1220081944, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
