Union suit

A union suit is a type of one-piece long underwear. It originated as women's wear during the nineteenth-century United States clothing reform efforts as an alternative to constricting garments and soon gained popularity among men as well. The first union suit was patented in 1868 as "emancipation union under flannel." Traditionally made of red flannel with long arms and long legs, it also traditionally buttoned up the front and had a button-up rear "access hatch" (colloquially known as a fireman's flap) so the wearer can eliminate bodily waste without undressing.

Depending of what size of suit, some Union suits can have the maximum of 11 buttons on the front to be fastened through buttonholes from the neck down to the private area.

CLICK HERE FOR LARGE IMAGE

This warm and practical garment remained in common use in North America into the twentieth century. As its popularity waned it became chiefly working men's wear. It was not uncommon until the mid-1900s for rural men to wear the same union suit continuously all week, or even all winter. Normally, no other type of underwear was worn with it. One of the major events of the spring was the time when the union suits were removed, washed, and put away for the summer.

Union suits are still commercially available, but are considered comical, especially the "access hatch". In film and television the appearance of a union suit, viewed from behind, is a form of mild toilet humor.

Today, most people — both men and women — favor two-piece long underwear, also known as "long johns".

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brick township Historical Society Inc.
P.O. Box 160
Brick, NJ 08723
contact gfr@bricktwphistoricalsociety.com