Union suit
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A union suit is a type of one-piece
long underwear Long underwear, also called long johns or thermal underwear, is a style of two-piece underwear with long legs and long sleeves that is normally worn during cold weather. It is commonly worn by people under their clothes in cold countries. In t ...
, most often associated with menswear in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.


History

Created in
Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, it originated as women's wear during the 19th-century
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
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 Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, b ...
with long arms and long legs, it buttoned up the front and had a button-up flap in the rear covering the buttocks (colloquially known as the "access hatch", "drop seat", "fireman's flap", "crap flap", and other names). Depending on the size, some union suits can have a dozen buttons on the front to be fastened through buttonholes from the neck down to the groin area. The garment remained in common use in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
into the 20th century. As its popularity waned, it became chiefly working men's wear, increasingly replaced by two-piece
long underwear Long underwear, also called long johns or thermal underwear, is a style of two-piece underwear with long legs and long sleeves that is normally worn during cold weather. It is commonly worn by people under their clothes in cold countries. In t ...
, also known as "long johns". It was not uncommon until the mid-20th century 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. Union suits are still commercially available, but because of their long association with "old fashioned" usage, and presumed "unsophisticated" rural wearers, they are considered comical. The rear flap is also associated with humor, and in film and television the appearance of a union suit, viewed from behind, is a form of mild
toilet humor Toilet humour, or potty or scatological humour (compare scatology), is a type of off-colour humour dealing with defecation, diarrhea, constipation, urination and flatulence, and to a lesser extent vomiting and other bodily functions. It sees subs ...
. In
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, this garment has often been known as "combinations". When made from the traditional wool as recommended by Gustav Jäger, these are "woolly combinations"—sometimes abbreviated to "woolly coms". In the Western US, they are known as "long handles".


Cultural references

Union suits, especially the rear flap, are used for comedic effect in the 1999
movie adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
of ''
The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels w ...
'', '' Back to the Future Part III'', the TV series ''
Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers; most prominently— Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and twins Phil and Lil, ...
'', and the ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' episode "
No Meals on Wheels "No Meals on Wheels" is the 14th episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series '' Family Guy''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 25, 2007. The episode features the Griffin family opening a restaurant, and eve ...
". The union suit makes an appearance in
Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and ''Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...
's book ''
Eight Cousins ''Eight Cousins, or The Aunt-Hill'' was published in 1875 by American novelist Louisa May Alcott. It is the story of Rose Campbell, a lonely and sickly girl who has been recently orphaned and must now reside with her maiden great aunts (yet havin ...
'', as a preferred alternative to corsetry under the name 'Liberty Suit'; and in Dashiell Hammett's Maltese Falcon, where private-eye Sam Spade "put(s) on a thin white union-suit". It also makes a presence in the 2003 film '' Cold Mountain''. The union suit is referred to several times in
Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, mostly known for the ''Little House on the Prairie'' series of children's books, published between 1932 and 1943, which were based on her childhood ...
's books about pioneer life during the mid-to-late 19th century in the United States, and in
Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926February 19, 2016) was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. It won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. Lee has received numero ...
's book, ''
To Kill A Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...
''. In the expansion ''
Undead Nightmare ''Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare'' is a standalone expansion pack to the 2010 video game ''Red Dead Redemption''. It adds a non-canonical zombie horror-themed single-player campaign, two multiplayer modes, and cosmetic additions to the e ...
'' for the game ''
Red Dead Redemption ''Red Dead Redemption'' is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. A spiritual successor to 2004's ''Red Dead Revolver'', it is the second game in the ''Red Dead'' series. ''Red Dead Redempt ...
'', the player begins play wearing a union suit and can continue to wear it throughout the game, if desired. Dave Lister, a character from the British sci-fi sitcom ''
Red Dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...
'', can also be seen wearing one at various points throughout the series. In the HBO series '' Deadwood'' (2004-2006), which won an Emmy for costume design, and the sequel film '' Deadwood: The Movie'' (2019), the character of
Al Swearengen Ellis Alfred Swearengen (July 8, 1845 – November 15, 1904) was an American pimp and entertainment entrepreneur who ran the Gem Theater, a notorious brothel, in Deadwood, South Dakota, for 22 years during the late 19th century. Personal life Swe ...
(played by
Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (2004 ...
) is frequently seen in a union suit. He wears only the union suit in private, and when getting dressed in the morning, dons a matching
three-piece suit A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead of tr ...
over it. Although the union suit is visible even with the vest, this appears to be adequate for daily wear. For more formal occasions, the character added a dress shirt over the union suit, and a
cravat Cravat, cravate or cravats may refer to: * Cravat (early), forerunner neckband of the modern necktie * Cravat, British name for what in American English is called an ascot tie * Cravat bandage, a triangular bandage * Cravat (horse) (1935–1954), a ...
or
bow tie The bow tie is a type of necktie. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also called the bow knot for that reason. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner so that th ...
.


Gallery

Image:Unionsuit Front.JPG, Union suit (front) Image:Unionsuit Back.jpg, Union suit (back) Image:Drop seat pajamas 1.jpg, Union suit (drop-seat version) Image:UnionSuit-20070714.jpg, Worn as comfortable, if informal, lounge wear


See also

*
Victorian dress reform Victorian dress reform was an objective of the Victorian dress reform movement (also known as the rational dress movement) of the middle and late Victorian era, led by various reformers who proposed, designed, and wore clothing considered more ...
*
Onesie (jumpsuit) A onesie () is a type of a loose-fitting casual jumpsuit for adults made of knit cotton (as used in sweatshirts), fleece, or chenille. They are mostly intended as loungewear or sleepwear, but have gained significant popularity as stylish st ...


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Union Suit 1860s fashion 19th-century fashion 20th-century fashion Undergarments One-piece suits Winter clothes Stereotypes of rural people