updated 21 September 2015
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The Century Illustrated printed this ad for Coraline Corsets (Google Books):
| Title | The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine |
| Editor | Richard Watson Gilder |
| Publisher | Scribner & Company; The Century Company, 1894 p. 1033 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | Nov 11, 2008 |
Dr. L.C. Warner is profiled in Google Books' version of the History of Bridgeport & vicinity:
| Title | History of Bridgeport and Vicinity, Volume 2 History of Bridgeport and Vicinity, George Curtis Waldo (Jr.) |
| Editor | George Curtis Waldo (Jr.) |
| Publisher | S. J. Clarke Publishing, 1917, p.647 |
| Original from | the New York Public Library |
| Digitized | Feb 26, 2008 |
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| Google Earth spots the Warner Brothers buildings, restored, right and rotting, left |
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| Warner Brothers, restored (Google Street View Aug 2011) |
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| Warner Brothers, abandoned |
The best encapsulation of the Warner Brothers story is on the pages of the Bridgeport Library. The basic storyline is similar to many industries in the United States. Complexities that make interesting reading on Wikipedia crop up about the time Warner Brothers became Warnaco. The most compelling personality associated with the company ever was not its founder, but the woman who engineered a hostile takeover of the company, Linda J.Wachner. Warnaco, by this time owner of several brands, was bought out in 2013 by PVH Corp. Obsolete facilities in Bridgeport were abandoned in the last decades of the 20th century. In the 21st century, manufacturing facilities are on many continents. None remain in Bridgeport. In 2015 PVH has modest offices in NYC. The only hint of corporate riches on the exterior of the building is a grand entrance:
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| Google Street View |
Corsets made of coraline were a distinct improvement over those made with other materials. During the many many decades when women felt it necessary to force themselves to conform to a standard scrawny waistline, corsets, girdles and brassiers were essential tools. Since confinement seemed mandatory, comfortable confinement sold well and the Warner Brothers prospered until the 20th century, when attitudes changed.
Women's attitudes, that is. One of the things I've noticed while assembling the Earl J. Arnold Advertising Card Collection is that, while books of the time featured the portraits of great men of commerce, Emma Jane (Bailey) Arnold seems to have filled the scrapbook for her kids with plenty of trade cards depicting prominent women. Could this have been an early challenge to patriarchy?
Another matter to understand about the era in which this scrapbook was made was that in general women did not populate professions outside of acting, singing, teaching and small business ownership. Leaders in politics, religion, celebrated inventors and prominent business leaders were all, as were most contemporary historians, male. No women were allowed to vote in American elections! What Emma Jane passed on to Earl and his siblings Grace, Ray and Walter was history from a woman's perspective. We are fortunate that her son valued this enough to share it with the rest of us.
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| Mary Anderson, actress |
Daily Alta California, Volume 83, Number 54, 23 August 1890
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| winner of the first beauty pagent in America Louise Montague |
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| Marie Roze, French soprano "... toured the United States with the Carl Rosa Opera Company from 1883 to 1889 and was particularly noted for her interpretation of the title role Bizet's Carmen." |
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| Adelaide Neilson, English stage actress "...She made her first American appearance on 18 November 1872, at Booth's Theatre, New York City, as Juliet. She was praised by American critics who echoed the acclaim she had received from London theatrical audiences." |
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| Alice Atherton, actress "One of the best-natured, adventurous performers of the 1870s-90s, this native of Cincinnati delighted contemporaries with her gift of impersonation." |
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| Kate Claxton, actress "She created the part of Louise in The Two Orphans and then became known as one of the best emotional actresses of her time." |
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| Amy Roselle, actress "...specialised in Shakespearean roles but also played parts in contemporary dramas..." |
| Title | Punch |
| Editors | Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Sir Francis Cowley Burnand, Sir Owen Seaman |
| Publisher | Punch Publications Limited, 1890 25 Jan 1890, p.41 |
| Original from | Harvard University |
| Digitized | Mar 8, 2007 |
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| Mary Anderson (again -- see above) |
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| Mrs. Scott Siddons "Mary Frances Scott Siddons (1844-1895) was a member of the great acting dynasty established by Roger Kemble in the eighteenth century and the great-granddaughter of the famous actress of the Regency period, Sarah Siddons. She was born in India..." |
San Francisco Call, Volume 80, Number 173, 20 November 1896:
I could not substantiate Warner Brothers' claim that any of these prominent women actually used Coraline Corsets. I doubt any of their contemporaries would have dared to ask them.
Nor was I able to find anything on the businesses using these cards to advertise. Please comment below or email me if you have any information on these establishments. Thanks!
Lithography on this post was by (Charles) Shober & (Edward) Carqueville. The Carroll Herald printed this ad for their business on January 28,1880:
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