1920s Burson Knitting Company Stockings for Women with Label

This pair of women’s black stockings dates to circa 1920 and still have the original Burson knitting mill label attached. They were never worn, and a wonderful find.

Burson Knitting Mills began in Rockford, Illinois. The company was known for patenting women's hosiery designs that were shaped to fit the graceful curves of a woman’s leg. These were also designed to "not easily rip".

Please refer to the scan reproduced here, at your the left, of a Burson advertisement for this style of hosiery taken from an early 1921 fashion magazine in the library at The Gilded Griffin.

A trade publication, “Textile World Record” from 1908, published that Burson Knitting Company was operating at that time using “750 latch needle knitting and 100 sewing machines on Burson fashioned hosiery for women. The plant is operated by steam power and has complete yarn and piece dying establishment. As reported...the capital stock has been increased from $500,000 to $800,000."

By 1920, Burson was advertising their stockings in nearly every magazine and book that was of even the slightest interest to women. They promoted their comfortable, seamless hosiery in heavy-weight silk or mercerized cotton, with claims that these would fit so well that the stockings would never gape or gather around the ankles. Their diverse fashion advertising featured working girl models, elegant upper class ladies, as well as riqué, flapper-styled silent film actresses.

It is always delightful to find vintage fashions in an unworn state!

These stockings were made circa 1920 in Burson's heavy-weight silk, and were designed to have the look and feel of wool, according to the company's promotions. The golden label with the Burson “Knit-to-fit Fashioned hose without a seam” is still intact. Although the company organized in 1892, the Knit-to-Fit logo appears to have been first used around 1919.  

The stockings are an exciting find. Indeed, they are most certainly made to look like wool, and will fool most people at first glance...even experienced collectors. This is just as Burson claimed in their advertising and trade publications nearly a century ago! 

They are 28.5 inches or 72.5 cm in length…and again...just like the Burson Knitting Company promised…they do still seem to hold their original shape quite beautifully…even after 95 years!