Regency Trivia – Things That Didn’t Exist During the Regency

Clothing Hangers.

Although, Thomas Jefferson was said to have created the first clothing hanger, it didn’t catch on. Neither did later attempts at clothing hangers: In 1809, Albert Trou created a wooden frame padded the cotton and covered with wool for Napoleon Bonaparte. Around 1835, the Brontë sisters had wood and wire hangers made by a local carpenter. In 1840, Stanley Fry, a confectioner, designed a set of wire and wood silk covered hangers that were presented to Queen Victoria when she married. All of these hangers (I was unable to find pictures) were made to hang from wooden pegs.

But it wasn’t until 1869 that O.A. North of Connecticut, USA patented a wire coat hanger.

So what would our Regency ladies and gentlemen have used? Pegs or hooks for hanging clothing. What wasn’t hung was laid flat and stored. More work for lady’s maids and valets.

This is a photo of the first patented coat hanger.

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