1930 Brown jumper
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1928-1932 A brown wool jumper
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The back of the jumper
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The motif on the front; the ribbing on the lower edge and the cuff can be seen
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The label inside sewn to a side seam; the overlocked seam can be seen.
Description
The jumper is machine-knitted in fine wool.
It is not fully fashioned (knitted to shape), but has been cut from a length of wool jersey and the pieces sewn together on an overlocking machine.
The V shaped neck is edged with a strip, 1" wide, in a ribbed knit, which has stripes of dark brown, orange and yellow, and the lower edge of the jumper is finished with a band of the same ribbing, 2¾" wide, which has the same stripes on its lower edge.
The ends of the sleeves also have the ribbing as cuffs, 4" wide, with the stripes on their lower edge; their seams change face halfway down so that they don't show when the cuffs are are folded up.
The motif on the front is made of appliquéd cutout pieces of wool jersey; the orange and yellow hexagons have very narrow dark brown wool braid edging them and crossing them, and this is machine-stitched onto the jumper, as is the same braid making the stem. The dark brown leaf shapes are just machine-stitched on round their edges.
There are many moth holes.
The jumper was made by Marks and Spencer and their label with the St Margaret brand name is sewn inside at the bottom of a side seam. A tab with a number is also there; it may be 89 or 68 and its significance is not clear.
Contemporary illustrations
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Illustration to a knitting pattern in Le Petit Echo de la Mode, August 1928
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Detail from Oxendale's catalogue, Autumn 1931
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Detail from a brochure for Greensmith Downes Ltd. Edinburgh. 1930s
History
The brand name St.Margaret was registered in 1876 by N.Corah and Sons, hosiery manufacturers in Leicester. In 1926 they agreed to supply Marks & Spencer directly, who registered the St Michael brand name in 1928 for Corah's hosiery so as to prevent conflict with Corah's other distribution channels. Marks & Spencer retained the St Margaret brand for other items of women's wear.