Happy Holidays, Union Suit Fans!

I'll be taking a few days off over the next couple of weeks. Check back here in the New Year for more fun with Union Suits... Stay Safe

What will the warmest couples be wearing this Christmas? Well, the smartest ones, having the most fun while staying warm, will be sporting Union Suits! Forget the wool socks and flannel shirts... red long underwear does the trick.

Their Union Suits brought to 

you by Hotouch Underwear. And you didn't think union suits could be romantic!

"My Grandpa was a Confederate but he wore a Union Suit!"

Copy and Paste the following link to hear Bill Carlisle

and The Carlisles sing about Grandpa and his Union Suit...

https://youtu.be/mr-RTGTie6k  

Thanks to Bill and Mercury Records and to my great friend, Joe of NYC,

 who forwarded me this record album.

And what? Robert E. Lee, that old Confederate, wears

 "Union" Suits ?!?!?!   

Will Wonders never cease?

 

 Hy Hintermeister's Boy and His Grandpa:

December's Contribution

Great to see things are looking up after the Covid-19 virus shut down most holiday family gatherings last year. Enjoy that turkey dinner today!

Happy Thanksgiving, all !!!

  
              White Wonder                                                                     Grey Guardian

 

Super Goofs

Button Up! 

This magazine cover from Good Old Days reminds us it's time to button up, if you haven't already. Illustration by artist, John Slobodnik (1879-1936), the painting, entitled Making Do With What We Have, features a mom getting her young son into his winter underwear. Apparently the union suit is a hand-me-down from the little boy's older brother as his long underwear is a bit too large. But never mind, cold weather is on the way and this mom, like my mom, wants her boy to be warm for facing whatever might come. How better to start than with a union suit.

John Slobodnik, Hungarian Artist

With November upon us, it's time to check in with Hy Hintermeister and a Boy and His Grandpa, having fun and loving that old man right down to his long underwear: 

Happy Halloween! Have a Devilishly Great Day!! 

 Presidential Underwear

Upon viewing my September 21, 2021 posting, "Presidential Underwear," Cory of Waterville, Maine sent me the following email:

"Chris, After seeing your Presidential Underwear posting of those in their union suits, I found this drawing of Abe Lincoln and his boys, Tad and Robert, in their underwear. And, also one of Warren G. Harding wearing his BVD's. I enjoy your blogs and look forward to each new one. Thanks, Cory"

He added... 

Cory:  Thanks for your contribution. Actually, I featured Ol' Abe in a previous "Presidential Underwear" posting way back in July 27, 2016. It was my opinion then that it was possible that Lincoln and his boys wore union suits but most probably they wore the two piece variety: undershirt plus drawers. Union Suits were not mass manufactured in the mid-1800's and, although, some women may have made union suits for their husbands and boys separately, Mrs. Lincoln probably didn't. But who knows for sure?

Here's a portion of my 2016 Posting...

Presidential Underwear

Abe Lincoln's Union Suit?

Regarding the image depicted here, Honest Abe and his four boys may possibly have worn Union Suit Underwear. But like most men and boys in the early to mid 19th century, Abe and his sons probably wore separate long-handled, ankle length "drawers" and long sleeved undershirts. Although Union Suits could have been made by wives and mothers on an individual basis in Lincoln's time, Mary Todd Lincoln probably did not have or take time to sew Union Suits for the five males in her famous family...

October's Hy Hintermeister's Boy and His Grandpa, What the?!

And more Union Suit labels. Several of these one-piece-rs come from Clem's Collection, just as we've come into Union Suit season:

If it's Sunday, you know Buckeye Mike is dressing for church. His latest email tells me he attends an old Gothic Catholic Church built in 1875 which stays cool in the summer and downright cold beginning about this time of year. So, how better to keep warm than wearing a union suit under his Sunday go to meeting clothes:  

Presidential Underwear

It is well documented that Calvin Coolidge and John F. Kennedy wore union suits in their day. Button-down, long one-piece underwear was probably worn by most other presidents in the mid-to-late 19th century and much of the 20th century, from Abraham Lincoln to George H.W. Bush. "Mostly brief" wearing Bill Clinton may not have ever worn a suit. Neither, I'm guessing, did boxer shorts wearing Obama, Bush the younger, or Trump. There's a good chance Joe Biden has worn union suits, him being older and from Delaware. We'll never know for sure who among U.S. leaders of the executive branch actually wore union suits. Yet, there's a good chance these men did:

Ulysses S. Grant

Woodrow Wilson

And most of the Roosevelts including Theodore (Teddy) and his boys, Theodore Jr.,  Archibald, Kermit, and Quentin: 

 

Kickin' off September brings us "the Boy and His Grandpa" once again. Grandpa wears his long red underwear year around!  My Nebraska grandpa's did, how about yours? Autumn and Union Suit Weather is just around the corner. So start singin'... 

by Hy Hintermeister

Get ready to jump into yours:

Here's the latest from my good friend, Buckeye Mike, of Ohio, wearing a newly purchased Union Suit and reminding us that cool weather is just around the corner. 

This Union Suit fan emails:  

"Perhaps you remember me asking awhile ago if you had any experience with lighter weight union suits. I was hoping to get something lighter weight to wear both earlier and later in the cold season. Well I decided to try a Hanes X-Temp one, after reading some reviews. They are only available in red and navy (at least at this time). I was hoping to get a cream or oatmeal one but settled for red. Even though at 11 pm it was still 70 degrees and too warm to wear ever to bed, I still had to try it on. I like the way it fits and hope it doesn’t shrink. Maybe I will line dry it to be on the safe side. Here is a pic. As I have told you before, I like my unions to fit on the snug (but not tight) side and this one seems to provide what I was looking for in terms of weight and fit. Looking forward to being able to give it a full day’s wearing. ...Buckeye." 

And, here's the monthly Boy and his Grandpa illustration. 

Grandpa prefers long red underwear like Buckeye:

Another Union Suit Fan enjoying his new Union Suit, reminding us to get ready for cold weather:

Also, comin' soon to my companion blog, Union Suit Fans in the Limelight, a new posting: Long Underwear Bands, like The Long Johns Band.  Watch for them and others for their interesting and amusing stories!  

 Play "Movie Trivia" in a new posting on my companion blog, Union Suit Fans in the Limelight!

To see UNION SUIT FANS IN THE LIMELIGHT, go to the dancing red long johns on this page, then click or tap on "Union Suit Fan."  At the top of the next page under "My Blogs" click or tap on "Union Suit Fans in the Limelight" and you will be there!

 National Underwear Day!

              Fruit of the Loom Underwear Labels from over a Century:  

Union Suit Fans: Today, August 5th, is National Underwear Day.  How will you be participating? What underwear will you choose and be wearing?

Added: August 11, 2021:

What better way to celebrate National Underwear Day than with the company who has been in the business for 165 years? We've been around for generations taking the knowledge and expertise we've gained to provide you with the most comfortable options and with our many collections, cuts, styles and fabrics to choose from, we know we've got the new favourite addition to your underwear drawer. 

And a happy National Underwear Day to you too, Stanfield's