Sam of Duluth, MN sent me this copy of a postcard he had found in a box of letters while going through his deceased grandpa's attic. The card, featuring a man dressed in a well made "summer" union suit, was addressed to his grandpa from a clothing company located in Chicago, Illinois.
The ad agreed to send Sam's grandpa three "French Balbriggan Union Suits" for less than three dollars, COD with no delivery charges! Apparently, this limited bargain was the "greatest value we have ever offered." Can you imagine the price of this long underwear compared to what we have to pay for union suits in this day and age?!
Sam, a union suit wearer himself, told me his grandpa wore union suits year around but he doesn't know if he ever purchased these. Probably not since the reverse of the card required the recipient to print his name and address before mailing, and since Sam thought his grandpa wore only long sleeved union suits. He believes the postal date of this card may have been between 1915 and 1922. The date on the reverse side mailed to his grandpa was illegible.
Thanks, Sam. This is very interesting and the price of that underwear is extraordinary. I had not run across any this inexpensive. The postcard itself may be worth some money to you as there are probably collectors that would pay to own it. Appreciate you taking the time to send... Chris
Wouldn't it be great to have a time machine to pick up bargains like this?
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