POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Physical Description

Chart, The Berlei Type Indicator, cardboard/metal/cloth, Berlei Ltd/Websdale, Shoosmith Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1930s Updated Australian version of The Berlei Type Indicator. The chart was designed to be hung on a wall of a corsetiere and approximated the shape of the female torso. It was predominantly black in colour with a khaki green border and headed, "The/BERLEI/Type Indicator". It enabled a fitter to determine the client's precise bust, waist and hip measurements so that she could be fitted with a foundation garment. The chart featured a moveable disc for indicating bust measurement and a moveable pointer for indicating waist measurement. Hip measurement sizes were printed on the border surrounding the moveable disc. An instruction sheet with illustrations has been printed on the back of the chart. The first part of the instructions reads, "This patented Berlei Type Indicator is the key to the Berlei range only, and scientifically defines figure type and sub-division of type according to the findings of the only known Anthropometrical Survey of Women - conducted by Berlei Limited." The descriptions of the five Berlei figure types vary slightly from the first Australian version, P3645-28/2. They were now described as" "TYPE H. (Hip) TYPE S.B. (Sway Back) TYPE Ab. (Abdomen) TYPE A. (Average) TYPE S.B.W (Short Below Waist)". The silhouettes of the body types placed at the bottom of the chart were coloured: pink (Hip), grey/green (Sway Back), yellow (Abdomen), orange (Average) and mauve (Short Below Waist). These colours correspond to areas on the moveable disc. The international patents for The Berlei Type Indicator are also provided: Australia, 13404/28; New Zealand, 61778/28; South Africa, 1629/28; Great Britain, 312145/28; Canada, 300118/30; USA, 1741335/29. The chart was printed by the Sydney firm of Websdale, Shoosmith Ltd. It is the same version of the indicator as P3645-28/5.