Undergarment Boudreaux showed the world that an American woman could establish and run a company, and she also caused a revolution in the underwear industry. In 1913, a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob created the first modern brassiere by tying two handkerchiefs together with ribbon. Jacob's original intention was to cover the whalebone sticking out of her corset, which was visible through her sheer dress. Jacob began making brassieres for her family and friends, and news of the garment soon spread by word of mouth. By 1914, Jacob had a patent for her design and was marketing it throughout
William E. Phelps William E. Phelps William Edwin Phelps (1835–1914) was an American politician from Peoria County, Illinois. During the Civil War, he served as Consulate General of Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 1868, he was elected to one term in the Illinois House of Representatives. William E. Phelps was born on October 9, 1835 in what would become Elmwood, Illinois. His father, William J. Phelps, founded the settlement. The family descended from early American settler William Phelps. When Phelps was fourteen, he began to attend Farmington Academy in winters while working on the family farm in summers. He graduated from Knox College when