Royal Worcester Corset Factory
Worcester MA 1860-19 ??
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| On Line Reference Pages with info on Royal
Worcester
http://www.geocities.com/~girdlezone/goldman.htm
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Article from Modern Priscilla 1911
Making Corsets Under Ideal Conditions Think of a man making
corsets for fifty years! Imagine a man devoting all his energies for
half a century to the perfecting of what is in
many ways woman's most important garment! Could we reason-ably expect anything
other than the development of the finest line of its kind in the world?
Could we be sur-prised that a business started in one room with one employee
grew, as the years went by, to a vast establishment employing fifteen hundred
times that one
original employee? Such things are but
the natural results of intelligence, in-
dustry, ambition, and the determination
to succeed in spite of all obstacles.
In 1861, David H. Fanning
founded
the Royal Worcester Corset
Company
in Worcester, Mass.,
starting in one
room with one employee. To-day the
beautiful home of the "ROYAL WOR-
CESTER," "BON TON," and "AD-
JUSTO" corsets is one of the model
manufacturing plants of America, pro-
viding employment for about fifteen
hun-
dred men and women, reflecting credit
on the city of Worcester, and adding
to the prestige of New England as a
manufacturing centre for fine goods.
And all because one man has for fifty
years kept always before him the
highest
ideals of business, and the goal of
success that he knew awaited the man
who strives with diligence and determi-
nation.
At the age of eighty, Mr. Fanning
is to-day still the president of the Royal
Worcester Corset Company,
and his
ambition is as stanch as ever, looking
always forward to still bigger and
better things.
The readers of this magazine would
certainly be intensely interested could
they but visit the home of this concern
and see for themselves just how its
product is made, and under what con-
ditions.
The main building, which covers two
sides of an entire block, has recently
been enlarged by a four-story addition
on the north wing, increasing by half
the capacity of the plant. The working
conditions of the factory are ideal,
the equipment complete, and lighting,
heating, and sanitary features are per-
fect.
The executive officers and private
suites for the officers of the
corporation
are on the first floor, their handsome
finish and furnishings being in keep-
ing with the gigantic scope and
interests
of the establishment.
Besides the actual designing, cutting,
and making of corsets, all the advertis-
ing, printing, and box-making of the
firm is done on the premises, each
department a large on in itself. Elec-
tricity is the motive power for all
machinery, eliminating the
unhealthiness
of dust and the dangers from belting.
The ventilation is by the blower
system, which continually infuses fresh
air into the workrooms by means of
huge fans in the basement, where the
outside air enters direct on the heating
apparatus.
Special precaution against fire is af-
forded by an automatic sprinkler and
alarm system throughout the structure,
while wide, double stairways of heavy
steel construction at either end of the
building, and large and substantial fire-
escapes are conveniently placed for
quick exit. In the basement is a white-
tiled dining hall for the employees, the
recesses of which are studded with
palms and potted plants. There you
will find a library, also, for the use
of the employees, containing all the
magazines and periodicals of the day.
A hospital room on the second floor,
fully equipped, ministers to the needs
of the working men and women. If, on
examination, any employee shows
signs
of tuberculosis, he or she is sent away
to a sanitarium until cured at the ex-
pense of the Company.
The unsanitary drinking cup has
been replaced by automatic, bubbling
drinking fountains located at
convenient
points on every floor. They are fed
with pure, sparkling water, double
filtered and cooled in a new, private re-
frigerating plant, the temperature of the
water being controlled by the
thermostats.
Thus, hand in hand, go a great in-
dustry and a great philanthropy.
Summed up, everything which makes
for the comfort of employees and the
successful operation of the business is
amply provided.
As a result of Mr. Fanning's broad,
aggressive policy, and strict business
integrity, the Royal Worcester Corset
Company has been for years
established
as one of the great industrial institu-
tions of the world. Nearly two million
dollars has been expended in advertising
its products in magazines, newspapers,
booklets and other mediums, which has
resulted in making the three trade-
mark names "Royal Worcester," "Bon
Ton" and "Adjusto," internationally
famous. Every pair of corsets that
leaves the factory is the final result of
painstaking care, from designing to ship-
ping room, of skilled labor, the best
materials (all fabric is put to the sev-
erest kind of test to prove its strength)
and the most modern and exacting de-
tails of designing, cutting, and making.
In short, no expense or labor is spared
to make the industry the worthy expres-
sion of a high commercial ideal.
The remark of a recent visitor to
the factory, quoted below, serves to
illustrate an interesting point --
"If just a small portion of the fashion
and health-loving American women
could take a tour through this model
plant and witness the wonderful proc-
esses and ideal working environments,
I believe it would be impossible to pro-
duce corsets fast enough to meet the
demand."