Homesteaders Clothing by Montgomery Ward

Friends Meeting at the Pie Town Fair, Sept 1940.
The young boy to the right is wearing Homesteader branded overalls.

Library of Congress / Russell Lee

In the 1930s, Montgomery Ward began making a series of Homesteaders clothing. They were a durable, but low cost range of denim clothing for men. They later added a Homesteader Jr. line for boys. The items produced included overalls, jackets, jeans, and shirts. Montgomery Ward continued to sell these Homesteaders items until the 1950s.

Homesteaders branded shirts, Montgomery Ward Fall & Winter 1941-1942 catalog

Internet Archive / Montgomery Ward

According to the Montgomery Ward catalog, the Homesteaders shirts were "among Wards fastest selling Work Shirts. Designed to give you long, satisfying service on all average jobs. Made over full, roomy patterns in regular choice of button or zipper front style."

In the 1941-42 catalog, the buttoned shirt cost $0.65 and the zipper shirt cost $0.82. Converted to modern-day inflation, this would be around $11.34 for a button shirt and $14.31 for a zipper shirt.

The catalog description advertises the Standard Homesteaders shirts as Sanforized-shrunk. "Sanforizing strengthens the fabric and assures a permanent, perfect fit; the 100% American Cotton fabrics can't shrink more than 1% no matter how long you wear the shirt or how many times it is washed."

Homesteaders branded jacket and overalls, Montgomery Ward Fall & Winter 1941-1942 catalog

Internet Archive / Montgomery Ward

Most of the Homesteaders line of clothing was Sanforized. This was a new process patented in 1930 by Sanford Lockwood Cluett. It is a treatment applied to cotton or other natural fibers. The process stabilizes the fabric by stretching and shrinking it before it is cut. These items were considered "shrink-proof" after this process, only shrinking up to 1%.

The catalog describes the Homesteaders denim: "This heavy deep dyed Blue Denim is exceeded in strength only by our 8-oz. Denim Overalls. It is strong enough for most rough use. Triple sewn seams, bar-tacks, rust-proofed, riveted buttons."

In the 1941-42 catalog, the overalls and jacket both ran the same price, $0.59 for sizes 4-8 and $0.68 for sizes 10-16. With today's inflation, that would equal around $10.30 for the smaller sizes and $11.87 for the larger sizes. A good quality denim with an affordable price.