The Springmaid Girls

It isn't often that a fabric has a history of it's own.
Made by Springs Mills this fabric features the Springmaid Girls.

The Springmaid Girls were used in advertisements and date back to 1946 when the president Elliot White Springs launched a new advertising campaign to bring a little humor and interest to their advertising.

Fabric is a compilation of the Springmaid Girls in various activities.

There are a lot of books out there about the history of large textile manufacturers, including the Springs Mills, all great for researching textiles. But for a more personal view I enjoyed and can recommend this book.

Clothes Make the Man, by Elliot White Springs.

Book and jacket photographed on the Springmaid fabric.

It's a history of the Springs Mills Co. of South Carolina. Written by the president of the company, he gives his personal view of the running of this large company. Dating back to 1888, Springs was at one time SC largest industrial employer. There's lots more information about this giant textile company easily found on the internet if one is interested in researching it.

The Springmaid Girls used in the company ads were used for this fabric design. The girls are shown in various poses, some a little more daring than others at the time, but pretty tame by today's standards. I've seen the fabric in this colorway only. There was another similar design with the Springmaid Girls, but the fabric is printed without the blue strips.

I've also seen another  ad for fabrics with the Springmaid Girls in "Persian" designs. I've never found any of these  fabrics, unfortunately.

The ad to the right features actress Vivian Blaine in a dress made from the Persian design fabric.

More information on the Springmaid Girl ads can also be found by searching the internet.

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