1894 De Lamorton Paper Tailor Rulers Pair Signed Madame J M Bemis Antique Tool For Sale

RARE MUSEUM-QUALITY SET: A pair (2, you get both) 1894 De Lamorton Nested Cardstock Tailoring System Pair#### ITEM OVERVIEWFor sale is a magnificent, ultra-rare matching pair of original late-Victorian multi-piece tailoring tools from Professor O. H. de Lamorton’s proprietary "The Wonderful World's Champion Scientific Tailor System." These heavy-gauge, reddish-brown cardstock plates measure approximately 24 inches in length and feature a unique, interlocking "nested ruler" puzzle architecture.#### LAYOUT & ARCHITECTUREUnlike basic straight rulers or chaotic visual chart grids of the era, this premium system features precise die-cut nested curves that fit tightly into rectangular master frames. Seamstresses could use the outer frames as straight edges or pop the curved inserts out to mathematically sweep high-fashion Victorian skirt lines, armscyes, and bodices.In the 1890's, paper and cardstock tailoring systems were almost always destroyed. Dressmakers pinned them directly to raw fabrics, ran heavy graphite pencils against the edges, and accidentally cut them with shears. Over 130 years, finding an immaculate duplicate set is incredibly rare.The signature and the "bottom of bust dot" notation prove a highly specific historical scenario: Madame Bemis bought this expensive system, signed her name on the back to lock down her business inventory, and kept this exact pair stashed flat in a drawer as her pristine "master reference templates" while her apprentices or students used separate, worn-down sets. Her signature is the literal evidence explaining why these fragile cardstock pieces survived in museum-quality condition.*The presence of the "Madame" prefix remains a spectacular, authentic signature detail that advanced textile and ephemera collectors look for to validate an item's 19th-century commercial history.**Paper and cardstock from the 1890s are incredibly fragile. Because tailoring tools were used in frantic, high-volume commercial workspaces, 99% of surviving paper ephemera from this era is severely damaged—covered in heavy charcoal stains, clipped by shears, or riddled with thousands of pinholes where dressmakers pinned them directly to raw fabric.

24" x 6"Tell them you bought them-downtheblock
#369 092026/6