Mary Phelps Jacob filed a U.S. patent application for her 'Backless Brassiere' design.
On February 12, 1914, Mary Phelps Jacob formally filed a patent application with the United States Patent Office for her invention, the 'Backless Brassiere.' The design emerged from a practical need: in 1913, preparing for a debutante ball, she had fashioned a soft, backless alternative to the rigid whalebone corset using two handkerchiefs and ribbon, allowing freer movement beneath a sheer evening gown.
The filing of this application represented the formalization of an idea that would eventually reshape women's undergarments and fashion. At a time when corsets were considered essential and rigidly structured, Jacob's design offered comfort and flexibility, reflecting broader shifts toward looser, more natural silhouettes in early twentieth-century fashion.
This filing was a crucial legal step preceding the patent's grant later that year, and it is widely cited in histories of fashion and invention as the beginning of the legally recognized brassiere design in the United States.