Tom Boy Hosiery was a proprietary line of socks and stockings distributed by the Irwin-Phillips Company, a major wholesale dry goods, notions, underwear, and garment distributor based in Keokuk, Iowa. The company was founded in 1856 and began to manufacture its own lines in garments and accessories from 1871 onwards, investing heavily in their own factory. The Tom Boy Hosiery brand was their socks and underwear label which supplied heavy-duty socks for the frontier markets, alongside stablemate brands Big Dam and Indian Head.

— THIS BRAND IS NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION —

ABOUT

A flagship brand of the Irwin-Phillips department store, Tom Boy Hosiery was marketed as a hard-wearing sock brand for the tough and demanding life on the ranches and trails of the Midwest and the far northern and western frontiers. From humble beginnings in the boom-town of Keokuk, Irwin-Phillips had grown to become one of the largest wholesale houses for dry goods, hosiery, apparel and notions in the American Midwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their main headquarters and factories were located in Keokuk, Iowa, with satellite operations in Hamilton, Illinois and New York City where the Tom Boy brand proved particularly successful.

Little of the brand’s marketing material remains today, however records indicate that the Tom Boy label first appeared in around 1910-1911 when early adverts appeared in local newspapers, periodicals and trade directories.Indeed, Irwin-Phillips ran regular trade advertisements in Midwestern newspapers (such as the Keokuk Daily Gate City) between 1911 and 1916. Their primary adverting slogan advertised Irwin-Phillips Co. as the “Sole Agent for Tom Boy Hosiery — New York Prices Duplicated.”

In its early years, Irwin-Phillips was primarily a jobber/wholesaler rather than a national consumer retail brand. As such, they did not frequently advertise in national consumer magazines (like Good Housekeeping or The Saturday Evening Post). Instead, “Tom Boy Hosiery” was sold directly to local department stores, general stores, and dry goods merchants across Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and surrounding states and across the East Coast through their New York City office.

Tom Boy Hosiery was primarily marketed as durable, heavy-wear ribbed socks for women and children’, with girls’ stockings being a core product line. Mens socks were also produced, but, from the outset, the brand targeted female customers, harnessing the popular “tomboy” retail descriptor for long-wearing, non-delicate women and children’s socks and stockings designed to withstand rough outdoor play. Indeed, Dupont had a similarly named stockings and underwear range under their Cellophane label.

Tom Boy Hosiery was one of several key brands operated by Irwin-Phillips, the othrs being Indian Head and Big Dam (which effectively replaced Indian Head). The Irwin-Phillips’ ranges are highly sought after by collectors of vintage Americana and fashion, although Tom Boy perhaps less-so. Still, if you keep an eye on online auction sites and second-hand retailers (we do always recommend ebay.com or etsy.com as the best places to find such things and are grateful if you use the affiliate links provided). Your best bet, however, is to visit your local thrift store.

If you know more about the history of this brand that you can tell us, we would love to hear from you in the comments.

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