What difference did hangers make?
With ready-to-wear, people bought more clothes. Hangers on rods began to replace “old-fashioned” shelves and hooks in home closets.
“Not only is less space required but there is less wrinkling and also provision for more apparel.”
— American Contractor, June 2, 1917
“Men’s suits back then would take up three stacks [on shelves or tables]—one each for trousers, vests, and coats. He figured this was a lousy way to display garments for sale.”
— John H. Batts in a 1993 interview about his grandfather, John Thomas Batts, inventor of the Wishbone hanger and a pioneer in retail display
