1904 Belt Pocket
by Ottilie Wider
About the Patent
- NAMEOttilie Wider
- PATENTUS776631A
- DATEDecember 6, 1904
- LOCATIONPatented in the United States – inventor a citizen of Germany, residing in Philadelphia, US
- INVENTION“Belt”
- THEMEConcealing [more about our themes]
About the Inventor
In her patent, Ottilie Wider only tells us about her citizenship and residency. Further research suggests she might have been born in 1865 and trained as a nurse. This makes her approximately 39 at the time of her belt invention. We found two other patents filed by Wider, also with the same solicitors. These involve improvements in nursing equipment – a fountain syringe and a temperature chart.
Wider’s belt with a secret pocket shares similar impulses to her other patents — the desire to make something small, mundane and familiar do more than was initially intended. We also found evidence in the archives to suggest Wider’s husband was also an inventor. So, it is possible they shared experiences and contacts.
About the Invention
PROBLEM
Wider identifies a problem familiar to women all around the world for centuries – not having enough pockets. She writes: “Usually a lady carries a purse in her hand or places it in a bag attached to her belt or tucks it inside her waist, inasmuch as ladies garments are not as a rule provided with pockets of any kind.” This was unacceptable to her, so she set about reworking something she was already wearing – a belt – making it do more than it was initially designed for.
SOLUTION
Wider’s inventive response is to utilise the space inside the end of a belt. “One form of ladies’ belts now extensively used has a free end projecting to one side of the buckle or from the fastening devices, which latter it overlaps or covers.” She further explains: “The object of my invention is to utilize this end of the belt by converting it into a pocket to carry coins and other small articles.”
Open Access Patent Document
See the complete US patent.
“I provide a pocket which is within convenient reach, can be easily opened and closed, and is of sufficient dimensions to hold enough money for ordinary purposes.”
— Ottilie Wider, inventor
The Perplexing Problem of Pockets
Speculatively Sewing Ottilie Wider’s Invention
Learn more about speculative sewing here
Wider’s patent shows multiple variations on the theme of belt-with-pocket. Her drawings offer many ways of hiding a cavity in a range of differently styled belts and buckles. We attempted to reconstruct a version of Fig. 4. This was partially because we were able to easily source purse-closures that looked similar. We started with paper versions to test out the scale. We tried to find the right proportions between the belt and its end, so as to offer space for “coins and other small articles”. We talked about what these “smaller items” might be – keys? notes? jewellery? medication?
Our calico versions were useful. But as can be seen from the images and animation, calico is a firm fabric, so the belt looks wider and less gathered than in the patent drawings. The final versions of the belt, in a softer blend material, demonstrated more clearly how the invention worked.
We made it to a scale where it operated as a belt and pocket — the wearer could insert two fingers to access the items. Not only did it secure small items of value but also freed the wearer’s hands for other uses. This would have been essential for a nurse, and useful for other workers too.
We remade the belt 5 more times, each version customised for one of the performers in the “Pockets of Power” show. This performance was inspired by a collection of unusual and surprising pockets in our research and developed in collaboration with the feminist theatre company Scary Little Girls. It was first shown at Glastonbury 2023, Being Human festival in London and the Mayven Arts festival in Cornwall.
You can read our open access journal article about speculative sewing here.
Wider’s invention was part of POP’s theatre show
POP team collaborated with the award-winning feminist theatre company Scary Little Girls, led by Becca Morden and Dr Naomi Paxton and featuring a troupe of talented performers, to produce an interactive and immersive theatre show based on POP research.
Called “Pockets of Power”, this theatrical collaboration involved comedy, spoken word, songs, sketches, puppetry and audience games. It showed how women throughout history radically reinvented the worlds of clothing invention and design to solve problems and smash stereotypes.
This show was commissioned and performed at Glastonbury 2023, Being Human Festival 2023 and Mayven Arts Festival in Cornwall 2023.
More Research Relating to Wider’s Invention
Below is a selection of research activities relating to Wider’s invention and pockets more generally. Click through to learn more.
The Speculative Sewing Inventory is part of the Politics Of Patents project, which has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Grant No: 819458. Politics Of Patents is hosted by Goldsmiths College, University of London.
