Installment #8: Liquid stockings - a clever alternative to nylon hose

1944 – Claudell stands at a park entrance in Joplin. She was 16 at the time.

A few months before Claudell and her Uncle Dougie went to Houston to see Pearl, Claudell's family moved out of the little shack, leaving Claudell alone to raise herself. She wasn't quite 14 years old.

Maxine, a close friend of Lucille's, had delivered a baby and was too ill to care for her infant daughter. So, Lucille, Glenn, and Jerry moved into an apartment located above the bank to help care for Maxine and her baby. The bank was owned by Maxine's husband, Bill. Maxine was ill for about a year. After she was well, however, Lucille and her family continued to live in the apartment above the bank instead of moving back in with Claudell.

Claudell never visited her family while they lived in the apartment. She simply wasn't invited. However, Glenn's photography studio was located about a block away from the bank and she would occasionally stop in to see Glenn.

To drum up business, Glenn came up with a contest. He selected three girls with different leg shapes. During World War II, it was almost impossible to purchase nylon or silk stockings because nylon was used in the manufacture of parachutes, ropes, and netting. Silk stockings were also unavailable because the United States no longer did business with Japan. So, American women looked for other solutions. Cosmetic companies developed a product referred to as "liquid stockings." If the foundation was applied properly, the illusion of hose was achieved.

On separate occasions, Glenn carefully "painted" stocking on each girl's legs. Next, he took an eyebrow pencil and carefully drew a line down the back of the legs. He also drew the "heel" of the pantyhose which showed just above the heel of the shoes they wore.  Afterward, he took an 8x10 photo of the back of their legs to be displayed in the window of the studio. Contest rules: Guess who's legs were in the three photographs. Those who guessed all three correctly received a free 8x10 photo to be taken of their family.

The girls knew about the contest, but they didn't know whose legs Glenn was going to photograph. They were instructed to not tell anyone. He chose Claudell and two of her best friends, Rayma and Shirley.  People guessed Rayma's and Shirley's legs, but very few people could guess Claudell's skinny legs. Even Rayma and Shirley didn't figure it out!

A successful application of liquid stockings and seams.