Marie Dressler Dresses

Virginia Pilot, May 19, 1935 Canadian born actor Marie Dressler (ca. 1868-1934), was a big star in the 1920s and 1930s. She got her start in vaudeville, moving to the stage and finally to film. There she played both comic and serious roles as the older woman. Time magazine, August 7, 1933 Her big busted, large body didn’t stand in the way of her popularity. She was so revered that she even appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1933. Dresses bearing the Marie Dressler name were already produced in the 1920s. After her death, the Gottlieb dress company of Ohio took advantage of her renown to create a widely distributed dress line named after her. By choosing the larger, older actor as their muse, the company found a way to popularize clothing for the no longer young and slim. Similar to the Molly Goldberg line, the dresses were sold at department stores. Women could also find them in Sears catalogs. As is true in all plus size advertising, the models selling the clothing were much…