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| | Rocky Mountain News: Spotlight Columnists |
 | | As the inventor of the modern bra, experts point to Frenchwoman Herminie Cadolle in 1889, whose innovation was that the support came from the shoulders instead of from below, and New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob, who received a patent for the "backless brassiere" in 1914. |
 | | Cadolle's invention was marketed as a health aid, while Jacob's was born of necessity: She was dressing for a party and realized that a whalebone corset wouldn't look good under her sheer evening gown. |
 | | So she and her French maid fabricated a bra from handkerchiefs and ribbon, and took orders for her creation that very evening, though she later sold the patent for a mere $1,500, according to inventors.about.com. |
| www.rockymountainnews.com /drmn/spotlight_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23962_4743137,00.html (279 words) |
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