LINDAUER
Meet the Lindauer Family
The family had deep roots in the Jewish community of Jebenhausen, just like the Gutmanns, The Lindauers established a dynasty of industrialists and community leaders. They contributed greatly especially in the clothing industry, as well as to culture and community life, and were an important part of the social and economic of the area.
Salomon (Shlomo/zalman) Lindauer
(1835–1919)
Born in Jebenhausen, Germany
In 1861 he married Sarah Einstein, whose mother was from the Guttmann family.
Sarah Einstein came from the lineage of the J. & S. EINSTEIN company, a corset factory that operated in Bad Cannstatt in the 19th century.
Salomon and Sarah had five children: Sigmund, Max, Julius, Bertha and Louis.
The eldest son – Sigmund Lindauer
(1862–1935)
Entrepreneur and inventor in the textile industry, was a pioneer of modern underwear. Served as a member of the Bad Cannstatt city council from 1899–1905
Sigmund ran J. & S. EINSTEIN, which merged with H. GUTMANN & CO.
founded by the Gutmann family
The letter H' comes from Hirsch Gutmann –
Hirsch is Salomon's brother-in-law, Babette's uncle, Matthias Gutmann's grandson
In the picture - Sigmund and Julius
In 1882, Sigmund followed in his family's footsteps and founded S. Lindauer & Co.
While leading the company, he was a pioneer in the field of underwear when he developed the first industrial bra under the brand Hautana. This was an innovative model, made of elastic silk jersey fabric, free of rigid irons or metal reinforcements — an item that was intended to be light, comfortable and comfortable to wear directly on the body.
This bra, considered one of the first to be produced on an industrial scale, was a real breakthrough. It was accompanied by a smart marketing strategy and global distribution, with international branches in Paris, New York and Holzgerlingen.
The brand became a market leader, and the bras produced under it were marketed worldwide
Hautana symbolized a major cultural shift, as women began to prefer comfortable and healthier undergarments over restrictive corsets.
The new bra was enthusiastically received and became a symbol of women’s liberation and the modernization of lingerie.
The end of the lace-up corset marked a significant moment of freedom for women.
As a testament to the brand’s international success, about two years before the outbreak of World War I, a Hautana advertisement appeared in a local newspaper published in the German colony of South-West Africa — today known as Namibia.
During this period, as women began to take on roles previously considered masculine, a new body ideal emerged:
No longer focused on emphasizing the bust, hips, or buttocks through metal frames and rigid outlines, but rather embracing natural lines and comfortable simplicity.
The story is still long...
Who did Sigmund marry?
What happened to the factory?
And what is the connection to Mercedes-Benz?
And in the meantime... a few points to think about-
Women who dared to give up a corset, or wear comfortable substitutes, were sometimes considered rude or rebellious- traits that are characterized by Israeli audacity- Were Jewish women pioneers of feminism?
Two types of liberation occurred in that historical period- liberation from corsets and liberation from Nazism- both reflected a human desire to free themselves from oppressive structures- is there a connection between them?
See you next week,
Shabbat Shalom
