Corsets

Corsets from the 1880s
Left: Corset / Red wool, silk, steel, whalebone / Possibly France, 1885 / Museum purchase, 98.29.3
The silhouette of the 1880s was created with structured foundation garments that exaggerated the sexually-dimorphic curves of the female body. This fully boned corset of red wool and silk is laced up the back and fastens up the front with metal hooks. At the front of the corset, a steel, spoon-shaped "busk" that curves along the abdomen produces the tight fit, which enhances the contours of the "hourglass" silhouette. While the white cotton lace trim reflects a modest luxury, this red corset was nonetheless highly fashionable and somewhat controversial, as colorful corsets had been associated with "the aristocracy of vice" only a decade earlier.

Center front: Pretty Housemaid Corset / England, c.1885 / Lent by Leicestershire Museums Arts and Records Services, Symington Collection
Mass-produced corsets, like the khaki-colored one displayed here, became increasingly inexpensive and well-made during the latter part of the 19th century.

Center rear: Corset / France, c.1880

Rear right: Corset / France, c.1880 / Lent by Mark Walsh