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Whalebone corset, known as "a pair of stays"

Unknown / Inconnu1785/1790

McCord Stewart Museum

McCord Stewart Museum
Montreal, Canada

Stays bore the daily strain of a moving, perspiring, body, and rarely survive; this is the only 18th-century pair in our collection. The many narrow stitched channels contain strips of stiff baleen, the wavy channels a more pliable cord stiffening. These stays have unusual features, leaving their purpose a bit of a mystery. Comparison with other examples suggests they may have been designed for riding or some other physical activity requiring exertion.

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  • Title: Whalebone corset, known as "a pair of stays"
  • Creator: Unknown / Inconnu
  • Creator Lifespan: Unknown / Inconnue - Unknown / Inconnue
  • Date: 1785/1790
  • Type: Corset, Corset
  • Titre: Corset appelé « corps baleiné »
  • Description: Malmenés par les mouvements et la transpiration du corps, les corsets n'ont que rarement traversé les siècles; cet exemplaire est unique dans notre collection du 18e siècle. Les nombreuses gaines étroites et piquées renferment des baleines rigides tandis que les gaines ondulées comportent une armature en corde plus souple. Les caractéristiques inhabituelles de ce corset l'enveloppent d'un certain mystère. En le comparant avec d'autres modèles, on peut supposer qu'il était conçu pour la pratique de l'équitation ou d'une activité physique exigeante.
  • Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Hamilton, Don de Mrs. Hamilton
  • Rights: http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/orders/conditions/
  • External Link: http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/M969X.26
  • Medium: Cotton, whale baleen and cord stiffening, linen tape straps, Coton, triplure de baleines et de corde, bretelles de ruban de lin
McCord Stewart Museum

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