Underthings: For Support and Structure
Rather than the instruments of torture portrayed in popular media, corsets or stays, as they were also known, were a garment that provided support to the bust. Corsets were constant in women’s wardrobes for centuries and have even made a comeback in the last few years. The function of a corset more or less stayed the same, but its form changed depending on the fashionable silhouettes of the era. The corset pictured here is representative of the straight-front or S-bend corset that became common in the mid-1890s. This type of corset attempted to make the waist look as small as possible by pushing the woman’s torso forward and hips back. These corsets were quite complicated to make due to the many curved pieces that were joined together and separated by whalebone in cotton. This style of corset was popular until around 1905, when styles changed, and straighter silhouettes were in fashion.The netting incorporated into this corset suggests that it was a summer corset, as the mesh would have allowed for more airflow while wearing it.
Corsets were worn by women of all social classes so that working-class women would have worn corsets similar in design to the one here. As clothing was designed and made with the corset in mind, it would have been quite noticeable if a woman was not wearing one underneath her dress.
Similar to the corset, petticoats changed form depending on the popular silhouettes of the day. The petticoat depicted here was known as an eel petticoat due to its similarity to the fins on an eel. During the 1890s and early 1900s, skirts hugged the hips and flared out towards the bottom, so the petticoat would have to be similar in design. An eel petticoat is distinguishable by pleating around the top of the shins, which would have given the bell-shaped skirt volume. This petticoat has a small train which would not be seen on later petticoats. Shorter skirts and petticoats became a matter of necessity to working women due to health hazards associated with long sweeping trains. More than a mere tripping hazard, long skirts picked up mud and muck from the streets and could bring disease into the home.
