Description:
Cotton whitework corset decorated overall in a fine backstitch pattern, which is a tour-de-force of excellent needlework and enables the decorative areas to be stuffed with cotton that not only strengthens the garment but turns it into a work of art. The corset also has black lace trimming around the neck, since removed, shoulder strap, and bottom; a pocket made inside the left bust; strings for lacing; and is fastened with ten brass eyelets. The corset's shaped but uncarved busk (possibly original) also survives. Busks were rigid insertions of (usually) wood, sometimes carved, that were inserted into front channels for added support and rigidity. The corset dates to the 1830s, and illustrates the more relaxed construction of undergarments for women at this time. While shaping the wearer, the absence of whalebone or steel provided a less rigid shaping. A handwritten note attached to the corset reads: "Hand stitched and made by a great aunt of Ethel L. Allen. A shaped corset board is inserted in front." The donor's family has close ties with England so it is possible that this garment was made there, although there are American made examples as well.
Label Text:
The refined and corrected shape of the fashionable lady in this period is seen here in this form of a quilted cotton corset which is a tour-de-force of excellent needlework. The fine backstitch enables the decorative areas to be stuffed with cotton that not only strengthens the garment but turns it into a work of art. The donor's family has close ties with England so it is possible that this garment was made there, although there are American made examples as well. Gift from Mrs. William Kaynor, Jr., of Longmeadow, MA, 1972.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+V.079n4 |
