This gown is an example of the Directoire and Empire period in fashion, which dates from 1795 - 1820. The high waistline, which became known as the “empire waist,” sits just below the bust. Gently puffed sleeves are also characteristic of this period. The waistline reached its peak height around 1816, just four years after this dress was worn. By 1818, waistlines began to drop, eventually reaching the natural waist by 1825.
By the late 1830s women’s dresses featured boned corsage fitted close to the body, a style of corseting that would continue into the coming decades. Gentlemen in the 1840s saw it as a mark of their social status that their wives “should do nothing at all.” This is reflected through the restrictive nature of bodices and corsets from this period. In addition to the boned structure of bodices and corsets, layers and layers of petticoats were worn to achieve full skirts. The wide, scooped neckline of this dress emphasizes diminutive, sloped shoulders, a desirable look in the 1830s-1840s.
This two-piece dress from 1875 has its own corset, which is displayed separately (Look G). In order to achieve the tiny waist while matching the pointed shape of the bodice, this corset was constructed as a perfect match for the outerwear. Skirt volume is concentrated in the backside, which requires a bustle. The bustle is an architectural undergarment that was popularized in the late 1860s and early 1870s and became necessary to support increasing amounts of fabric used to create fullness along the backside of the body. The slender, tightly fitted bodice and sleek curve of the skirt of this time were intended to show off the voluptuous curves of the body, especially the rear end. From 1870-1878 the full bustle, cascade, or waterfall bustles were popular. Crinolines were made with a pillow-like pouch or stiffed ruffles at the back to create this intense visual volume. The bustle fell out of fashion in the late 1870s, but emphasis remained on the skirt back.
This corset is a custom piece which was worn under Look F. In order to achieve the tiny waist while matching the pointed shape of the bodice, this corset was constructed as a perfect match for the outerwear.
The 1880s saw a dramatic return of the bustle; however, this time the bustle took on new form. Mid-1880s bustles protruded horizontally from the small of the back. Unlike the pillow-like bustle forms used in the 1870s, metal cage bustles were touted as lightweight and therefore easier on the wearer’s back and were also collapsible. This dress, on loan from the Seward House Museum, was constructed with a built-in bustle. Stiffly boned bodices and sturdy metal, shelf-like, collapsible bustles are typical in late 1880s fashion.
This brassiere is made of three bands of ivory machine filet lace with hook and eye closures in the back. The inside view reveals a pink diamond reinforcing the panel in the middle, across the diaphragm. Across the bottom of the camisole there are two elastic tabs with metal hooks to further tighten the waist. This piece was designed by Gossard Lounger Iyne Brassieres and with the commercial closures by Gossard. The wide twill tape straps are not original and much have been replaced.
This entirely hand stitched corset is made from coarse cellulose fiber over a whalebone structure. With a shallow V in front, short tabs all around, and hand finished eyelets that are long gone. Notice that there are no straps and the linen lining is crudely stitched over front and back. Behind the design is a more interesting tale. The story goes that during the 16th Century, after a battle in Scotland, three siblings from the Argyll clan fled to Ireland in fear of their lives. Family lore says that Martha, one of the siblings, stitched a lining into her corset to stow family gold and jewels. However, further analysis has revealed that this garment was likely constructed at the end of the 18th Century.
Displayed here is the inside of an 1870s corset designed by Pansy Corset Co. This black boned corset features front hook closures and black string that would tighten at the back. The sheer black cotton, made from a batiste material, compliments the black lace and ribbon trimming. On one of the many boning structures, you can read Mrs. Edwin Cottrell's name written in fading script.
In the 1890s the ideal woman was tall and slender, and her body would eventually transition to an ‘S’ curve silhouette (larger protruding bust, small waist, and slight emphasis on the backside). The lightly puffed sleeves of previous decades were transformed into large, voluminous sleeves that brought emphasis to the shoulders. Sleeves reached their peak size in 1895, the same year of Look I. This dress was worn by Mrs. Romyn Hitchcock when she and her husband, a world-famous entomologist, were presented in the Court of the Emperor Meiji Tenno of Japan in 1895. In the backdrop photo, Mrs. Hitchcock is seated with her King Charles Cavalier Spaniel.
