A Brief History of the Corset

 The corset has been an important piece of clothing for hundreds of years, and has gone through many changes.
Laced bodices have been used in many different fashions and countries throughout history, as can be seen in the national dress of many countries, but the use of the corset as a type of underwear only became popular in the 16th century.

The corset as an undergarment was used in Italy in the 16th century, and spread throughout Europe when Catherine de Medici introduced it into France. These corsets were conical in shape, and the emphasis was not placed on the waist, as in later years, but the contrast between the fullness of the skirts and breasts. By the 1550s this corset was popular and common with many women in Europe. Earlier, the corset was not boned, but the fabric stiffened with glue, but by this time a 'busk', a flat piece of whalebone or wood, was being incorporated into the front of the corset, to keep the garments stiffness. The look of the 16th century corset was on a flat stomach, the torso conical in shape and narrowing to below the hips - a 'stomacher' was used to achieve this look, as can be seen in the portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. By the Elizabethan era, whalebone was used to help keep the corset's shape. Despite its popularity, not everybody wore a corset; Mary, Queen of Scots, for example did not.

By the 18th century, the corset had stayed relatively the same; the inverted conical shape was still popular and its purpose was not yet to achieve a narrow waist - it was worn to support the breasts and back, and improve posture. Because the 18th century corset was not narrow at the waist, and did not extend to the hips, it was relatively comfortable to wear, and did not restrict breathing; this allowed women to wear a corset and still work, though bending at the waist was not possible because of the boned structure. This corset remained popular all through the Georgian era, but by the 1800s the corset had changed to suit new fashion.

From around 1795 to 1820 the fashion for both men and women had changed dramatically. Gone were the masses of skirts and bright colours of the Georgian eras; the 'age of undress' had arrived in the form of sheer muslin gowns and soft pastel colours. The waistline had risen to just below the bust - the classically inspired empire silhouette did not require a corset that fit tight on the waist, but a garment was still needed to support the bust. Looking back, the Regency stays could be considered an early version of the bra, but the corset worn often extended to the waist to give support.

Two variations of Regency corsets - the first usually being worn by younger women, and the second by older, to keep a good figure.

By the Victorian era, corsets had developed into the variety we know today, synonymous with the restricting Victorian society and fashion. With the fashion of the early and middle 19th century, when wide skirts and hourglass figures were popular, the corset could no longer create the illusion of a small waist; the waist would have to be narrowed using heavily boned corsets. This led to the creating of the typical hourglass corset, which we all recognise. Tight-lacing became popular in the 1840s and 50s, which often caused serious health problems. The Victorian corset differed in many ways to the ones of earlier centuries - there was no longer straps at the shoulders, and it extended to below the hips. Rather than being an inverted cone shape, the corset became purposefully curvaceous. Whereas before, most corsets were made by hand, the Victorian ere saw the mass production of corsets, which remained popular until the end of the century.

Only nearing the end of the century did the obsession with a tiny waist give rise to concerns in health.  The Rational Dress Society tried to promote the wearing of ' health corsets' and condemned tight-lacing. At the time corsets were believed to be the cause of health ailment such as hysteria or liver failure, but did actually seriously affect breathing, digestion and pregnancy. A maternity corset was introduced, to supposedly help support a woman during the whole of her pregnancy, when in fact the wearing of any sort of corset could have potential life threatening damage on both mother and child.

Despite the late 18th century opposition to corsets, the 1890s and Edwardian era saw the introduction of a new type of corset. The straight-front, or swan-bill, corset became very popular. Its name derived from the solid busk that flattened the front, which pushed the back and hips backwards and the breast forward, creating an s-shaped silhouette. It was also known as the 'health corset', but it was, in fact, considerably unhealthy. The way it pushed the figure behind put unnatural strain on the back, and often were the source of much back and spinal injury.

Two examples of corsets - the first an example of the Edwardian corset, note the position it forces upon the wearer. The second a beautiful example of an 1890 corset; although they were undergarments and not meant to be seen, most corsets were elaborately designed, in many fantastic colours. This had came about by the invention of different fabrics and artificial dyes.

 The first image is an x-ray from 1904, showing the effect corsets had on the internal organs and bone structure; the ribs are crushed and many organs are forced downwards. The second image is a late Victorian advertisement, which highlights the difference in posture the corset produces.

The corset remained a necerssary item to many womens wardrobe in the Edwardian era. It was only during the First World War that they began to decrease in popularity, becuase women were discouraged from purchasing corsets, for the steel used in the garments was wanted for the weapons production instead. other factors such as changing fashions and more equality for women led to the demise of the corset, until it has very much disappeared from society.