History of the Corset

The corset, derived from the French word “corps for body”, is a tight, cinching garment that covers the middle torso that pushes up and/or flatten the breasts, or to hug the waist into shape. It has been in use in one form or another for hundreds of years, Sometime around 1700 BC, the Minoans used corsets that were fitted and laced, or a smaller corselette that left the breasts exposed. In the same period, men are also shown in artwork as having tiny waists; it is also believed that they used belts to hold their waists tight; traditionally it began on young boys in order to train their waists.

In other ancient civilizations, women wearing corsets were painted on pottery in Crete, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Assyria. Women in these cultures normally partook in strenuous physical activities such as gymnastics and bullfighting, which required the use of constricting attire for support. Grecian women wore supports called zona while Cretan women wore rings around their waists and bolero jackets to give their breasts support. Egyptian women wore a band under their bust as part of their outward costume. Where as the Romans used corseted tight lacing, to show superiority over slaves and convey there low status and subjugation to their loosely clothed masters and mistresses.

References to corseting can also be found in the Bible and early Christians used rope to bind their waists which bit into the skin. Fashions were influenced during this era by the East and typically imported through Constantinople. In deviation to the Christians, the women of Constantinople and Alexandria embraced the use of a constricting, bejewelled belt.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, loose, baggy dresses were replaced by dresses that used lacing to shape the clothes closer to the body. A trim figure was achieved by using stiffer fabrics while a corset effect was incorporated into the garments as opposed to being a separate article of clothing. These garments were known as kirtles. Although the meaning of a kirtle changed over time, and in other regions. In England, kirtles were normally gowns with tight fitting bodices. Chaucer made reference to corsets in his tales, saying that they were made in many different colours and fitted closely to the female form. Also Surcoats became popular during this time. It was an item of clothing worn like an overcoat that hugged the body, and was considered so lewd that Charles V of France threatened to excommunicate anyone who wore one.

During the 14th century, the silk industry saw significant growth, fabrics such as silk, brocade, velvet, and damask needed a stronger, supported construction in order to reveal the body's shape. The first artificial support was made in Italy, called a coche, and later became known as a busk in England. It gave a smooth, straight, rigid line to the front of the body when laced and, in theory, was designed to enable the wearer entrance and exit from the garment without disturbing the laces. The earliest known busk was made in 1556 from iron.

In the French court, under the influence of Italian-born Catherine de Medici, ladies in waiting were told to cinch their waists to a size no bigger than thirteen inches around. Even given the difference in average body size of a woman in modern times, thirteen inches would have been extreme.

It was in this same court, that a corset of steel framework was introduced. Normally made up of four plates with cut out ornamental designs, they were connected at the sides and front while leaving the back open to get in and out of. It is undecided whether the metal corsets were a normal item in a woman's clothing collection, if they were used for a medical purpose, or if they were a sign of rank/social standing since a knight's armour during this time was more for show than function.

Some other changes also took place in the 16th century. The separation of the bodice from the skirt of an item of clothing aimed for a tighter fit on the upper body while the skirts generally were heavier and fuller. An under-bodice had to be used to achieve the fashionable look and resembled past garments worn by men during earlier times. These under-bodices were normally made from linen that’s was stiffened with paste and supported by wooden busks, they were referred to as "bodies" or "corps". In later years, iron was added to the under bodice for strength. They were sometimes lengthened over the hips with an extra piece of fabric called a basque, which could then be modified with padding or wadding to change the shape of a woman even further. The under-bodices of this period became so popular that it became fashionable to wear clothing that revealed them.

Around the 17th century, there was a period of time when politics across Europe demanded a less extravagant use of fabric, including a less-is-more-approach to fashion came the introduction and fixation of the busk. The busk fits inside the front of a corset and was made from wood, ivory, metal, or whale bone. A man might have carved or purchased an elegant busk as a present for his lover. The lacings that held a busk in place were separate from those that supported the corset. It was common for a young woman to use her busk as a flirtatious point of interest or bestow her busk lacings on a particularly admired gentleman. Busks could also be made into daggers and could be used as weapons on the occasional unwanted admirer.

The 1800's heralded changes in corsetry by leaps and bounds. During the Napoleonic Wars, a doctor with the French army invented a metallic eyelet. Eyelets added to corsets allowed them to be cinched even tighter without fear of damaging the fabric. After a reletivley short period of time the quality of the eyelets was questioned, it was then the Minet Back made its debut. The closure was on the back, and consisted of a series of loops on each side. A whalebone bar was then passed through the loops. Also, lacings were threaded through the loops as well which meant that the pressure for supporting the garment was on the bar instead of individual points.

There were other 19th century adjustments, these included the first corset designed with a front busk, it was divided in two that hooked to close and laced in the back. It was created by Jean-Julien Josselin, occasionally; one would spring open on an unsuspecting young lady. The glove-fitting corset ready made and produced by Thomson and Company was constructed using steel while the first rubber corset was fashioned in the 1860's. The late 1880's reported suspenders being added to the corset to hold up stockings.

At the beginning of the 1900’s, sports and athletics were becoming a high interest of women, therefore the need for freer movement was required, a lightweight corset was developed, made with less boning, and in some cases, support was only given by quilting or cording. It also had large shoulder straps. In 1910, the first ventilated mesh corset and the “all-elastic-step in” were introduced.

During the 1920’s, distorted curvaceous figures from earlier years had disappeared, in favour of the silhouette look, which catered to the naturally slender. Larger women could achieve in the fashion also, with a light corset and bandeau. By the 1930s, the corset finally moved aside in favour of elastic undergarments.

It has to be said No other garment in Western history has assumed such political, social, and sexual significance. What is it about the corset? A mere undergarment, designed to enhance the female figure, has become an icon of all that fascinates about the ambiguous sexual codes of the Victorian era. Was wearing corsets primarily about sexual empowerment or restrictive chastisement? Could the corset explain common female maladies of the Victorian era, from fainting fits to miscarriage? How great was the suffering, for how small a waist?

Gone with the Wind
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
A David O. Selznick production 1939
Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) being laced into her corset by her Mammy (Hattie McDaniel)

This image from the film Gone with the Wind sums up many people's view of Victorian women -clutching to bedposts while their maid pulls and pulls at the corset strings to achieve the desirable and highly restrictive tiny waist. The woman battles against the restriction of her undergarments but to no avail. She is doomed to her position in society: a slave to fashion, cosseted and striving to be pleasing to men, whatever the cost.

Of course there is not fiction without fact. Women clearly did suffer for the sake of fashion, just as many do today with high heels and plastic surgery. Ridiculously large crinolines, protruding bustles and heavily boned corsets often did restrict movement and the range of activities women could engage in. But this is only one side of the story. Technological change in the late 19th and early 20th century led to new designs in underwear which often made life easier for women - as well as more complicated!