Date: c. 1850s

Origin: France

Fabric: Woven cotton

Brand: Custom made

This cotton corset is made of a matelassé fabric and is a common type used for light support in less fashionable French contexts. Without any boning, the wearer was relying on the inherent strength and structure of this quasi-quilted textile and its plain cotton lining. The front bust gores and side hip gores provide a bit of shaping, but without even any boning near the eyelets, it would have been prone to wrinkling and gaping, and therefore useful for light support only. For better support, a person might have used a corset with cording or boning; for an earlier example, see UM-2020-012, and for a later one, KL-2017-015.

With the combination of hand-stitching, metal eyelets, and a fabric produced on a mechanized loom, it is a glimpse into the clothing culture of the Industrial Revolution—a time in which hand methods were still used, but mechanization was slowly being incorporated even into undergarments.

From the collection of Karolina Laskowska.

Many thanks to Kenna Libes for the object description.

Museum number: KL-2022-072