#UPMTC: The curious history of Radioactive Corsets, by Lucy Jane Santos
This blog post documents the Underpinnings Museum Twitter Conference presentation by Lucy Jane Santos, entitled The Curious History of Radioactive Corsets.
This presentation will look at the surprising use of radioactive materials in corsetry in the 1920s-1930s specifically looking at two companies (one based in the UK and one in France) that made these – apparently best-selling products. Over 12 tweets it will look at how they worked, what benefits they were said to impart and where they could be purchased. This presentation will be illustrated by advertisements of the products.
Lucy Jane Santos is an expert in the history of twentieth century leisure, health and beauty with a special interest (some might say obsession) for radioactivity. She is currently reading for her PhD (due for completion in 2019) on the use of radioactivity in beauty products. She has a BA in Egyptian Archaeology (UCL), an MA in Arts and Museum Management (University of Greenwich) and an MRes in History (University of Goldsmiths).
1 #UPMTC In a slight change today I am going to do a quick delve into the Radiante – a radioactive corset manufactured by Silhouette. pic.twitter.com/TgeMNDPG1Z
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
2 #UPMTC Silhouette are well known today primarily for their ‘Little X’ girdle, designed by Annemarie Lobbenberg and released to an eager public in the late 1950s pic.twitter.com/fAUaiENBJq
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
3 #UPMTC It is less well known, however, that Annemarie also designed what was (inaccurately) claimed to be the world’s first radioactive corset – the Radiante. pic.twitter.com/t5Ys4YyRPB
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
4 #UPMTC this corset was first patented in Paris in 1937 and the rights to manufacture the design – certified to contain radioactive materials – were bought by Otto Lobbenberg, part owner of the newly formed Corsets Silhouette Ltd, London.
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
5 #UPMTC Its parent company already had a long history dating back to the late 1880s and the London arm of this Jewish family run business was established when the owners were forced to leave Germany. For more on this see https://t.co/M7gTPvjPJn
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
6 #UPMTC Annemarie Lobbenberg’s creation featured radioactive materials impregnated into Lastex – already known, in the #20s30s as a miracle elasticised fabric which was very popular in lingerie and swimwear
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
7 #UPMTC The Radiante was a big success and could be purchased in a wide range of locations including high end department stores and specialist shops around Britain. pic.twitter.com/2vcqTSCo9V
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
8 #UPMTC Silhouette mirrored other companies at the time emphasising the slenderising effect for the wearer. But the radioactivity also gave the added bonus of allowing them to claim its rejuvenation qualities and power to revive fatigue.
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
9 #UPMTC It wasn’t unusual in the early twentieth century for unlikely products to be impregnated with either radium or other radioactive materials and it was considered to be very beneficial. Radioactive beauty products especially were widely available and were very popular.
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
10 #UPMTC By 1937 a series of high profile deaths caused by exposure to radioactivity (including Marie Curie in 1934) had taken the sheen off its popularity – a change of reflected in the advertising copy assuring us that the quantities “cannot cause any harm.”
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
11 #UPMTC The Radiante was short lived as Silhouette found it hard to get the raw materials and the start of WW2 saw them ordered to switch production to help the war effort by producing utility goods and making underwear for the W.A.A.F, A.T.S, and the W.R.N.S.
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
12 #UPMTC Thanks for listening and for more examples of the curious history of radioactivity in everyday life please visit https://t.co/ol8tEOGnAO
— Lucy Jane Santos (@LucyJane_Santos) January 12, 2018
We will share each of the conference presentations via its own blog post over the coming weeks. If you’re on Twitter, you can join the discussion via the Underpinnings Museum’s account and the conference hashtag #UPMTC
The header image for this post is of a (non-radioactive!) tea rose brocade coutil girdle with side lacing (c. 1940s), from the Underpinnings Museum collections. Photography by Tigz Rice. Full listing coming soon.