• Silk Brocade Midbust Corset With Ribbon Slot Crochet Lace Trim, c. 1900s. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Silk Brocade Midbust Corset With Ribbon Slot Crochet Lace Trim

    Silk Brocade Midbust Corset With Ribbon Slot Crochet Lace Trim Date: c. 1900s Origin: Unknown Fabric: Silk brocade, silk velvet Brand: Unknown, possibly custom made   A midbust corset that would have originally been a highly luxurious garment, but has been heavily worn and has suffered significant damage. It is created from only a single…
    November 18, 2020
  • Hose Supporter With Fleur-De-Lis Adjusters By Velvet Grip, c. 1890-1900s, USA. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Hose Supporter With Fleur-De-Lis Adjusters By Velvet Grip

    Hose Supporter With Fleur-De-Lis Adjusters By Velvet Grip Date: c. 1890-1900s Origin: USA Fabric: Cotton sateen, elastic Brand: Velvet Grip   These hose supporters were designed as a detachable accessory, intended to be pinned to corsets rather than stitched into the garments, allowing them to be worn with a number of different corsets. The suspender…
    July 17, 2020
  • Metal & Silk Brocade Corset With Ribbon Slot Lace Trim, c. 1900s. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Metal & Silk Brocade Corset With Ribbon Slot Lace Trim

    Metal & Silk Brocade Corset With Ribbon Slot Lace Trim Date: c. 1900s Origin: Unknown Fabric: Silk/metal brocade, baleen Brand: Unknown, likely custom made   This corset was originally an extremely luxurious garment, with fabric and construction details suggesting a wealthy and privileged owner. It is now in very poor condition, and betrays heavy wear.…
    June 2, 2020
  • Oktis Corset Shield Packaging & Advert , c. 1900s, Great Britain The Underpinnings Musuem

    Oktis Corset Shield Packaging & Advert

    Oktis Corset Shield Packaging & Advert Date: c. 1900s Origin: Great Britain Brand: Oktis   Oktis brand ‘corset shields’ were designed to be sewn to the interiors of corset waists and purported to ‘double the life’ of the garments by preventing the corset bones from breaking at stress points. The shields are created from vertical…
    May 20, 2019
  • Striped Underskirt With Lace & Pinked Trim, c. 1890-1900s. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    Striped Underskirt With Lace & Pinked Trim

    Striped Underskirt With Lace & Pinked Trim Date: c. 1890-1900s Origin: Unknown Fabric: Silk velvet and cotton Brand: Custom made   An elaborate underskirt with a silk velvet waistband, printed striped cotton, and an intricately trimmed hem incorporating gathered pinked silks and fine chantilly lace. The lace hem has numerous areas of damage, which has…
    April 3, 2019
  • Floral Cotton Corset With Exposed Spiral Steel Bones & Ribbon Slot Lace Trim, c. 1900s, Germany. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Floral Cotton Corset With Exposed Spiral Steel Bones & Ribbon Slot Lace Trim

    Floral Cotton Corset With Exposed Spiral Steel Bones & Ribbon Slot Lace Trim Date: c. 1900s Origin: Germany Fabric: Cotton sateen Brand: Custom made   A straight front corset made of a floral printed cotton sateen, lined in a greige cotton twill. The external bone channels are made of the printed cotton sateen, and are…
    March 23, 2019
  • Hosiery Storage Pyrography Wooden Box By L. F. Grammes & Sons, c. 1890-1900s, USA. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    Hosiery Storage Pyrography Wooden Box By L. F. Grammes & Sons

    Hosiery Storage Pyrography Wooden Box By L. F. Grammes & Sons Date: c. 1890-1900s Origin: United States Brand: L. F. Grammes & Sons   This decorative wooden box was intended for the storage of hosiery. It is embellished with decorative pyrography, a technique where designs are burned into the wood. The stockings found within the box…
    March 20, 2019
  • Assortment Of Corset Bones, Baleen & Steel, c. 19th century. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    Assortment Of Corset Bones, Baleen & Steel

    Assortment Of Corset Bones, Baleen & Steel Date: 19th century Origin: Unknown Fabric: Baleen, steel, textile coverings Brand: Unknown   An assortment of baleen and steel bones, most commonly used to support corsets and some structured outer clothing in the 19th and early 20th century. The left side of the image shows a variety of…
    December 1, 2018
  • Machine made lace from the collection of Karolina Laskowska. The Underpinnings Museum

    Collection Of Machine Made Laces

    Collection Of Machine Made Laces Date: c. 1870s-1950s Origin: Great Britain, France Fabric: Silk, Nylon   A collection of machine made laces. Many of these laces were not intended for lingerie, but would have been produced with the same machines and technologies as those that were. Dark coloured 19th century laces in particular would have…
    August 28, 2018
  • Cream Silk Stockings With Lace Inserts, c. 1900s, USA. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice

    Cream Silk Stockings With Lace Inserts

    Cream Silk Stockings With Lace Inserts Date: c. 1900s Origin: United States Fabric: Silk Brand: Unknown   Cream silk knitted stockings with delicate, sheer blonde lace inserts at the front of each leg.   From the collection of Karolina Laskowska Museum number: KL-2017-124 Adverts Adverts keep The Underpinnings Museum running! Please consider visiting our sponsors if…
    July 28, 2018
  • Cotton Padded Bust Improver With Lace Trim, c. 1880-1900s. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    Cotton Padded Bust Improver With Lace Trim

    Cotton Padded Bust Improver With Lace Trim Date: c. 1880-1900s Origin: Unknown Fabric: Cotton Brand: Unknown   A cotton padded bust improver, trimmed with a delicate leavers lace and joined with silk ribbon tie at the centre front. These pads would have been worn under clothing to help achieve a more curvacious figure that suited…
    July 28, 2018
  • Black Cotton Corset With Spoon Busk, Pink Flossing Embroidery & Woven Trim, c. 1890-1900s, Great Britain. The Underpinnings Museum. Photography by Tigz Rice.

    Black Cotton Corset With Spoon Busk, Pink Flossing Embroidery & Woven Trim

    Black Cotton Corset With Spoon Busk, Pink Flossing Embroidery & Woven Trim Date: c. 1890-1900s Origin: Great Britain Fabric: Cotton Brand: Unknown   This corset offers a relatively straight silhouette and achieves its structure with a mix of cording around the bust and flat steel bones encased in exterior channels. It fastens with a spoon…
    March 22, 2018