Stays
c. 1750
Multicolor silk brocade
Museum purchase
Object number99.79.3
Corsets originated in the beginning of the 16th century, when aristocratic Spanish women first adopted "whalebone bodies." Stays (later known as corsets) rapidly became fashionable throughout Europe. In 1588, the French essayist Michel de Montaigne wrote, "To get a slim body, Spanish style, what torture do women not endure, so tightly tied and bound . . . " Although doctors and moralists remonstrated, women continued to wear some form of corset until the middle of the 20th century, because corsetry was associated with feminine beauty, aristocratic display, and self-discipline.
DescriptionCorset and stomacher in mauve silk brocaded with floral and ribbon design in polychrome silk and metallic thread; high-cut with pointed waist, tabbed peplum and boned linen lining; corset with armholes and CB lacingsCollections
Exhibitions