Medium: Red silk satin, Coraline

Date: c. 1889

Country: USA

Credit: Museum purchase

Most corsets were white until the 1880s, when color started to become fashionable. Although this vibrant corset is especially alluring, it was likely marketed as a “healthy” style. Its curvaceous silhouette was achieved using Coraline, a plant-based material marketed as a more flexible alternative to whalebone or steel.

Object Number: 2009.15.2