Susan Jarrett, M.Ed
1850s-1860s Era Corsets
Extant 1864 corset

extant 1864 corset
Extant Corset c.1864- French or English
(Image courtesy the V&A)
 Prior to 1850, the majority of corsets were made by male tailors who came to a woman's home. And if a woman could not afford a tailored corset, then she made it herself. Even into the 1860s, "how-to" manuals for corset making were still being published in ladies magazines.



By the 1850s, the introduction of the sewing machine, manufacturing, and advancement in weaving techniques revolutionized the business of corset making. In the 1860s, ingenious manufacturing companies developed ways to weave boning material directly into their corsets.  Mass produced corsets were becoming readily available and the need for the tailor made corset was diminishing. As early as 1869, for the first time in history, almost everyone could afford a ready made corset.

Along with the technological advancements of this period came the call for dress reform. Doctors and those in the religious community argued against the tight lacing of corsets- citing the hideous health problems (and even deformities) it brought upon the female body. Religious communities went as far as to condemn it as "an act against God." In the 1850s, some radical women refused to wear the corset altogether.
1862 corset advertisement

Thus, by the 1860s, corsets contained a great deal less boning than their earlier counterparts.  Many manufactured corsets from this period used elastic at the side seams or in gusseted areas. One corset of this period is noted to have been made from a single layer of open weave fabric employing only cotton tapes to encase a few rows of boning. (This type of corset is also seen in later periods and marketed as a "summer corset".) The introduction of the front steel busk came about in the 1850s giving a woman the freedom to dress and undress herself without the need of an assistant.

By looking at existing corsets from this period, I derive that corsets were primarily made of cotton or wool and seem to always have a cotton lining. Extant corsets in flame red, brilliant blue, and golden brown exist in museums today.

Remember, we only know about the past the artifacts it has left us. To assume only one artifact to be the norm for the period is a dangerous practice. The 1850s and 1860s was a transitional period for corsets. Some women most likely chose to to wear the older style of corset (1840s stays) while some women may have opted for experimental styles like the ones below.
Selected Bibliography:
Corsets: A Visual History compiled by R.L. Shep, 1993.
The History of Underclothes by C. Willet and Phillis Cunnington, 1992.
Support and Seduction: A History of Corsets and Bras by Beatrice Fontanel, 2001.


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