On 3/21/06, Carol Kocian <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>     Please research first regarding the style of corset worn by the
> deformed lady.  18th century stays did not cause the extreme body
> stress that some 19th century corsets did.  Also tight lacing was not
> a universal practice.

Here here!! As a reenactor who routinely wears a corset, I can attest
that if you lace your corset tight enough to do damage, you will pass
out from lack of oxygen before it can actually happen. Now a far, far,
few minority of women did practice tight lacing but it was done
slowly, over time and not all at once. Women who tight-laced did
little else all day long other than sit around in their tight-laced
corsets.

It could be that the person that your skeleton belonged to already had
a deformity and the corset was used to try and correct it. Unless you
have clear documentation that the woman did practice tight lacing, I'd
be wary of showing it as an example of the dangers of corsets. Even
so, it is still the extreme exception to the rule and should be labled
as such. Otherwise, you'd expect the skeletons of every woman who wore
a corset to show signs of damage which simply isn't true.

As for good repro corsets, I don't know of anyone who makes corsets
just for show but the Silly Sisters in Fredericksburg, VA make
excellent 18th c. corsets. If you can sew, you can get a kit and put
it together yourself which is cheaper than buying a finished one.

deb

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