Dear Friends,

The Museum Listserve has come through again--thank you so much to all  
who took the time to respond to my query!  You directed a wealth of  
information my way, and it is greatly appreciated.

All best,

-- 
Christian Carr
Director, Sweet Briar Museum
Assistant Professor of Arts Management
PO Box 144, Sweet Briar, VA 24595
Phone: 434.381.6246 Fax: 434.381.6132
(mailing address same as above)



Quoting Kjirsten Gustavson <[log in to unmask]>:

>
>  By 13, an upper class girl would most likely be wearing some form   
> of corset, but the issue was pretty debated even at that time   
> period.? Many girls' corsets used nothing more than soft cotton   
> cords to stiffen them until the age of 14 or 15 and all had less   
> defined waists than the highly restrictive garment that is seen most  
>  often today.? Some girls' corsets were only slightly more   
> restrictive than a fitted vest and used buttons to close.? Others   
> permitted a certain amount of stretch in the fabric for freer   
> movement.? Others used between two and six pieces of steel for   
> support (as opposed to an adult's corset using from 18 to more than   
> 30).
>
> The age at which to convert a girl from this softer corset and short  
>  skirts (another emblem of youth) to a fully-boned corset and ankle-  
>  or floor-length skirts was pretty heavily debated during the 19th   
> century and often depended, in part, on family preference since   
> changing a girl over to these garments announced her sexual   
> maturity.? Louisa May Alcott even discouraged corsets for young   
> girls in several books, saying that they discouraged healthy   
> growth.? The age range for this change seems to have been anywhere   
> between 12 and 17.
>
>
>
> Even in photographs of the period, it is pretty easy to tell which   
> kind of corset a girl is wearing by the shape and bend of her body   
> (corsets keep a girl from bending at all at the waist).? You can see  
>  examples in the books below:
>
> Dressed for the  Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900
> Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey:? Alison Gersheim
>
>
>
> For patterns for a theatrical production, I suggest that you check   
> out www.agelesspatterns.com.? Their patterns are affordable and   
> drafted directly from Harper's Bazaar pattern supplements of the   
> era.? I recommend the 1869 Corset for Girl 12-14 Yrs or the 1869   
> Corset
>     for Girl 8-10 Yrs since they are relatively comfortable (I've   
> used the latter for a child), and children's underwear styles do not  
>  seem to have undergone a great deal of change during that period.
>
> Best of luck with your? production
>
> Kjirsten Gustavson
> Curator of Education
> Clermont State Historic Site
> Germantown, NY
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SBC Museum <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 8:43 am
> Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Corset Question
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hello all--?
> ?
>
> I am sure there is someone on the list who can offer assistance with  
>  this question: at approximately what age did girls in the late 19th  
>  century put on their corsets??
> ?
>
> I am working with my theater department on a short program featuring  
>  the character of a girl who would have been 13 in 1882.  They want   
> to know if she would have been wearing a corset under her   
> costume--and I have no idea!  Would it depend on whether she needed   
> it or not, or were they traditionally worn when girls reached a   
> certain age??
> ?
>
> Thank you in advance for any assistance!?
>
> --Christian Carr?
>
> Director, Sweet Briar Museum?
>
> Assistant Professor of Arts Management?
>
> PO Box 144, Sweet Briar, VA 24595?
>
> Phone: 434.381.6246 Fax: 434.381.6132?
>
> (mailing address same as above)?
> ?
>
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