She likely would wear a child's corset, much less boned than an adult's. Children's clothes had many indicators of them being children, until they reach about age 16. The clothing was modified from adult styles but contained indicators of childhood, through hairstyles, hats, sleeves, collars, skirt length, etc. They may not be immediately recognizable to the modern eye, but were to the people of the time. If you are making a costume, you also must consider her families status, finances and the occasion in which she is being portrayed. Clothing, and by extension, underwear, varied greatly based on these factors. I highly recommend the book Dressed For the Photographer to get an idea of the real way clothing was worn and looked on actual people since illustrations of the time are rather exaggerated. There is an excellent picture on page 400. In the chapter on the 1880's she states, "A looser bodice form was required for girls, as well, and tightly fitted, boned garments were not proper until age 16." "When the extreme bustle was fashionable for women, there was more material puffed and draped as panniers and puffs for young girls, but in no case was there a bustle structure per se." Newer research such as Valerie Steele's book Corset have proven many of the long held beliefs about the wearing of corsets to be false, so I would recommend reading it as well as looking for books specifically on historical children's clothing. The 1880's in particular had very fast changing fads and silhouettes, Godeys Ladies Book, Petersens and other magazines of the time can help pinpoint some of those and would also have children's fashions illustrated as well. For example, in 1882 the bustle was small, the silhouette was straight and long and very fitted. At 05:43 AM 1/21/2008, you wrote: >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) > >========================================================= >Important Subscriber Information: > >The Museum-L FAQ file is located at >http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed >information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail >message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message >should read "help" (without the quotes). > >If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail >message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message >should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).