In a word: definitely. Training corsets were worn at the age of 2. By the time she was 13, she might have moved on to a regular corset. If you happen to have The History of Underclothes on hand, you can see fig 71 on page 164 in which a very young girl (10?) is wearing her corset and hoops. The figure is from earlier (1861) but the idea of young girls wearing a corset was the same. -Elizabeth Caldwell > Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:43:38 -0500 > From: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Corset Question > To: [log in to unmask] > > 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). > _________________________________________________________________ Helping your favorite cause is as easy as instant messaging. You IM, we give. http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Home/?source=text_hotmail_join ========================================================= 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).