I would recommend the following:

Corsets and Crinolines by Nora Waugh
Corsets: A Visual History by R.L. Shep

you could also look into the history of the whaling industry, as the exact 
elements of the whale used for busks do change over time.  This would, 
obviously, aid in dating.

Jenea Markham
Dress Historian




>From: Rainey Tisdale <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Dating busks
>Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 16:09:08 -0400
>
>Can anyone point me to a good reference for dating busks? (A busk is the
>piece of wood or whale bone that fits in a channel in the front of a
>corset.) We have a bunch in our collection, and an intern is researching
>them.
>
>Rainey Tisdale
>Director of Museum Collections and Exhibitions
>Bostonian Society
>206 Washington Street
>Boston, MA 02109
>617-720-1713 x24
>617-720-3289 Fax
>www.bostonhistory.org
>
>
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