29 April 2012

Brassiere, 1820


From the collections of the Meropolitan Museum of Art.  It looks more comfortable than this lower one, from 1917, which almost looks more like a binder.

2 comments:

  1. I suspect comfort would depend on how well it fits the lady in question. Looking at some other pieces in the collection, I think they used that same form to photograph many of their brassieres, and the garments really don't fit it. It may allow for more curve than it looks like, although given the styles of the time it probably is intended to minimize what she's got. To be honest, sometimes too much support is preferable to too little! I wouldn't trust that top one to keep much of anything in place, not without a very heavy dress over top.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen. In some cases it's better to have the bra equivalent of a steel-belted radial tire!

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