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Corsets
corset
corset, article of dress designed to support or modify the figure. Greek and Roman women sometimes wrapped broad bands about the body. In the Middle Ages a short, close-fitting, laced outer bodice or waist was worn. By the 16th cent. it had become a tight inner bodice, sometimes of leather, stiffened with whalebone, wooden splints, or steel; fashion demanded the slenderest possible waist in contrast with the enormous farthingales and stuffed breeches that were worn. Stays and tight lacing were made for both men and women from the 17th through the 19th cent., except for a brief period following the French Revolution. By 1900 the corset had become primarily a female garment, and it was gradually modified to conform to the natural lines of the body.
The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright© 2012, The Columbia University Press.Selected full-text books and articles on this topic at Questia
'Fighting the Corsetless Evil': Shaping Corsets and Culture, 1900-1930
Fields, Jill. Journal of Social History, Vol. 33, No. 2, Winter 1999
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Fields, Jill. Journal of Social History, Vol. 33, No. 2, Winter 1999
The Good Old Days: A History of American Morals and Manners as Seen through the Sears, Roebuck Catalogs 1905 to the Present
David L. Cohn. Simon & Schuster, 1940
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David L. Cohn. Simon & Schuster, 1940
Librarian’s tip: Chap. 17 "That Which Her Slender Waist Confined"
A Magazine of Her Own? Domesticity and Desire in the Woman's Magazine, 1800-1914
Margaret Beetham. Routledge, 1996
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Margaret Beetham. Routledge, 1996
Librarian’s tip: "The 'Englishwoman's Conversazione' and the Corset Controversy" begins on p. 81
Fifty Years of Change: Societal Attitudes and Women's Fashions, 1900-1950
Presley, Ann Beth. The Historian, Vol. 60, No. 2, Winter 1998
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Presley, Ann Beth. The Historian, Vol. 60, No. 2, Winter 1998
The Face of Fashion: Cultural Studies in Fashion
Jennifer Craik. Routledge, 1993
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Jennifer Craik. Routledge, 1993
Librarian’s tip: Discussion of corsets begins on p. 121
Turning the Century: Essays in Media and Cultural Studies
Carol A. Stabile. Westview Press, 2000
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Carol A. Stabile. Westview Press, 2000
Librarian’s tip: Discussion of corsets begins on p. 193
Cross Dressing, Sex, and Gender
Vern L. Bullough; Bonnie Bullough. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993
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Vern L. Bullough; Bonnie Bullough. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1993
Librarian’s tip: Discussion of corsets begins on p. 185