Bodies, stays, and busk points, OH MY! This week, for ‘History Bitches Gets Undressed, Part 2,’ I speak to guest co-host Sarah Bendall about the predecessors to the corset. Tune-in to hear about Catherine de' Medici’s rumored connection to the stay’s invention, how busks and busk points were exchanged as love tokens, and how little views about women’s bodies have changed from the 17th century! For visual references to the garments discussed in the podcast, check-out the show notes!
Bodies & Stays
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| Bodies’ or corset of ivory silk worn by Pfalzgräfin Dorothea Sabin von Neuberg, c. 1598. Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich (You can see the channel that the busk would have slid into running down the front of the bodies.) |
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| Bodies of Dame Elizabeth Filmer, c. 1620-1640. Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester. |
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| Stays of silk damask, lined with linen, reinforced with whalebone, hand-sewn, English 1770-1790. Victorian and Albert Museum, London |
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| Corset, 1883. British. Victoria & Albert Museum, London |
Busks
For more about historical women's fashion, visit Sarah's blog:
Sarah has also written a piece on the history of corset for the Powerhouse Museum. Check it out here: