c. 1810-1840

Woman's Corset and Busk

By the early nineteenth century, stays, which were now also called corsets, had evolved dramatically in shape. This corset has large gussets to give fullness to the bust and hips in contrast to the waist, which is twenty-one inches edge to edge. Typically for this period, only the center back of this corset is boned; after it was put on, however, a thin wooden busk measuring eleven and one quarter inches by one inch slid into the front pocket to help keep the breasts apart.