Victorian Era and The Secret History of the Corset and Crinoline

No other garment in Western history has assumed such political, social, and sexual significance. What is it about the corset? A mere undergarment, designed to enhance the female figure, has become an icon of all that fascinates about the ambiguous sexual codes of the Victorian era. Was wearing corsets primarily about sexual empowerment or restrictive chastisement? Could the corset explain common female maladies of the Victorian era, from fainting fits to miscarriage? How great was the suffering, for how small a waist?

Corsets and their effect on Women's Bodies

	Secret History of the Corset and Crinoline		Flamboyance and the Crinoline Craze
	From Crinoline, to Crinolette, to Bustle		Over-Structured Opulence to the 'Healthy Corset'
	A Turn Toward the Bust: Early 20th Century		All Tied-Up: The Corset in Contemporary Fashion

	Fashion | Page 1		Charles Frederick Worth		Court Fashion		Fashion Plates
	Dress, Fashion and Modernity		Corset Controversy		Bloomers and Reformers		Bicycles

Victorian Age Fashion Galleries
	1837-40		1840		1850		1860
	1870		1880		1890		1900

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