ABSTRACT
ALTHOUGH whalebone was early recognised as the ideal material for stiffening bodices -¿J^and skirts, so that they soon became, and still are, known as "boned" bodies, "boned" stays, etc., it was often scarce and expensive and various substitutes were used — w o o d and horn for busks, cane for stays and petticoats. Eventually in the middle of the nineteenth century steel replaced whalebone in crinolines and bustles. A t first steel was not flexible enough for the very shaped corsets so,as well as cane,a new support, "Featherbone", made its appearance at the end of the century and became very popular owing to its cheapness. The improvement in the manufacture of steel, however, continued, and during the twentieth century "steels" replaced "bones", though whalebone was also used as late as the i92o's. If modern foundation garments are boned at all it is with very flexible steels and the new "plastic bones"; whalebone is no longer used.
