ABSTRACT
At the beginning of the nineteenth century the Grecian figure—the natural figure was the ideal every woman hoped to attain. With the development of industry in the nineteenth century many inventions appeared to help the corsetiere, such as: metal eyelets in 1828; the first steel front busk fastening in 1829; and various ideas for lacing and unlacing. In the late 1840s, in France, where lighter-weight corsets were preferred, a new cut was introduced—a corset without gussets, made from seven to thirteen separate pieces, each one being shaped in to the waist. One model of the early eighties has twenty shaped pieces and sixteen whalebones each side, as well as the spoon busk. The early 1890s dresses had a sharply defined silhouette and were always mounted on a firm underlining. The simple fastening down front makes it easy to put on, and the back being closed with inserted elastic, an elegant silhouette is assured.
