ABSTRACT
The stays 1776 were either half-boned or fully-boned and were hand-stitched and stiffened with narrow rows of whalebone. The long body of the stays created a very straight centre back and the arrangement of the whalebones diagonally narrowed the body. Curved pieces of bone were placed across the top part of the stays front to give roundness to the bust and across the shoulder blades to keep the back flat. The stays compressed the breasts from below and pushed them upwards, modesty often achieved by a frill or lace decoration around the neckline of the corset. In particular 1776 half-boned stays were originally recorded in Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopedie, 'Tailleur de Corps' and have since been recorded by Norah Waugh in her book Corsets and Crinolines. The stays have only six pieces: two back panels, two front panels and two straps.
