Corset Detective

My husband is a great fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes', hence the rather elaborate title of this section - Ivy

In the course of a year, my husband and I will look at hundreds of corsets. These may be additions to our collection, photographs from journals and brochures, or simply pictures of articles for sale or auction. It is the pre-worn corset that we discuss here, for in each wrinkle, each fold and bend of the stays lies the story of the owner. Was the previous wearer a rich, elderly widow living out her days in a Brooklyn apartment, a thrifty Scottish woman retired to Ayr, or some elderly Dutch woman, her corsets strained to destruction by the vigorous daily cycling to the 'Simonis' fish market at Scheveningen. (We have known all three, and the last example has an amusing aside. Firstly, my aunt was such a person in the 1960's, and secondly, the firm 'Simonis' operates the largest fish market in Europe, and until recently a shop of the same name sold corsets in the Laan van Meerdervoort. The firms are quite unconnected!

The Case of the Catholic Corset. On the right is a rather special German corset. It has double-lacing at the sides in the style of the Spirella 527. These were for post-pregnancy or post-operative wear to allow an abdomen robbed of it muscle tone to be returned to its original shape. This corset is actually blue, a fact that if the source of the garment was unknown, would locate its source as either France or Germany. The corset has been worn tight and often as the horizontal creases reveal. The elastic of the middle suspenders is worn indicating that the wearer needed stockings stronger than normal. This points to post-pregnancy. All the indications are that this was worn by a fashionable lady, probably after her last pregnancy at a more advanced age than normal. Worn in the 1960's, the lady would be in her early 40's, well-groomed, elegant and with four or more children. Most likely she would come from the south-eastern, predominantly Catholic area of Germany near the Rhine River.

 

The Case of the Canadian Corset. The lady in question passed away in the late 1980's and had obviously suffered from a 'bad back' for some years. The second corset (unlike the one in the photographs) shows all the signs of regular use, yet it has been well looked after. Small repairs, inevitable in a well-worn corset, are present but expertly executed. These were strong, unyielding garments, which only a regular corset wearer could stand. The slight hip-spring of the corset suggests quite an elderly lady in whom the weight loss of age has reduced the differential between waist and hip. One can guess that the lady was probably born at around the turn of the last century, and would probably have experienced her first corsets as a teen-ager. If she had worn corsets all her life, and many women of that generation did, she would be quite unable to live without them in old age. It may be that she returned to corsets in later life as her back began to weaken. In either case, wearing a corset would be familiar to her, perhaps even a way of life. 

The corsets are made of exquisite materials which would not have been the cheapest in the brochure. I suspect that the lady took pride in her appearance. She may well have been comfortably off; the repairs simply suggesting the older generation's natural tendency to mend, rather than replace. Certainly, corsets are like shoes, if you have a comfortable pair that you can wear all day, you will look after them. The removal of the exterior belt is interesting. The lady would have had excellent posture (there was little choice in such a garment), and I imagine this elderly lady, well-dressed and quite fussy about her appearance, would have been mortified if her corsets had announced their presence either aurally or visually. I suspect she removed the exterior strap since she would be concerned that it might show through her skirt. In such a strong corset, the strap is largely redundant. Perhaps the corsetiere added the strap as one of the 'optional extras' to increase her commission. The corsetiere, however, missed out on selling the third pair of suspenders, since the corset has but four, front and side-mounted.

Again, this is typical of an elderly widow, for whom the task of attaching rear suspenders once the corset is donned, is virtually impossible. I know; I've tried it, and along with several of my elderly friends we can agree: That's what husbands are for!

 

 

The Case of The Widow's Legs. Once again I must quote the hilarious Tom Sharpe from his book 'Porterhouse Blue' in which the Stilton cheese reminds the husband of his wife's legs "blue and veined!" Sadly true, many elderly women suffered badly with their legs until the 1970's when removal of troublesome veins became commonplace. Until then, heroically powerful stockings were worn, and they needed a heroically strong anchorage point, and that meant a corset firmly fixed to the wearer's waist. Whether the afflicted women wished to possess a well-defined figure, she had little option.

 

We love these 'finds' where a lady's underpinnings are retrieved from an estate sale. So much can be deduced about the previous owner. These are Spirella's finest 305's. Three are made from satin orchid material, and one from a lighter mesh. Perhaps the lady lived in the north of the USA and visited Florida during the winter or perhaps her offspring in California. Had she lived permanently in a hot climate, then all the corsets would have been light-weight. The absence of rear suspenders denotes widow-hood (the beasts are difficult to do up when one is old.) The stretched suspenders on one of the corsets is testimony to the power of her stockings. The other suspenders have been replaced at various times as they have given up the ghost. The corsets date from the late 1960's to the early 1980's and were worn regularly and tightly. Her waist probably bulged a little above the top rim of the corsets as the horizontal creasing shows. They are a bit grubby and lacked regular washing but they have worn well and probably served their wearer well for the last decade of her life.

 

 

 Another example of a corset well used by a widow is shown here. The corset has six suspenders, the traditional requirement to anchor any form of support stocking, however, they are all clustered as close to the front as possible. This would simply have been for ease of donning and attaching the stockings without having to twist around for the back suspenders. Whether the corset came ready manufactured like this or was made to order (I suspect the latter), it tells the story of a elderly widow all too clearly.

 

 

 

The Special Spirella

Ostensibly, a Spirella from the 1960's - 70's period, there's just a few things wrong with it. The material is fine. Spirella used the black pattern for many years before it dropped black altogether in the 1980's. The front-lacing an elastic inserts, again, fully original, classifying the corset as a 305. The four strap under-belt was a classic Spirella option. That the buckles operated an under-belt, rather than a lumbo-sacral over-belt distinguishes the Spirella from the Spencer of the same era.

The oddities are the pieces of white ribbon around the top, and the back-lacing. The ribbon is not Spirella and must have been added later. The back-lacing, that, in addition to the front-lacing, was quite a common request, looks odd. The spacing of the grommets is far too wide. Furthermore, Spirella almost always covered the back-lacing on the 325 (front- and back-aced models) with a fly. This lacing and the grommets has been added at some point in the corset's life.

 

Had the owner gained weight, and wished to expand the corset without the (considerable) expense of buying another one? Possibly.

 

Had she lost weight and cut out a rear section? Unlikely. I know many women who have sewn the backs of their corsets to decrease the diameter. This works, but is prone to split (embarrassingly) and puts all the bones in the wrong proportional position.

 

It looks like the corset was modified for theatrical purposes; a back-laced corset being required. Perhaps the owner had tried wearing it back-to-front, and realised just how horribly uncomfortable that is.

 

 

The Case of The Heavy Woman's Corsets:

 

We came across these lovely black orchid (Spirella's satin) corsets. They had been well used, but well cared for. The wearer was lucky. A batch of these black Spirellas, made in the mid-1980's had defective material and could easily split! Spirella abandoned black as a colour in consequence. It is a fact, that as a corset-wearing women starts to gain weight, the support of the corset for the abdomen outweighs the desire to achieve a fashionable profile. Frankly, forcing the fatty tissue into the abdominal cavity already occupied by equally fatty organs is unpleasant at best, as potentially harmful at worst. The corset requirement tends to be for a shorter, broader garment since abdominal support, rather than compression, is desired.

 

Such corsets are put under terrific stresses as the creases at the back of the waist (left), and at the top of the thighs (right) reveal. The top of the corset front has even bent over as excess avoirdupois spills from its container. The corset should perhaps have been cut longer above the waist, but not laced tight. That would have prevented what must have been quite a roll of flesh!

 

 

The Third Corset:

 

There are two corsets here that came from the estate of an elderly lady. They are classic Spirella 305's in white orchid material (artificial satin). They are almost certainly 1960's vintage judging by the suspender style. Another interesting feature, usually seen on corsets for regular wear, are the waist creases caused by firm lacing. The hooks-an-eyes closure, rather than the metal zip of the 1960's, is another clue as to the wearer's preference to have her corsets well-laced. Those zips were prone to occasional catastrophic failure, an unacceptable occurrence. The question is "Where is the third corset?" Why three? All Spirella wearers were told by their corsetieres that one corset was for wearing, one for the drawer and one for the wash. A regular rotation of three corsets would maximise the life of all three. As the oldest lost its powers (usually in the elastic), it would be replaced by a new one.

    

 

One of these corsets is in very good condition, and the other (stored neatly in its Spirella plastic bag) is slightly more worn. On a label, is hand-written, "second best corset." So where is the third? It would have been more worn than either of those on display. Was it thrown away as unusable; possibly. Far more likely is that the third was thrown away, but shortly before the old lady passed away and her last corset was purchased. Without the time or inclination to re-label the corset bags, her new corset would have literally been taken to her grave.

 

 

The Girdles' Story #1

 

Firstly, regard the collection of girdles on the left. They came from the estate of an elderly American lady. They are all conventional long-leg panty-girdles. Some are worn and some are new and most are still available in the shops today. They are quite unexceptional and probably resemble the underpinnings of another million elderly women in America with one exception -- and that is the girdle in the middle! It came from the same estate but is far older (look at the metal zip and the real satin panels). It stands alone as a beacon of quality in a sea of mediocrity. This is definitely not on sale today, so why is it there?  All the other girdles speak of a regular replacement of worn items by new ones. There are blacks for evening, whites for Church and beige for normal use. I suspect this old friend was a true favourite. Of a strength and quality unknown today, it became the girdle for 'best' use, albeit someway past its prime.

Women have little sentiment about their underwear (usually it's the opposite) but in this case, the girdle was simply too effective and well-made to discard.

 

 

The Girdles' Story #2  Again, another girdle that appear quite ordinary at first glance drew my attention. This girdle looks just like a million other up-market girdles of the 1960's. These are strong, heavy and extremely effective devices. In this case, however, the waist is a scant 23 inches (55 cm) and the hips only 30 (75 cm). There is precious little stretch in these old girdles (although I do know of a lady who forced a blatant 40" waist into a 34" girdle). Was it a young girl's girdle ? Probably not, although girls of 12 did wear girdles in the 1950's and 60's, however, they tended to be softer and shorter items (this girdle is very long) designed mainly to hold up the stockings and remind the poor creature of the devices to follow within a few years.

 

Almost certainly, it's the girdle of an elderly woman. The scant hip-spring of seven inches (most mature women are 10 to 12 inches) is typical of the older women who starts to loose weight off her derriere whilst retaining a slight waist-line plumpness. Women were thinner in the 60's than today, so I can conclude that the girdle belonged to a fashionable women, probably in her early 70's and born around the turn of the last century. She would have been a US size 6, but tall for her era, possibly 5ft 8in, on account of the length of the girdle. Women of today might ask "What on earth does a tall size 6 need with a girdle?" Remember when she was born. Being a teenager in the 1920's and probably child-bearing in the 1930's, corsets and girdle would have been a six decade old habit. Such a woman literally could not live without a firm foundation.

 

The Girdles' Story #3

 

Estate sales, thrift and charity shops do occasionally turn up interesting, sometimes even poignant, reminders of at item’s previous owner. Regard the two girdles that came from the back of the same drawer. The open-bottom girdle is immaculate, unused and still with tags attached, the panty-girdle well cared for but used, particularly the suspenders that appear to be slightly stretched. These foundations of an older woman can probably be dated to the late 1960’s. The conventional girdle was in decline and the lady, a wearer for decades, never used the last one she purchased. The panty-girdle took its place, the suspenders necessary to maintain the tension on her support stockings. Wearing the panty-girdle, she could wear slacks and disguise her hated stockings (and probably legs). Latterly, she wore support tights and the powerful panty-girdle was no longer needed and consigned with its cousin to the back of the drawer.

 

The Girdles' Story #4

 

This recently acquired girdle is a rare panty-girdle from that mainstay of Australian corsetry, Jenyns. As one would expect, it is incredibly well constructed with the elastic doubled in most areas. The girdle is 21" long and was designed for a 26" waist.

 

The hip control bands suggest that this was worn by an older woman, perhaps even a Jenyns corset wearer who felt the need for a more modern garment whilst retaining a firm degree of control. Certainly this is a powerful girdle. I can imagine a slim elderly, perhaps slightly classy lady around size 12 (UK) and quite tall. The girdle has been well used and the frequent use of the zip has torn the satin pull and metal end away. This was not a girdle for the faint-hearted yet feminine touches abound:- the little rose on the top right, the satin rear panel and the lacy leg ends.

 

 

Long Corsets for a Long Lady

 

We came across yet another excellent example of corsetry from an estate sale. Two corsets of amazing length considering the scant waist and hip measurements. There was a Spirella 325 at 22" long in the back and 19" in the front, and a Camp of similar dimension but slightly shorter in the skirt. The waist measured 26" and the hips 34" on both corsets. Back support corsets are often cut short in the front, but these were designed to put a figure on a tall, thin, elderly woman even at the expense of flexibility. The skirt of the Spirella (the longer of the two) comes well down to the thighs, and only a generous gusset of elastic permits perambulation. Indeed, a terrific strain must have been placed on the gussets every time she sat down. There would be no soft sofas for this woman!

 

It seems that the lady, who must have been around 5 foot 10 inches tall and about size 10 (UK), had enjoyed a series of 325's but latterly, as with so many older women, the multiple lacings became a chore and she employed the simple fan-lacing of the Camp. Despite my love affair with Spirella, I have to admit that there's nothing like a Camp to flatten the abdomen with a couple of tugs on the straps. (Lady Mary adjusted the straps on her surgical corset with a vigour that reminded Sir Godber of a race meeting - Tom Sharpe's Porterhouse Blue). Matched with the Spirella 325 (that has both front- and back-lacing), is a brassiere with a laced back, another Spirella feature. Before she discovered Camp, the lady in question had to negotiate a whopping 50 inches of lacing. In practice, of course, the back lacing is rarely adjusted, nevertheless, I can imagine that the simplicity of the Camp was a boon to her old tired hands. Perhaps she had a maid when she wore the Spirella combination, and for one reason or another the maid left her employ and suddenly her mistress's basic foundations were almost impossible to don. The Camp's engineering to many women detracts from its appeal, but I think this lady, for whom a flat stomach was paramount, was quite prepared to suffer for her vanity. For years her very locomotion had been impeded by her underpinnings to the extent that it would seem natural. This was a lady who would never, and probably could never be seen without her corsets.

 

 

A Spirella Trove

 

Sometimes, estate clearances can produce the most interesting collections of garments. Regard the assortment of Spirella foundations on the right. They came from the estate of an elderly widow in the early 1990's and have only just come to light as 'something the estate clearer could not sell, but was reluctant to discard, uncertain of their historical significance or value'. Monetary value, close to nothing. These are well worn with the exception of a new girdle and have seen decades of use. Historical value, close to zero for a museum, but priceless to the collector of Spirella memorabilia. What does this motley assortment of somewhat dirty foundations tell us?

The woman was a Spirella wearer and had been for many years. Most of the foundations are tea rose in colour with a few white bras. It may be that the white lowers simply disintegrated and were thrown away. Tea rose disguises the mild soiling that looks awful on a white garment. There are three corsets, very well worn. One suspects that this was a well-to-do woman who took her figure and foundations equally seriously. In later life, she moved towards the girdle, the best preserved of which is hardly worn. Either she passed away before wearing it, or, and many Spirella devotees did this, she purchased a garment to 'see her out' as Spirella went out of business in 1988. The general unkempt appearance of the garments suggests a  common malaise of the elderly and that is a desire to look good, but a reluctance to wash and dry these heavy garments. She probably passed away at the end of the 1980's, the estate clearance being delayed as her financial affairs took several years to sort out, her husband having passed away some time before.