In this blog we are going to look at the underclothing worn by women in our collections. Most of our collections cover the Victorian and Edwardian period but women’s underwear has a long and varied history. In the Victorian age women would wear a whopping number of layers to create a certain shape. The corset was used to create a tiny waist, and metal cages known a ‘crinolines’ were worn to achieve voluptuous skirts. Here we are looking at the histories of corsets, bras, crinoline cages, and knickers!
In our second blog our of four on the history of woman’s underclothing we are looking at the famous crinoline cage!
Crinoline Cages
In the 1850s the crinoline cage was invented to reduce the number of petticoats being used to create the fashionable large skirts of the time. The Crinoline cage was usually made from thin strips of metal encased in cotton tape to give support to the outer layers of the skirt. At this time the larger the skirt the better.
These large skirt cages caused all sorts of trouble for the women wearing them and many accidents occurred. One incident was recorded by a friend of the Duchess of Manchester who said that the Duchess tripped over one day when out on a country walk and ‘went head over heels in full view of the attended company’ but luckily, she was wearing red tartan drawers underneath!
