Bustle

Unknown

ca. 1885 · cotton, steel · Costume Institute

The crinolettes that supported the bustled skirts of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more cylindrical form than their predecessors of the 1860s, with a flattened front and increased emphasis over the buttocks. Although they were conceived purely as mechanisms to achieve an aesthetic effect, crinolettes also responded to practical considerations. Pieces like the white tiered and webbed wire examples here could collapse like accordions. Some, like the Lobster-Pot crinolette, were designed, like winter petticoats of the period, to keep the wearer warm. This example was constructed of medium-weight wool and sports a button-on hem ruffle.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1885

Medium

cotton, steel

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Robert K. Baker, 1963