Bustle

Unknown

ca. 1885 · linen, metal · Costume Institute

During the revival of the bustle, from 1883 to the end of the decade, women wore skirt supports to mold their dresses into the desired shape of the period - small, waisted, flat at front with the skirts swept over a pronounced bustle at the back. The bustle was so large it sometimes sat at a right angle from the wearer's body. This example of a bustle would be worn over the chemise, corset and drawers, with an additional petticoat worn on top to lessen the chances that the hoops might show through the dress fabric. It is interesting to see the sculptural undergarments required to accomplish the shape of the extreme bustle of the 1880s.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1885

Medium

linen, metal

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Louise M. Coleman, 1949