Industrial Corsetry
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By: Lidia Plaza
History
In the beginning of the 19th century, if a woman (or a man) wanted a new corset, she would either make it herself from a pattern or, if funds would allow, she would go to a small shop where the local master would custom make each corset from scratch. By the end of the century, however, these small shops found themselves in a market dominated by large manufacturing companies. While the vast majority of women’s wear continued to be produced by small businesses with un-integrated production models, corset makers chose vertically integrated, large volume production practices beginning in the 1870’s and on into the 20th century.
Not only did these large companies produce a lot of corsets, the corsets they made were very different compared with their earlier counterparts. Master craftsmen tailored each corset to the shape and tastes of each customer, and often relied more on their expertise than on patterns for creating their final design. In contrast, the large manufacturers developed standard, patented designs and employed factory workers to follow their patterns precisely. In a perpetual effort to improve and control every aspect of their product, many manufacturers began taking over part or all of the production of the whalebone, fabric, steel and anything else they used the production of their corsets. Some companies even began to produce their own decorative boxes for shipping their corsets in order to advertise their exclusive designs.
Marketing was becoming a crucial part of the business and companies found themselves in the middle of an underwear arms race as soon as they started. The dress reform movement gained steam in the second half of the century and their criticism often focused on the corset and the popular practice of tight lacing. Entrepreneurial corset makers sought to devise the ultimate answer- a fashionable, more durable corset that was “healthy” for the wearer. The Worcester Corset Company had the “Flexion Corset,” and the Foy, Harmon Company introduced the “Health Preserving Corset.” Then, of course, there was the ever-famous, original “Health Corset” produced by the Warner Brothers Company. The Warner brothers were particularly inventive and experimented with new designs as well as new materials, often using plant fibers, or “Coraline,” instead of whalebone. Ironically, many women used these “hygienic,” “healthy,” corsets to achieve the iconic wasp-waist with an “S-Bend” that became the hallmark of women’s fashion in the 1890’s, and was so criticized by the dress reform movement.
Examples of Corsets
Sadly, few examples of these corsets survive today. This is understandable as few of us today would think of saving our underwear for posterity, and people in the 19th century were no different in that respect. Corsets were generally worn until they were worn-out and then thrown away. The first time I actually ever saw a nineteenth-century corset was while working with a collection of patent models owned by The University of Texas School of Law. This particular patent model was designed to demonstrate an improvement in the front busk closure. Naturally when I came to MdHS, I was hopeful to see if there were any corsets hiding in Pratt House. Fortunately, the time spent digging through the overheated, dusty shelves of Pratt House has paid off and we have been able to retrieve a number of corsets and stays dating from the late 18th century into the early 20th century! A few are prime examples of the sort of corsets that 19th-century corset companies were producing.
Though not produced by a company as famous as Warner Brothers, this corset is typical of the kind of “health corset” 19th-century manufacturers would have produced. By researching the manufacturing stamps found on the inside of the corset, we were able to find the patent model record for this particular design. According to the documentation, the strange looking back panel with the buckles was designed to act as a shoulder brace.
This corset may have actually been produced by a smaller-scale company, and certainly there were many corset makers in Philadelphia where this particular corset was made. There is no specific patent record that I could find that is associated with this design made by a “M.A. Baratet,” which is another indication that it was made by a smaller firm. However, there was “Prosper Baratet” who patented a corset design in 1888, and it's possible there is some relation.
This last corset was produced by a Connecticut-based corset-making company known as R&G, or Roth and Goldschmidt that produced corsets in the 1890's and early 20th century. While it doesn't seem that they submitted any patents to the U.S. Patent Office, they did advertise a bit in the newspapers.
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References:
- “Classified Ad 15” Los Angeles Times. Mar. 23, 1895. Times Mirror Company
- Kunzle, David. (2004) Fashion and Fetishism. United Kingdom: Sutton Publishing Limited
- Lehman, Eric. “The Warner Brothers and Their Amazing Corsets.” Bridgeport Library. 04/12/2014
- Smith, Bernard. “Market Development, Industrial Development: The Case of the American Corset Trade, 1860-1920.” The Business History Review, Vol. 65, No 1, Small Business and Its Rivals (Spring, 1991), pp. 91-129.
- Patent Number: US 257261