More Stays with the Under Arm Strip:

Dated 1750-1780, this corset is from the Snowshill Collection based now in the National Trust. It's inventory number is: 1349941. 

Interesting Features are:

- The sharp angled lines at the CF.

- The boning is quite obvious, maybe even chunky, in comparison to others. The indentation they have left seem far more outstanding than the three I've looked at in the Bath Fashion Museum.

- 10 Panels! There is a panel in between the very CF conical shape and what is usually regarded as the Side Panel due to the way it wraps itself round the rib cage and down to the front. You can see the extra ribbon as the cone shapes away and meeting midway at the CF point. You know, I don't think I've seen one with 10 panels before.

- Quite a wide and blunt CF point at the bottom and it is made up of the two panels meeting. 

- No straps.

- 6 inner tabs in-between the CF point and the CB tab.

- Fully Boned.

This is the back view of the Corset from the V&A, also featuring in Eleri Lynn's Book: Underwear - Fashion in Detail. They are British and from around the 1780's. 

Interesting Features:

- V&A list the fabrics - Linen and buckram, applied silk, chamois leather and whalebone, lined with linen.

- Circumference, bust = 86 cm, waist = 62 cm, hip (over flared tabs) = 71 cm.

- Length; front = 28 cm, back = 40 cm

-Half-boned, but I'd say a dense half boned. It's only really the front bust and a small angle at the CB that aren't fully boned.

- 8 panels with decorative blue silk ribbon.

- non-matching lace up holes and interestingly you can see the marks left from the lacing and in which way they were laced.

- There is also a shadow on the CF which suggests inner boning also.

- Straps

Here are just some old photo's of mine that I found from a trip to the V&A years ago.

It really is a beautiful corset - such neat tabs.