Corset

Manufacturer Worcester Skirt Company American
Department Store Day & Horton American
1866–67
Not on view
In 1950, E.A. Meister, then president of the Royal Worcester Corset Co., donated a collection of 171 corsets to the Brooklyn Museum in memory of Isidor Roth, his father-in-law and former president of the company, who had assembled the collection. The stated dual purpose of the donation was to honor Mr. Roth for his outstanding contributions to the growth of the field of corsetry and to establish a place where the collection could be used as a resource for the history of corsetry.
Overall, the collection of corsets represents prime examples of the stylistic and technological developments which took place from1745-1939. It represents not only the changing silhouette of the past 200 years but also the innovative culture of the corset industry, where solutions to further comfort and increasing flexibility were continually being sought. Known first as The Worcester Skirt Company, the company was founded in 1861 in Worcester, Massachusetts, by David Hale Fanning. It specialized in making hoop skirts to support the full skirts that were in vogue. By March 1, 1872, the company shifted foundation directions, as the focus of the woman's silhouette changed from hoop skirts to shaped torsos and hips, and it was renamed the Worcester Corset Co. Fanning became president when the company went public in 1888. In 1901, the name was changed to the Royal Worcester Corset Co. From waist cinchers to full-length corsets, the collection represents the numerous silhouettes that were in mode, the engineering of the shapers that created them and the measures women took to alter their figures
accordingly.

This corset is of interest for it is well documented. Written in pencil on the busk is the date it was produced as well as the retailer it was produced for. The piece is a testament to the fact that manufacturers took specific orders from retailers, producing quality goods exclusively for them.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Corset
  • Manufacturer: Worcester Skirt Company (American, 1861–1872)
  • Department Store: Day & Horton (American)
  • Date: 1866–67
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: cotton, metal, bone
  • Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of E. A. Meister, 1950
  • Object Number: 2009.300.3102a–c
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.