Hoops
The bustle, by extending the body, became a point of demarcation for the back of the waist. By enlarging the derriere visually, the bustle became a foil for the constricted waist in profile. Bustles were silk-floss, cotton, or feather down-filled. Small ones could be found sewn into Empire gowns; more prominent ones were used in the 1870s and 1880s and had an ingenious range of configurations and materials, including wire coil, rattan, and horsehair.
Artwork Details
- Title: Hoops
- Date: early 1860s
- Culture: American
- Medium: metal, cotton
- Credit Line: Purchase, Vincente Minetti Gift, 1976
- Object Number: 1976.318.28
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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Mme. Grapanche
1884–86
American
1860–65
American
1835
American
1820–30
Samuel O. Aborn
ca. 1840
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