Bustle

An example of technological innovation as expressed in undergarments, this bustle is made of cotton-covered metal bands joined with a spring brace. In combination with this nineteenth-century "high-tech" structure is the lace-trimmed cotton panel, which serves as both structural and decorative element. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, privately worn garments were being realized as luxury objects in their own right. Underclothes never intended for the light of day were receiving increasingly elaborate attention in the form of fine hand-sewn details and expensive lace trims.