Bustle

The crinolettes that supported the bustled skirts of the 1870s and 1880s took on a more cylindrical form than their predecessors of the 1860s, with a flattened front and increased emphasis over the buttocks. Although they were conceived purely as mechanisms to achieve an aesthetic effect, crinolettes also responded to practical considerations. Some, like the Lobster-Pot crinolette, were designed, like winter petticoats of the period, to keep the wearer warm. This example was constructed of medium-weight wool and sports a button-on hem ruffle.