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Bustle

ca. 1885
Not on view
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. Pieces like the white tiered and webbed wire examples here could collapse like accordions. 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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bustle
  • Date: ca. 1885
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: cotton, steel
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Robert K. Baker, 1963
  • Object Number: C.I.63.12.1
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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