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Stays

1780-1789 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Stays were an essential item of underwear for women during the 18th century. By the 1780s, the fashionable torso consisted of an inverted cone shape. Achieving smoothness of profile and firmness of contour were the primary function of 18th-century stays, rather than emphasising the bust or constricting the waist. Although custom-made and very intricately designed, stays were usually very plain. In this example a narrow blue ribbon covering the seams is the only decoration.

The narrow rows of very fine, even hand-stitching form the compartments into which thin strips of whalebone were inserted. Although the stays appear very rigid, whalebone was quite flexible. It had the added advantage of softening with the heat of the wearer’s body, allowing the stays to mould to her shape. When worn, the shaped and boned tabs at the lower edge would splay over the wearer’s hips, giving further fullness to the petticoat tied at the waist over the stays.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Linen, hand sewn with linen thread, applied ribbon, chamois and whalebone
Brief description
Woman's stays of pink linen, 1780s, British; reinforced with baleen
Physical description
Pale pink linen stays, lined with linen and reinforced with whalebone, trimmed with pale blue silk ribbon
Dimensions
  • Back length: 39.4cm (Note: Measurement converted from department register)
  • Width: 86.4cm (greatest) (Note: Measurement converted from department register)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Strachan
Summary
Stays were an essential item of underwear for women during the 18th century. By the 1780s, the fashionable torso consisted of an inverted cone shape. Achieving smoothness of profile and firmness of contour were the primary function of 18th-century stays, rather than emphasising the bust or constricting the waist. Although custom-made and very intricately designed, stays were usually very plain. In this example a narrow blue ribbon covering the seams is the only decoration.

The narrow rows of very fine, even hand-stitching form the compartments into which thin strips of whalebone were inserted. Although the stays appear very rigid, whalebone was quite flexible. It had the added advantage of softening with the heat of the wearer’s body, allowing the stays to mould to her shape. When worn, the shaped and boned tabs at the lower edge would splay over the wearer’s hips, giving further fullness to the petticoat tied at the waist over the stays.
Collection
Accession number
T.172-1914

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Record createdAugust 25, 2005
Record URL
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