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Crinolette

Crinolette

  • Place of origin:

    Great Britain, UK (made)

  • Date:

    ca. 1870 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Spring steel hoops, covered in striped cotton, fastened and adjusted with metal eyelets and tapes

  • Credit Line:

    Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd

  • Museum number:

    T.775C-1913

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

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By 1865 the outline of the fashionable dress changed. The shape at the back of the body grew more exaggerated with a distinctive flattening at the front. Crinolettes, or half-crinolines, marked the mid-point between the cage crinoline and the bustle. They often had extra loops of steel, which acted as a bustle.

Some crinolettes laced like a corset. The wearer used this lacing and internal tapes to adjust the shape of the bustle and the width of petticoat. Gaps in the tape made it possible to remove some of the steels when washing the petticoat.

Physical description

Black and white striped cotton, and covered spring steel; black cotton braid edging. Internal tapes allow for the adjustable shaping of both the bustle and the width of petticoat. Open fronted with scalloped edge.

Place of Origin

Great Britain, UK (made)

Date

ca. 1870 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Spring steel hoops, covered in striped cotton, fastened and adjusted with metal eyelets and tapes

Object history note

Given by Messrs. Harrods Ltd

Historical significance: This is an important example of a crinolette as it shows the changing shape of the female silhouette in the 1870s

Exhibition History

Curvaceous - boned, busty, bell-shaped and bustled. A V&A/Central Saint Martins collaboration (24/04/2001-07/01/2002)

Labels and date

CRINOLETTE (front left)
Spring steel hoops covered in black and white striped cotton
British, about 1870

CRINOLETTE (front right)
Spring steel frame covered in white cotton
British, 1868

By 1865, the shape of the crinoline at the back of the body grew more exaggerated with a distinctive flattening at the front. Crinolettes, or half-crinolines, marked the mid-point between the cage crinoline and the bustle. They were often made with extra loops of steel, which acted as a bustle.

Some crinolettes were laced like a corset. This lacing, combined with the tying of internal tapes, enabled the shape of the bustle and the width of petticoat to be adjusted. Gaps in the tape made it possible to remove some of the steels when washing the petticoat.

Given by Messrs. Harrods Ltd
T. 775C -1913

T.194-1984

Materials

Cotton; Steel

Techniques

Hand stitched

Categories

Fashion

Collection code

T&F

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Qr_O58891
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