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Bustle pad
Unknown - Enlarge image
Bustle pad
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
ca. 1875 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Woven and padded horsehair, and linen
- Credit Line:
Bequeathed by Mr E. W. Mynott
- Museum number:
T.57-1980
- Gallery location:
Fashion, room 40, case CA6
The bustle appeared in the late 1860s as part of the crinolette. As dresses became increasingly curvaceous at the back, they required more artificial aids for support. By the 1870s, the bustle became a separate undergarment in its own right. The new form of bustle was known as the 'tournure' or 'dress-improver', as Victorian ladies considered the word 'bustle' rather vulgar.
Bustles came in a variety of fabrics, including silk, cashmere, flannel, brightly printed cottons and horsehair. Some were constructed almost entirely of steel, others resembled colourful cushions. Bustles were often stiffened and padded with horsehair to retain their shape and give form to the dress. Tapes secured the bustle to the body. The wearer tied them over her petticoat around her waist, hips and often under her bottom.
