COVE

Whalebone Cotton Corset, around 1890, from "Undressed: a Brief History of Underwear," exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum (April 2016-March 2017) Corsets in the Victorian Period were used to provide some support as well as modify the human body. The whalebone embedded within the garment helps to hold its unnatural shape. One common purpose for corsets were to emphasize or hide the bosom (depending on the fashions of the time) and minimize the waist. The corset pictured likely served to hide the bosom, given the flatter top area of the corset and the fact that the garment is likely from the 1890s, a time in which pushing up the breasts had gone out of style.