Describing the Corset

Object Description:
              The corset is made of ivory satin. The interior is lined completely with ivory cotton twill. The corset comes to a slight point at the bottom, both in the front where the navel would be and in the back. The part of the corset that would have been worn on a woman’s hips is slightly higher.
Across the top of the entire corset is a decorative band of cream colored lace, which measures approximately three inches in height. The top of the lace ends about a centimeter past the top of the corset. The pattern of the lace is made up of diamond shapes separated by small circles. On both the top and bottom of the diamonds are four ovals that together resemble a flower. The lace pattern alternates between one diamond surrounded by two sets of ovals and two diamonds separated by a cluster of ovals. At the bottom of the lace adornment is a slightly darker off-white lace with a less complicated pattern, about a half-inch high. Through this smaller section of lace is woven an ivory satin ribbon, approximately one centimeter in height. After about one inch in length, the ribbon is woven under the lace for about a centimeter, before becoming visible again for another inch.
            The corset can be closed in both the front and the back. The front of the corset has four iron slot and tab clasps. The slot is a horseshoe shape about a centimeter both long and high. The tab is also made of iron, small enough to fit into the slot, and spherical. The back of the corset has fifteen holes, reinforced with the same iron as the slots and tabs, on each side of the opening of the corset. A cream colored ribbon is laced through these thirty holes starting at the top. The bottom of the lacing is tied into a neat bow, which would fall at the woman’s tailbone. The two ends of the ribbon are reinforced with iron to prevent fraying.
            The corset measures twelve inches long from the top of the lace to the bottom of the garment. The circumference of the waist measures nineteen inches long when laced tightly. The laces can be loosened to add several inches to the waist.
            The shape of the corset is reinforced with steel boning, which creates seams running the length of the garment every few centimeters. The stitching of these seams appears to be machine-sewn. The boning and seams around the bust are curved away from the center of the corset to meet the seams on either side of the corset. At the bottom of the corset is extra stitching in diagonal lines about an inch and a half long. These stitches are hand-stitched to reinforce the boning.
            On the inside of the corset, there is a seam in the center of the garmet, running around the entire circumference. This is caused because two separate pieces of cotton twill that line the corset. They overlap creating a slightly thicker band around the center of the corset.
The corset has some noticeable wear. The original ivory color has darkened slightly in many places. On the lining, the portion of the fabric that is overlapped with another is the most vibrant white. The bottom of the corset closest to the front opening has several brown stains, probably from perspiration. There are no visible tears, and the corset is overall in very good shape.
            On the inside, on the portion that would cover the left side of a woman's body, there are three distinctive marks. The first is sewn in and is the numbers 848 in black hand-stitching, then sewn over with the same thread so that three diagonal lines cover the number. To the right of this mark are two more, which look to be written in ink. The first reads 331 and below this mark are the letters V.B. It is possible that a subsequent owner added these markings.
The workmanship of this corset is excellent. The details in ornamentation are impressive, as are the quality of materials used. Both the cut and the finish show that a skilled hand made the corset. The corset was most likely designed specifically for the bride, and not mass-produced.
The corset was made in 1885 for the wedding of Miss Emma Hendel to Mr. Isaac Young Spang. The wedding occurred on October 22, 1885 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Reading, Pennsylvania. Judging from the workmanship, it was most likely designed specifically for the occasion at some point in 1885. Though the exact cost of the corset is not yet known, several newspapers in 1885 include advertisements for corsets selling for two dollars. Because it was designed solely for the occasion and has outstanding workmanship, this specific corset would have cost at least several dollars more than those advertised.