Dressing the Late 19th Century Woman

Bustle

During the 1870s and the 1880s there were two separate revivals of the bustle. During each revival, the bustle got bigger and bigger, and then diminished before disappearing completely. Bustles could be made simply as a down filled pillow, or it could be engineered using spring steel or wire. Patenting various bustle designs seems to have been a major industry and some were quite ingenous. Since wearing a bustle made it a bit hard to sit, one clever fellow patented a bustle with a built in chair that folded out when the lady sat.

The bustle that Chelsea is wearing is a reproduction that Lori made for one of her costumes.

1. Drawers
2. Chemise
3. Corset
4. Petticoat
5. Corset Cover
6. Bustle
7. Underskirt
8. Skirt
9. Bodice
10. Bodice (back)
11. Capelet
12. Hat, Parasol & Fan