Date: c.1905

Modeled by: Sheila, Kelsey, Alissa, Katy, ChelseaA, Natalie, MichelleS, Morgan, Margo, Kobi, & Isa

Location: Hotel Ivanhoe, Victorian Inn, Knowles parlor, Aesthetic Design & Photography studio

Price: Not for Sale

This garment is probably the most photographed in the collection, simply because it is required for a lot of the other pieces to be able to fit and have the proper profile. It’s also one of the sturdier corsets in the collection, and is sized right for the tiny models we need for many of the Victorian and Edwardian garments.

It is one of two almost identical c.1905 corsets in the collection. They can most easily be identified in photos by the busk. This corset was manufactured by Royal Worchester, and the busk has two closely spaced pins at the bottom. The waist when fully closed is 19″. Matt found this corset in an antique store in Redding for only $25!

Kelsey, the model in the second shoot of this corset received a true life history lesson during the shoot. This was Kelsey’s first experience wearing a corset, and we cinched her waist from her normal 24″ to about 22″ so that she could fit into the 1898 Wine Ensemble. We took these shots of the Victorian lingerie and corset, and then as we were helping her into the bodice and skirt, she started getting dizzy and nauseous. We didn’t have a fainting couch nearby, and no smelling salts were available, so we quickly got her out of the corset and got her outside for some fresh air. Once she recovered we got her dressed again and she looked fantastic.