When I made my first forays into 1910's-era costuming several years ago, my initial research revealed that underbust corsets were the norm, and very few corsets after 1910 covered the bust.

Since I couldn't imagine going around all day without any bust support other than a flimsy chemise or a gathered corset cover, so when I attended my first few Edwardian events, I wore a modern bra with my underbust corset, which ruined the line of my gown. I quickly realized that lifted and separated breasts are distractingly anachronistic for a period that is famous for its low "monobosom" silhouette.   Next, I tried wearing no bust support at all, which made me uncomfortable, lumpy, and self-conscious.

I kept thinking to myself that women of the early 20th century MUST have had a better solution to this problem, which led me to begin my investigation into the origin of the brassiere.

Although these early bust supporting garments have not received the same amount of academic attention shared by their more glamorous partner in support, the corset, I eventually discovered that early brassieres came in an impressive range of styles and were considered to be an essential piece of a woman's wardrobe by the 1910's.

I finally began to understand that corsetry is only half the battle when trying to create a fashionable Edwardian or 1910's figure; the proper historical brassiere plays an equally vital role in accomplishing that task.

 

The Birth of the Brassiere

The straight-front corset came into vogue in the early 1900's with the original intention of providing a more healthy alternative to the Victorian corset. Straight-front corsets were designed to leave the chest free for deeper breathing, and they began to be cut significantly lower at the bustline in order to accomplish this goal.

In contrast to Victorian corsets with high, molded cups for the breasts, Edwardian corsets often stopped below the bosom or barely cupped the bottom edge of the breasts. This paired with a preference for mature, ample bosoms in the Edwardian period led to a low, rounded, monobosom effect becoming the fashionable idea.

Without the support of the corset to lift and confine the breasts, women were left to devise other methods for controlling the bust. Proto-brassieres had been used in the late Victorian period as a reform movement alternative to tight-laced corsetry, but these garments only appealed to a small section of women who did not necessarily adhere to the fashionable silhouettes of the period.

Bust supporting garments were still a fairly novel concept at the turn of the century, but the new low cut corset meant that the use of separate bust shaping garments finally provided real benefits to women seeking to create a stylish figure.

Merchants, advertisers, and fashion commentators slowly began to tout the virtues of the bust support garment in the early 1900's, and the first incarnations of the Edwardian brassiere began to be sold in retail stores alongside corsets as the decade progressed.

Specialized bust support garments gained popularity and acceptance, but brassieres still were not the norm until later in the 1900's when the smoothly-tailored princess dresses came into vogue, and women could no longer hide a sloppy bustline under multiple layers of ruffles and the pouchy bloused shirtwaists of the previous years.

The Milwaukee Sentinel on September 20, 1910 proclaimed the newfound importance of this support garment:

"The Brassiere or boned corset cover has become, on account of the low cut bust of the corset, a necessity to the well dressed woman, who realizes that without a perfect foundation, the effect of the handsomest gown is spoiled. This is made in several styles, each carefully cut and ingeniously boned to give support to the bust, and at the same time to hold the shoulders back and add to the correct poise, given by the well fitting corset. It is made of strong lawn with embroidery or lace."

 

These early bust support garments were not intended to raise or even cup the breasts, but only to contain and smooth the lines of the torso and to discourage the ridge of flesh that often occurs at the top of a tightly laced corset. This "ridge" is a problem that you see mentioned over and over in ads and articles about bust support garments, both in the 1900's and the 1910's.

The Boston Evening Transcript from March 17, 1906 sums up the purpose of this garment by stating that:

 "this new 'Bust Supporter' which is the latest novelty in corset invention, gives perfect support to the sides of a well developed bust, bringing it more to the front and avoiding that unsightly ridge at the top of the corset."

A Notions and Fancy Goods catalogue from 1906 recommends a brassiere to "prevent the ugly bulging lines so often seen where a woman is at all stout".

Model brassiere advertisement from the September 1917 issue of Harper's Bazar admonishes, "To the slender woman who thinks. 'I don't need a brassiere!' Pardon us, but you need a 'Model' brassiere to smooth away that ugly 'corset ridge' and to give your figure those svelte, sweeping, ultra-modern lines."

Although modern sensibilities make us want to lift the breasts, this was actually a major drawback to full-length corsets that covered the bust in the Edwardian and 1910's periods.

"The low bust... is prettier than the one with the high bust on stout figures, for it does not produce that pouter pigeon effect we have seen so much of the last three years. It gives the long line from shoulder to bust that the French women strive for, and it does away with that long straight line from waist to bust with is exceedingly ungraceful" (New York Times, March 27, 1910)

Women were increasingly entering the workforce after the turn of the century, and a low corset with a soft brassiere was much more comfortable for women sitting at desks or switchboards for long periods of time since a full-bust corset would push up the breasts up to a high, unfashionable, and uncomfortable position. Brassiere-makers such as Poix touted this feature as a selling point for their brassieres by promising that their models "would not push up the bust when sitting."

The combination of a brassiere and low corset also allowed for greater freedom of movement while performing manual labor or while participating in popular leisure activities such as golfing, tennis, horseback riding, or bicycling.

Brassieres were cheaper and easier to launder than corsets, so women were encouraged to buy multiple brassieres that could be switched out frequently for freshness. Many of these early brassieres also made use of integral or removable dress shields to provide a layer of protection from perspiration. By eliminating the need for a separate corset cover, brassieres cut down on the number of underdress layers that needed to be worn, resulting in clothing that was cooler and less bulky.

In a move that foreshadowed the trends of the 1920's, some fashion-forward women even started abandoning their corsets completely in the pre-WWI years in favor of a brassiere and girdle instead. Groundbreaking designers like Paul Poiret and Mariano Fortuny proclaimed the death of the corset in the early 1910's, but women who were not blessed with a willowy model's figure held on dearly to their support garments for decades to come.

But nevertheless, these fashion pioneers encouraged women to consider foundation options other than the restrictive long-line corsets, and the innovations in brassieres gave women new ways to support the body where needed while being free elsewhere. Fashion articles suggest that brassieres could be worn without corsets for various athletic activities, under empire-style tea gowns, during convalescence, or at home during times of undress or leisure.

In a 1912 volume of The Theater, this corset-less arrangement is suggested for active women in warm weather:

 

"For the athletic girl there is a new style brassiere that will be highly appreciated. With it there is absolutely no necessity to wear a corset. It is well boned, and in such fashion that it can be readily washed.

This athletic brassiere fastens in the front with ordinary dress hooks that will not rust. It comes in all sizes, and laces under the arms, so that is can be readily adjusted to fit the figure as snugly as desired.

Worn with a hip confiner, this athletic brassiere will make an ideal garment for summer wear by women generally, for the combination of this brassiere, with a hip confiner, does away entirely with the necessity for a heavy corset during hot weather."

By the closing years of the 1910's, the brassiere had finally carved out a firm niche in the realm of fashionable dress, and it had become an essential foundation for supporting the figure, as well as the active lifestyle, of a modern woman.

The Corset Cover / Bust Supporters

Part of the difficulty in researching early brassieres lies in the uncertain terminology used for these garments. Throughout the Pre-WWI period, bust support garments went by a variety of names, such a bust bodice, bust girdle, bust corset, bust form, bust waist, bust confiner, and bust supporter. The actual term of "brassiere" was first coined in 1904 by the De Bevoise Company, and it began being used by other foundation manufacturers soon thereafter.

By the 1910's, the fashion world seemed to settle on the word "brassiere" to describe fitted camisole-type garments that came down over the top of the corset, and by the late 1910's, this style was referred to as a "normal" or "regular" brassiere, although the term brassiere was also used for bandeaux and other shorter styles as well. These brassieres were the most widespread solution for Edwardian and 1910's bust support, and they neatly solved the problem of unconfined breasts while also eliminating the need to wear a corset cover.

The corset-cover version of the brassiere typically had a strap hanging down from the center front with either eyelets or a metal hook that would attach to the corset busk to keep the garment from riding up. These support bodices could be buttoned in the front, hooked in the front, or they could make use of a cross-over surplice closure in either the front or the back with tapes that were brought around and tied at the waist.

The surplice closures were popular since they allowed for more variation in fitting since only the bust measurement needed to be correct, while the waist was fit on the wearer by how tightly she tied the bottom strings. Button and hooked brassieres sometimes included side or back lacing, or they could also incorporate strips of elastic in these areas to allow the garment to fit the body more precisely. Edwardian and 1910's brassieres were typically made in lightweight cotton fabrics such as cambric, batiste, lawn, or percale, but they could also be made of lace, eyelet, net, wash silk, brocade, or coutil. Some versions were completely plain, and some were elaborately decorated with lace, ribbons, and embroidery.

In a 1902 Baltimore American newspaper advertisement by the pattern company May Manton, women are advised to try a pattern for a "Fitted Corset Cover or Bust Supporter". It was offered in bust sizes ranging from 32 to 44, and the article recommends:

"Snugly fitted corset covers, while perhaps less dainty in appearance that those that are tucked or frilled or drawn upon with ribbons, serve a practical end and make a far better support for the bust than any other sort. The model shown is exceedingly simple, but is shaped to fit closely, and is so specially adapted to the needs of stout figures." (Baltimore Anerican, June 25, 1902)

This is one of the earliest examples that I have seen for a corset cover/bust supporter, and it is fitted with waist darts like a bodice vs. the multiple shaped and seamed pieces that are more typical in later versions.

A New York Times article from March 19, 1905 describes two options for brassieres at varying price points:

"For the woman with a full figure there is a snug fitting little waist made of silk broche batiste for a bust support. This fastens in front with buttons and loops, has straps buttoning over the shoulder, fits plain and smooth, has a bit of lace at the top for trimming, and costs $6. In washable materials and differing in style these [other styles] are to be found in coutil and batiste, not open in front, narrow ends being carried around the back, finished with tapes which are brought around to tie in front. These have elastic straps over the shoulders. They are very much lower in price."

A $6 brassiere in 1905 would cost an impressive $150 in today's money. Most period advertisements quoted more reasonable prices varying from .25 cents to around $1.50.

 

Although boning was not present in all of the corset cover/bust supporters, many were boned at the front seams, such as a "less pretentious" version described in the New York Times from August 15, 1909 that was

"made of cambric cut like a short, low-necked basque, and severely featherboned at each seam. They are buttoned or hooked down the front, and are cut off two inches above the waist."

Period featherboning was made up of narrow, flat corset steels, and other brassiere companies used spiral steel, whalebone, or other types of man-made boning to stiffen their products. This boning helped to avoid any wrinkling or curvature between the bottom of the bust and the waist.

Like decorative corset covers, these brassieres were meant to be seen beneath the sheer blouses and lingerie gowns that were so popular in this period. This accounts for the modest cuts and the profusion of heavily embellished styles available for women to choose from.

This feature is pointed out in fashion spread in an 1914 edition of Harper's Bazar that recommends that "through the sheer blouses of summer, the satin bow of the G.M. Poix Inc. brassiere will be very alluring."

Bandeaux and Other Short Brassieres

Other options for early bust support were more bandeau-like, meaning that they were constructed like a band around the chest with narrow shoulder straps (or no straps at all) vs. the fitted, sleeveless, bodice-like arrangement that you see in corset-cover styles. Some bandeaux were extremely basic affairs with almost no shaping, and others involved fitted backs, shaped cups, or sometimes bizarre construction techniques.

Although the term "bandeau" caught on the 1910's, these garments were more typically just called brassieres or bust supporters in period texts. 

The first Edwardian versions of bandeaux were made up of strips of ribbon or lace that tied or hooked in front and were held in place by ribbon shoulder straps.

One such garment is described thusly:

"A bust support worn with the very low front corsets has a fitted back, and joined to this under the arms is a broad white sash ribbon on each side, This is the support proper, and is brought around to the front and tied snugly in any kind of a bow desired." (New York Times, June 10, 1903)

Other articles advised women how to make these simple garments themselves:

"The homemade brassiere is quite simple. It can be of four widths of three-inch gros grain ribbon, the edges lapped, not stitched. These are held in place with wide featherbone in front, where it is hooked, and on slightly curved lines over the bust. It is held in place by a ribbon over each shoulder which hooks to the featherbone on each side." (New York Times, August 15, 1909)

 

 

In the 1910's, bandeau brassieres increased in popularity and became more structured affairs. They typically had strips of boning under the arms, they could be hooked or laced closed in either the front or back, and some had a bit of gathering or darts around the bust area to help it conform to a woman's shape.  Many were wide enough to come down over the top of the corset to prevent the unsightly corset ridge, and some also included the center front strap that attached it to a corset busk.

Like the corset-cover versions, bandeau brassieres could be made out of a wide variety of materials, as pointed out in a 1918 New York Times article proclaiming:

" The Bandeaux to Have Big Season. Never, it is said, have more attractive models been made up, not have so many different fabrics been used in them. The latter include strong cotton fabrics, tricot cloth, wash satins, Jersey and Jap silk, crepe de chine, silk broche, lace and lace and silk combinations.

In some models side and back inserts of elastic fabric are inserted to improve fitting qualities of the garment." (New York Times, January 18, 1918)

Bandeaux bust supports seemed to be a popular choice for evening attire since they did not typically use the wide shoulder straps seen in the corset-cover styles. Many of these bandeaux were designed with dainty ribbon straps which could be untied if worn with shoulder-revealing gowns.

Others were built to be both strapless and low-backed, such as this 1913 model featured in Harpers' Bazar:

"The brassiere of chiffon is intended to be worn with décolleté gowns. It is cleverly shaped, the seams being concealed by lace entre deux through which white ribbon is drawn. It narrows to about three inched in the back, where it fastens."

A 1917 New York Times article states that "bandeau brassieres... are offered in high, medium, and low backs, the last designed for use with evening gowns. Also for evening wear are offered several attractive models without shoulder straps."

One curious feature of the bandeau brassiere is that it was that it was often worn in conjunction with a "regular" brassiere on top:

"The new [bandeau] brassieres offered to buyers are very elaborate or very plain, the latter generally being worn under another brassiere that has beauty as its chief quality." (New York Times, June 29, 1918)

These were very basic "strap" styles that were probably used for additional support or reduction, with a fancier corset-cover type brassiere used for smoothing and decoration. Many sales reports in the late 1910's celebrated this trend because it meant the sale of two garments instead of one.

Firm elastic bandeaux and other short brassieres were frequently marketed to stout women who were interested in reducing their bustlines. Some versions made with rubber promised to reduce flesh by inducing perspiration. Rubber-lined bandeaux were also recommended for use by nursing mothers as a sanitary layer of protection from wetness. These stretchy brassieres were much more supportive than corset-cover styled undergarments, and they must have been a more comfortable option for women with heavy or pendulous breasts.

Other experimental styles of bust supporters from the period are harder to categorize than the bandeaux, and they came in a wide variety of shapes and styles.

Many ended directly below the bust instead of reaching to the waist like corset-cover styles, and some examples made use of separate shaped cups to hold the breasts. These were often heavily boned with vertical boning patterns.

Other versions, like a famous brassiere made by Pioret, are completely soft and resemble modern bikini tops. These short, cupped styles occupied a smaller section of the market since they did not necessarily follow the prevailing fashions favoring the monobosom silhouette.These shorter styles were sometimes referred to as bust girdles or bolero brassieres in period texts, but more frequently, they went by the same names as other bust supporters.

These styles have the most in common with the modern brassiere, but they were not as widely worn in the Edwardian and 'teens periods, and references to them in period newspapers and magazines are much less common than what you see with corset-cover style brassieres and bandeaux.

These shorter brassieres might have been worn with fairly high corset styles and were designed to control the overflow of flesh at the bustline. Others were worn without a corset for athletic pursuits, or they might be favored by women who had abandoned their corsets for either reform movement or high fashion ideals.

 

Bust Improvers

A final category of early 20th c. bust garments included styles that promised to make improvements upon a woman's natural bustline. Since the fashionable Edwardian silhouette favored an ample bosom, a wide variety bust-enhancers were developed for the less-endowed woman.

These novelties came with names such as bust form, bust improver, bust bodice, or some combination of bust/blouse/shirt-waist extender or distender. These garments were not necessarily intended to support the bust, but to create an exaggerated roundness to fill in the pigeon-breasted shirtwaist and bodice shapes that were so popular at this time.

Some of these garments made use of heavy vertical and horizontal boning and were permanently curved into a barrel-like shape. Early Edwardian versions were often strapless and cut very low in the back, and they were held onto the body with ties at the waist. These garments were most often made of net fabric, which could also be heavily stiffened much like buckram.

A 1898 Reading Eagle article notice describes one of these early armor-like bust improvers: 

"A Chicago woman has patented a waist front distender to give the pouch effect to shirt waists, the frame being of steel, covered with a fine wire cloth, with a strap to pass around the waist and hold it in place." (Reading Eagle, October 9, 1898)

Other boned bust extenders were softer and more adjustable, and internal ties could be tightened or loosened to arch the boning out to the desired roundness. A 1903 Philadelphia Record advertisement for Peerless Shirtwaist Extenders or Bust Forms notes that it they are "fitted with adjustable bones which can be taken out when laundered. Well worth 75c."

One of the biggest perks for these styles is that they were light and cool with a layer of air between the form and body. Although they were rarely illustrated in advertisements from the Edwardian period, written notices often sang their praises:

"Simple, effective. If you have not seen the Wright Bust Form you have no idea what a shapely, graceful figure it gives to a slender woman. Why it changes a 30 or 32 bust into a 34 or 36 without the least bit of padding. Light weight and firm, it is commended by physicians and dressmakers everywhere."   (Philadelphia Record, May 29, 1902)

When supportive brassieres gained popularity in the 1900's, they would sometimes borrow tricks from these breastplate-like bust extenders. Some brassieres and high-busted corsets also made use of permanently curved horizontal bones which would exaggerate the curve of the bust and help naturally thin women improve their figures.

 

 

Equally as popular were bust improvers made out of rows of ruffles sewn to a foundation that would be pinned on to other undergarments or strapped to the body like one 1903 version in a Notions and Fancy Goods catalogue: 

"A candidate for favor that is more of a bust extender than supporter has appeared in the little ruffled affairs of satin ribbon on a shaped foundation of batiste, of silk or satin...

They are fastened by means of elastic straps running from either side of the extender to the center-back and there fastened by a flat buckle arrangement. A variety of this model has shoulder straps also, but it is thought they are not desirable for Summer wear, as they would be apt to show through the thin corset cover and shirt waist"

These ruffled bust improvers remained popular ways to augment the bust throughout the 1900's and 1910's, and once again, they were often combined with more mainstream brassieres. Less developed women could choose bust support garments with ruffles sewn to either the inside or outside of the garment to fill out the bustline or exaggerate the pouched effect of a blouse.

1917 Bosom Form Patent

 

A final category of bust improvers resembled modern falsies. These inserts could be tucked inside of regular corsets or brassieres, or they could be permanently built into traditional support garments. This type of bust enhancer was most often stuffed with down or horsehair and resembled small pillows, but rigid and air-filled varieties were offered as well.

Although these bust improvers performed a different function than true bust supporting garments, their widespread use and acceptance further illustrates how much emphasis Edwardian and 1910's women placed on creating a beautiful bosom.

For examples of surviving Edwardian and 1910's brassieres and more examples of early brassieres from period magazine, patents, and catalogues go to my Pinterest boards: Edwardian and 1910's Brassieres and Early brassieres in Print

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