Titanic Era Corset: Reproducing a 100 year old Antique

Corsets in the 1910s are part of an unusual transition period in fashion. Though we were often taught that they were the dying breath of a tortured garment, in reality they simply (and gradually) changed into the girdles of the 1920s and on (then control top pantyhose, then Spanx- not to mention diets). Unlike their Victorian ancestors, corsets of this era do little to reshape the body. Instead they smooth the figure under the sheath-like fashionable dresses and remind the wearer of good posture.

The antique that is being studied is one of many mass-produced corsets from that era. It was made from a plain cotton twill fabric with additional pieces from a variety of plain weave cottons. The strips for the boning channels, back facing, and binding all likely came off of large prepared rolls to facilitate speed. While care was taken to make sure that the garment was practical and durable enough for daily wear, it was clearly not executed for beauty. A simple jacquard ribbon trims the top edge of an otherwise plain piece.

Originally, this corset would have had small elastic garters down at the bottom with clips to hold up stockings. Some of the stitching still remains at the front and sides along the binding. Assumably either the original wearer did not want the garters or, as the elastic deteriorated with time, it was removed by much later hands.

The cut of the pattern is not unique, but its use of horizontal seaming is less typical. Or, at least to me, less logical when we are working on a very subtly curved garment that doesn't even interact with the bust. The interior is stamped with "28" to signify that it is a standard 28" waist size (71 cm). The hips measure out to be around 37" (94 cm). These proportions are drastically changed from the S-bend corset of the earlier Edwardian period. The ideal figure of the 1900s had a much more extreme waist to hip ratio, often created through layers of padding at the hips. A difference of 12-15" would have been much more common in comparison to the 9" this corset allows for.

For my version, I chose a plain cotton with a woven spot, not unlike many cotton brocade examples of the era. It's a very lightweight fabric, but there is plenty of reinforcement around the areas of stress. The original is a light cotton twill (a recommended similar source is below). The boning channels and binding were done in a plain weave cotton. Inside of the channels they added paper for rigidity, strength, and friction to hold the boning in place. I used a standard sketchbook weight paper of 60 lbs (heavier than modern printer paper). Around the busk there was an additional layer of modern buckram- a stiffened open weave fabric. My other supplies are linked below.

Supplies
Cotton twill: https://www.dharmatrading.com/fabric/...
Plain cotton: https://www.dharmatrading.com/fabric/...
Busk/Grommets: https://corsetmaking.com/corset-makin...
German Plastic Whalebone: https://burnleyandtrowbridge.com/coll...

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