A Brief History of the Bra: An Illustrated History

The history of the bra is inextricably linked with the social status of women, the changes in fashion, and the evolving attitudes toward the female body. This is a short visual history of the modern bra from 1910 to the 1990's.
The New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob, better known as Caress Crosby, patented her handkerchief bra in 1914, as a comfortable alternative to the corset.
It had no cups, but was popular enough, and created a trend in the 1910’s. She sold her new bra under the name Caress. She later sold her patent to the Warner corset company, for a reputed $1000.
By the end of the First World War, the cup less camisole brassiere helped liberate women from restrictive corsets.
The bust flattening fad continued well in to the 1920s, helping to popularize the new flapper look. One woman changed everything. A Russian immigrant named Ida Rosenthal. She formed a company called Maidenform in 1922.
Producing a brassiere with ‘bust cups’ attached with elastic, breasts were uplifted, rather than flattened, and the bra, as we now know it, was born.
But by 1930, the silhouette was returning to a curvier more natural shape for young women. This year also saw the arrival of the seamless bra.
In 1937 Warner's introduced cup sizing, with their ABC Alphabet Bra.
By the 1940's, the brassiere had to be durable for women serving in the forces. Also for women working long shifts in munition factories, and on farms.
In Hollywood, the busty sweater girl look came along via Hollywood starlets like Lauren Bacall and Jane Russell.
With the arrival of the Paris New look in 1947, brassiere designers created the wired bra. Designed to wear with off the shoulder evening dresses.
The best remembered and most celebrated bra style of the 1940's and the early 1950's, is the bullet bra.
Worn under a sweater, these were popularized by Hollywood stars, such as Lana Turner and Marilyn Monroe.
By the 1950's, with a return to more feminine dress styles, brassiere designers concentrated on making the bra, girdles and all other female undergarments, as glamorous as possible.
In the 1960's, the Maternity and mastectomy bra began to find a new respectability.
Feminism and "bra-burning", also became linked in popular culture.
But the bra did not go away. To this day it is a staple wardrobe item for most women around the world.
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