The big bosom thing is something I've been wondering about for a while too. I've seen very few portraits, if any, that show women with large breasts pre-19th C even in portraits where the women are robust.
Clothing styles definately didn't encourage large bosoms, I know a lot of women who have trouble making garb that fits. They either use a princess style cut, which isn't appropriate, or squish themselves (which is not flattering or, I imagine, comfortable) Could large breasts be a modern occurance? Our food is pumped full of hormones and other chemicals. In the last few decades, girls are physically maturing faster than they used too. My friends and I started menstrating around 14-15 years old, now girls are 11-12. In the past, ideal beauty may have been small breasts as compared to now, where bigger is not big enough (I was so born in the wrong century); but not all portraits were idealized. Wendy --- On Sat 12/31, Sue Clemenger < [EMAIL PROTECTED] > wrote: From: Sue Clemenger [mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 18:59:50 -0700 Subject: Re: [h-cost] Re: Bosoms Just a bit of wondering....In addition to Sheer Bad Taste (tm) and<br>inaccurate information on the part of a fair number of modern reenactors and<br>RenFairies, could some of the TOAP effect be coming from our larger bodies?<br>I'm not referring to the largely mythical<br>we're-so-much-taller-than-they-were idea, but the reality of a lot of 21st<br>century Americans being, well, *koff* heavier than optimal health would have<br>us. Myself included, so no slam meant. You get somebody who's well-endowed<br>to begin with, like me, and add some overweight to it, and I *can't* avoid<br>having a shelf. Even in a modern bra, I've got a shelf. In a corset,<br>though, it's quite a bit more obvious, especially when compared to the same<br>area on a woman less rounded and endowed.<br>The best (historical) support I've had that didn't present a huge shelf was<br>the shell for the fitted gown from Robin's workshop. I suspect that's from<br>a different sort of support/compression going on than with a corset.<br>Oh, and Happy New Year, everyone! ;o)<br>--Sue in foggy-drippy Montana<br><br>----- Original Message -----<br>From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]><br>To: "Historical Costume" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]><br>Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2005 2:08 PM<br>Subject: [h-cost] Re: Bosoms<br><br><br>><br>> > I think of the melons on a platter in the 18th Century, not Elizabethan,<br>> > as the corsets are shaped differently. The Renn and Elizabethan are<br>> > more tubular in shape to the 18thC cone shape that gives you a higher<br>> > bustline. That and the 18thC women showed them off a bit more than<br>> > earlier women, what with the partlets of the earliers times.<br>><br>> It depends on what you mean by melons on a platter. In both time<br>> periods, I think you see a lot more at Ren Faires and reenactments<br>> than the ideal for the time period. 18thC is supposed to produce<br>> "pleasing mounds", and I have not seen paintings where they show a<br>> cleavage line (the actual line from breasts pressed together).<br>> Winterthur Museum in Delaware has a portrait of a lady who is rather<br>> large busted, and still no line! Bet she wasn't like that in real<br>> life, but we're talking about the ideal.<br>><br>> And while Elizabethans had partlets, 18thC have handkerchiefs, a<br>> folded square or triangle of cloth that covers the shoulders and<br>> bosom. Sometimes they were sheer and some were embroidered. Wearing<br>> one depended on time of day and age. They protect from the sun, and<br>> young women would tend to go without while those with wrinkles could<br>> keep covered.<br>><br>> And in both centuries there was a gamut of class distinctions,<br>> ethnicities, yadda yadda.<br>><br>> -Carol<br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>h-costume mailing list<br>h-costume@mail.indra.com<br>http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume<br> _______________________________________________ No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. Make My Way your home on the Web - http://www.myway.com _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
