At 18:45 17/04/2006, you wrote:
> I have found 5 photos of corsets that show the underarm piece I > referred to. (Two are of the same corset.) As they are research > photos, I cannot post them on a photo site, but am happy to send a > jpeg to anyone who contacts me off list. > > One is probably chamois, one may be chamois, one appears black in the > photo, and one is ? They were mostly taken in museums with poor > lighting so the colour is no guide.Hi Suzi, We were talking about this underarm crescent on Historic Corsets. Martha mentioned two that used a plush fabirc, one that was quilted linen, and one that was quilted chamois. (Is that right, Martha?) Also I noticed on the Bisonette page the crescent was at the back of the armscey, not center and forward where you would place a sweat sheild. Plus they do not cover the edge of the stays, so it does not offer extra reinforcement to the binding. So what was it for? I wonder if the plush or suede side leather was to hold the gown fabric in that area? Is there ever a bagging of the fabric there? Also, was it perhaps to compensate for a bit of back/arm flab? Were these particular stays large? (Although a small person can have flab, too.) Is there anything else about the stays that would indicate a customization? Alterations for better fit, or were they higher quality stays?
All the corsets that I have photos of, including the one I am wearing, have the crescent in the front armscye, which to my mind would stop any chafing. I don't believe they are sweat shields - that never occurred to me - but to protect against rubbing, and the possibility of whalebone poking through, as the leather type ones are tougher than the linen.
Suzi
_______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
