Elizabeth, thanks for the additional info and yes it is that pattern. Not too long after posting my request, I found reference to most busks curving in like this in the 1840s--I think it was in Severa's Dressed for the Photographer. Certainly the photos in that book support the idea of American women using this type of busk in the 1840s. I have decided to go with a wooden busk for several reasons. Although the split busk may have been invented, that doesn't mean it was used universally, especially in western New York. What I am thinking of doing is using a wooden busk that ends where the curve begins. I am also thinking that the curving busk (supposing I could find one) will present some mobility problems in the program that I run while in costume--lots of bending and stooping over a fire. I think it may be a process of trial and error to see what works while maintaining an appropriate silhouette.
--
Anne Dealy
Director of Education and Public Information
Geneva Historical Society
Geneva, NY
adelaideatgenevahistoricalsociety.com
(be sure to change "at" to "@")
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