By the 1890’s the bodices were no longer fitted down over the hips, although the skirts were gored and fitted over the upper hips so the corset still needed to provide some support in that area. This is the period of the “wasp waist” and many of these corsets are very heavily boned. This one is a good example. This is actually the first corset I ever made! It is made from cream colored brocade and is lined with cotton. The stays are on the outside of the fashion fabric inside stay casings rather than sandwiched in between the layers as was common in earlier times.  This is the beginning of the single layer corset, which becomes predominant in the 1900’s – 1910’s.

This corset was mode over the Past Patterns #213 Late Victorian Corset pattern.