page_title: Bustle
hierarchical_section_title: Bustle
caption_attribution_description: English: Woman's bustle, England, c. 1885. Cotton twill, cotton-braid-covered steel, and cotton-braid cord. Corset, England, c. 1865-75. Cotton with cotton lace trim. Chemise, England, c. 1850-70. Linen plainweave with cotton cutwork embroidery (broderie anglaise) and cotton lace. Shoes, Europe or United States, 1875-1900. Silk satin and leather.
context_page_description: A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. Heavy fabric tended to pull the back of a skirt down and flatten it. As a result a woman's petticoated skirt would lose its shape during everyday wear.
context_section_description: A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. Heavy fabric tended to pull the back of a skirt down and flatten it. As a result a woman's petticoated skirt would lose its shape during everyday wear (from merely sitting down or moving about).
caption: Bustle, lady's undergarment, England, c. 1885.  Los Angeles County Museum of Art M.2007.211.399
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