The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-07-23


with grass or gold. We know very
well from the pictures of that period
what intensely small waists were pro.
duced, and what stiffness of figure.
The French words oorP9 and 9orreS (to
tighten), which seem to have suggested
the word corset, could not have better
expressed this article of dress. We do
not know how many women died of
these corsets-probably ly more than have
ever died of broken heart, Men as
well as women Wore the horrible things.
One lady of rank is described as wear
ing ga splendid girdle OF beaten gold
about her middle small" Chauccr de-
scribes one of his beauties as being
"small as weazel and upright as n
bolt" which does not suggest very
pleasing image Of female loveliness to
The modern mind.
But, if it was one thing to lace in the
waists, il was another to augment the
size of the skirt until its outrageous
circumference should make any waist
look small. This idea undoubtedly
arose when the rich silks of the middle
ages, stiflened with gold and silk bro
cade, came TO be plated into q skirt for
a slender figure. The great mass stood
ont of itself and made the waist look
very slender. 1t was fabric unknown
to the Romans and Greeks, who had
mostly a soft wooden cloth ont of which
to construct their dresses, and it made
fashion for itself. We find those
handsome creatures, the Italian women
of TIE fifteenth century, Outdoing all
others in this luxury of the robe
Queen Catherine de Medici stands in
Que of the galleries at Florence in
stately splendor, with hoop of enor-
nous dimensions holding out her splen-
did brocade. In fact, the heavy skirt
at once suggested the hoop and necessi-
tated it, for it was so heavy as to fla
tigue the wearer; and the hoop is al
ways great relief.
It was reserved for the Emperor
Joseph II, of Austria Cwho did not fore
see that his royal successor, the present
Empress, would have Il waist Of sixteen
lnchcs) to issue an odict against the cor
set Undoubtedly tight lacing bad be-
come very serious matter, and the
health of the people was suffering. H.
thr, atened all damsels with eXcommuni.
cation if they persisted in wearing th9
corset. Physicians, popea, and bishops
declaimed against it, and nunneries and
other places where young women were
educated were put under the surveil.
lance of the police Of The period, until
every woman was forced-absOlutel
forced--to lace tighter than ever, and
put her wits to work to battle king,
kaiser, emperor, pope, and bishop. NJ
doubt, however, that this crusade. did
some good. 1t may have released some
poor girl from her corset prison who
was dying of spine disease or heart dis
ease, but, like all crusades of the kind
against the personal liberty of the sub
icct, it was not conducive of LASTING
good.
Old Catherine de Medici, however,
invented corset warranted to reduce
the waist to thirteen inches, wnich may
fairly be appended as Il characteristic
cruelty to the history of the authore5S
of st. Bartholomew Day. This was q
steel plate, with holes cut in to give il
lightness, closed with immoyable hasps,
This was almost suit of armor, and
made the wearer look Gas ii imprisoned
in closely fitting fortress" " Over this
terrible invention the silk basque on
Jacket fitted without wrinkle. Cath
crime could forgive n great deal to the
ladies of her court but she could moi
forgive them u thick waist or an i'll
fitting dress. She laced her daughter'
aud her sons, this horrible old Catho
rine, until they said of her sons tina
they were like their mother in slender
ness of figure, "only lacking her vii
and understanding.
Elizabeth of England was not slow I,
follow the fashions Of her royal sister
Who does not remember royal Bess
stiff as poker. in her "ruff and far
dingale? % The pictures which sht
carefully caused to be painted of her
self, each and every one made her lool
uglier than the last. What q tribute i
is to the feminine tact AID taste of Mary
Oueen of Scots, that she, educated II
the court of Catharine de Medici ant
living near that of Elizabeth, so mod
flied and ameliOrated the excesses o
the times that she presents, at this mo
ment, the most beautiful study of fe
, male costume that the world has eve
seen
An English physician, writing in 1910
saws that it was no uncommon sight t.
, see ga mother lay her daughter dow
, on the carpet, and, placing her foot OF
, her back, break half dozen laces IL
Tightening her stays
, The corset was made more stiff thai
ever. lack boards and steel bars wer
used TO correct STOPPING shoulders, an,
, n waist must only be "span." !
| young lady liz tightly laced steel corsets
. with a board at the back, and her fee
| in ,tocks, as tie iearnol Mary Somer
a vile describes herself at sixteen, mus
t have presented a pitiablo figure TO tn
o sympathetic gazer.
: Undoubtedly there will always b
r foolish mothers who make their daugh
o t.rs sleep in their corsets, and man.
q foolish women who will always dra'
i. their laces too tight, but the golde
:. mean remains-n figure we'll but no
a too stilfiy supported, . waist slender
0 r,und, but not too small for tho adla
d cent figure, is the grand desideratuf
l. of female beauty.
# Nothing is SO uubecoming as to
II tipht garment. A shoe which IS to
i small spols n pretty foot; a glov
d which squeezes the baud ruins ID
. efTecl ana waist iDjudiciously c5a
3, pressed ruins the figure and The fac
v The blood is forced into the hands an
1t arms the figure is pressed out Of pr'