AN IMPROVED CORSET
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London for an Invention of
"AN IMPROVED CORSET" Communicated to him from abroad by Isaac
Strouse, of New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th May 1883.
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent
Communi-
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, "AN IMPROVED CORSET
cated to me from abroad by Isaac Strouse, of New Haven, Connecticut, United
States of America,
This invention relates to that class of corsets which are specially designed to
form a spinal support.
In order to properly support the back, broad and heavy stays or springs are
essential; heretofore if the stays or springs were made sufficiently broad and
straight, they did not readily conform to the shape of the body at the right and
left of the spine, and if the said stays were straight they could not conform to the
shape of the body so as to follow up onto the shoulder. Also the central stay, if
of equal width throughout, either was too strong at the waist and downward, or
two weak above, according as the said stay was wider or narrower, the strongest
support being necessary above on the shoulder line.
The object of the said invention is to obviate these difficulties, and it consists
essentially in constructing a corset having a back made as a whole, that is from
the vertical shoulder line of one side to the vertical shoulder line of the other side,
its two edges being connected to the adjacent or hip sections of the corset by
lacings and the said back being provided with a central or spinal stay or busk,
gradually expanding from the bottom and upward to the top, and having a stay
or busk at each side, curved upward and forward and downward and forward from
the waist line, the curvature of the said stays thus conforming to the shape of the
wearer as hereinafter described

page_text: In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1, is a rear view of a corset constructed according to this invention, and
Figure 2 shows the three back stays detached
A, indicates one hip section and B the other; the hip sections and the front
section may be of any ordinary construction, C indicates the back section; the
corresponding edges of the back section and the two hip sections are provided with
eyelets so that the said sections may be laced together in substantially the usual
manner of lacing back sections to the sides.
The three back stays D. E, and F are shown detached in Figure 2. The central
or spinal stay is made usually about one inch wide at the lower end, and gradually
expands to say twice that width at the upper end. The side stays E, F, are cut
on a curve as shown, and preferably of equal width throughout, usually about one
inch and one eighth.
The back section is made in three parts G. H, and I; G, the central part conforms
substantially to the shape of the central stay D; it is made from double fabric, and
forms a pocket for the stay D, which is indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1. The
two parts H, I are united to the part G, preferably from the waist upward and
downward, extending about two thirds the length of the corset, leaving spaces a
at the top and bottom between the central part G, and the parts H, I, with an
elastic connection b across the spaces between the said parts. The parts H. I, are
also made double and stitched to form pockets for the stays E, F, the said pockets
corresponding to the curves of the stays, that is upward and forward, and downward
and forward from the waist line; dotted lines in the parts H. I, indicate the shape
and position of the stays when in place.
When the corset is upon the person the central stay G, lies upon the spine, and
because of its broad upper end or gradually increasing width from the lower end
upward, a firm support, stronger at the top than at the waist line, is given to the
back. The two side stays E F curve from the waist line upward onto the shoulders,
and downward toward the hips, thus giving a support to the shoulders, and aiding
In the back support.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I do not claim broadly a corset having a back provided with stays or busks,
and laced at its edges to the adjacent hip sections, as such I am aware is not new,
neither do I claim broadly a corset stay increasing in width from one end to the
other, but I claim.
A Corset having a back section laced to the adjacent hip sections, the said back
section being provided with a central stay D gradually increasing in width from
the bottom to top, combined with the two stays E F, arranged respectively in the
back at the left and right of the central or back stay D, the said stays being
curved from the waist line upward and forward, substantially as shown and
described.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty fifth day of May in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three
THE
DODT
לזז