Improvements in Corsets.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1892
Improvements in Corsets.
I, REDDIN WEST PARRAMORE, of Asbury Park, in the County of Monmouth,
and State of New Jersey, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to corsets and is more particularly an attachment thereto
useful for the purposes hereinafter described. The invention consists in an attach-
ment of the construction more fully set forth below and as claimed, and as illustrated
on the sheet of drawings, wherein :
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a female showing her in the act of applying a pair
of corsets containing this attachment.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of one-half of a pair of corsets with this device in
place.
Fig. 3 is a further enlarged elevation of the attachment alone.
Referring to the said drawings, the letter C designates a pair of corsets of any
of the well-known patterns now in use, but necessarily having vertical steels on the
sides. It is well known that at the waist-line between the lower ribs and the hip-
bones the feminine frame is considerably depressed and further when the body is
moved from side to side this depression is much greater. Heretofore an undue
swaying of the body often resulted in the snapping or breaking of the steels at this
point, especially if the corset were tight and the steels had become weakened by
long wear and perhaps rough usage.
The object of the present invention is to provide an attachment which will serve
as a brace or stay for this point of the corset and which, by standing beneath the
steels at this point will give them a greater bearing surface than the soft yielding
flesh alone presents.
H Hare horizontal steels or whalebones enclosed in pockets formed in the casing
which pockets P diverge slightly towards their ends. There are preferably about
five of these horizontal steels, all curving flatwise slightly throughout their lengths,
the main one having rounded ends and the others being beveled at their ends so
that the whole attachment will present the form of an approximate ellipse. The
upper and lower edges of the device are preferably provided with eyelets I by
which it may be secured within the corset by lacings L although it will be under-
stood that any other means for temporarily and detachably securing the attachment
in place will answer. The device is manufactured and sold separately from the
corset, and as an attachment thereto is to be applied by the wearer, its manner of
application being so simple as to be readily understood.
In operation, when the body is bent and the corset steels are forced inwardly at
the waist-line, it will be obvious that they bear upon the horizontal steels H, and as
the latter are of some length a large bearing-surface is provided for the corset
steels, whereas in the absence of this attachment the steel would press the flesh
inwardly and might be broken where it bends so sharply.
In
In devices of this same general character as heretofore constructed the horizontal
steels H were parallel, but experience has taught me that when so arranged the
device is liable to buckle in use, or else the brace-steels themselves will break.
order to overcome this objection I cause the ends of the pockets P to diverge
slightly, as shown, but preferably continue the fabric covering across the intervening
spaces, thus forming triangular webs W. These webs are highly important in the
operation for the following reason: When the pressure is brought to bear upon
the central brace-steel H it is partially flattened out and the whole device is caused

page_text: to curve inwardly along its vertical centre instead of being straight. The result is
on account of the longitudinal curvature of all the brace-steels that the tendency
is to move the ends of the shorter steels away from those of the longer ones, and
this the triangular webs W permit.
The device can be made of any suitable material and of proper size. The fabric
casing may be of any suitable flexible material and if desired may be tacked,
riveted or eyeleted to the brace-steels instead of being held thereon by stitches as
shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The herein described corset attachment comprising an approximately
elliptical casing having substantially horizontal pockets diverging slightly at their
ends, triangular webs between said ends and a series of brace-steels enclosed within
said pockets, all the steels curving flatwise throughout their lengths, the whole
constructed and adapted for application as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The herein described corset attachment comprising an approximately
elliptical casing having substantially horizontal pockets diverging slightly at their
ends, and a series of brace-steels enclosed within said pockets, all the steels curving
flatwise throughout their lengths, the whole constructed and adapted for application
as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 14th day of December 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.