Improvements in Stays or Corsets.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1899
Improvements in Stays or Corsets.
I, HENRY UNDERWOOD, of 214, Kingston Road, Landport, Portsmouth, Corset
Maker, 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 improvements in stays or corsets and has for its
object to provide a covering or shield for the studs or fastenings and to give
increased strength and durability to the busks. For this purpose I provide an
additional busk or steel encased in suitable cloth which is stitched or seamed
to the material forming the body of the corset so as to lap over the studs fixed
to the steel or busk for fastening the corset.
By thus employing three busks or steels, which when the corset is fastened,
lie contiguously to one another, I materially increase the strength of the corset,
enabling the busks to be considerably bent or distorted without liability to
fracture or injury.
The additional busk acts also as a covering or shield to the studs, thus pro-
viding a smooth even surface to the inside and the outside of the corset and
preventing other garments from being torn or caught by the studs or fastenings.
The busk to which the studs are secured is preferably about double the width
of the others, thus serving as a foundation for them and causing them to act
as double instead of single busks.
My improved or additional busk may be attached to any corset at present
in use by cutting off or removing the ordinary busk to which the studs are
secured, and seaming or sewing on the additional busk and the busk of increased
width carrying the studs, sufficient cloth or material being left on each side
for this purpose. The busks should be made of the finest tempered steel to
make them as pliable as possible, whilst at the same time retaining their full
strength.
My invention may be applied to spoon busk as well as to straight busk cor-
sets, and the fastening and unfastening of the corset is facilitated by the use
of the additional busk which the wearer may catch hold of for drawing the.
meeting edges together.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings Fig. 1 is a front view of the meeting
or fastening edges of a corset with my improved arrangement of busks applied
thereto, the corset being shown fastened, and Fig. 2 is a similar view showing
the corset unfastened. Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sections of Figs. 1 and 2
respectively.
a represents the cloth or material of which the body of the corset is formed
and b is the busk sewn to said material, and to which the studs c are attached.
is the busk on the other edge of the corset and carries the eyelets c¹ in the
usual manner.
d is the additional busk seamed or sewn to the material a in such a position as
to cover the studs when turned over them as shown in Fig. 3.

page_text: In Figs. 2 and 4 the busk d is shewn turned back into a vertical position to
facilitate the fastening of the corset.
The busk as shewn is of twice the width of the busks b and d so that the
two latter in their fastened position lie upon or against the said busk thereby
constituting a double thickness of busk.
The steels of the said busks are covered by cloth or similar material to that
of a, thus providing a smooth and even surface on each side.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is;
(1) The improvements in stays or corsets comprising the attachment of an
additional busk to the front of the corset so as to lap over the fastening studs
substantially as described and for the purposes specified.
(2) In improved stays or corsets the combination of the three busks such
as b, band d arranged and actuating substantially as described and for the
purposes specified.
J. B. FLEURET,
Agent for the Applicant, 5, Hatton Garden, Holborn Circus, London, E.C.