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Collections

Woman's Bustle Cage Crinoline1862-1870

Not on view
Museum display of layered historical undergarments on a white mannequin: tan boned corset, white chemise and petticoat, and a structured red bell-shaped crinoline with zigzag hem
Fashion display on a white mannequin shown in profile: a structured corset over a white bodice, paired with a crinoline cage skirt in clear panels with metal banding, layered over a red tiered petticoat with zigzag hem. Small red heeled shoes visible beneath.
Boned corset in natural linen with vertical channel stitching, yellow embroidered thread details, cream lace trim at upper edge, metal busk closures at front, and a red leather waist belt with metal grommets and lacing.
Historical corset in beige linen with front busk closure, displayed on a white chemise; yellow embroidered decorative stitching at bust and lower panels, lace trim at top edge, and a red leather waist belt with metal eyelets and suspender straps.
Historical cage crinoline or hoop skirt structure displayed on a dress form, featuring red fabric tape bands joined by horizontal cording in a dome shape, with brass eyelets along the vertical seams, over white fabric underlining.
Title
Woman's Bustle Cage Crinoline
Place Made
England
Date Made
1862-1870
Medium
Wool twill, cotton plain weave with stamped grid pattern, cotton twill tape, cotton-braid-covered steel, and metal
Dimensions
Center back length: 33 in. (83.82 cm); Diameter: 25 in. (63.5 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by Suzanne A. Saperstein and Michael and Ellen Michelson, with additional funding from the Costume Council, the Edgerton Foundation, Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer, Maureen H. Shapiro, Grace Tsao, and Lenore and Richard Wayne
Accession Number
M.2007.211.386
Classification
Costumes
Collecting Area
Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes

With the decrease in circumference and popularity of the oversize cage crinoline, a narrower, lighter, conical version became fashionable in the 1860s. Bright colors from recently introduced aniline dyes were favored for the “American” cage, a hoop petticoat partially covered with fabric. The corset’s restrictive rigidity was maintained with steam molding, patented in 1868. Various waist sizes were available in corsets heavily starched, steamed, and dried on metal or ceramic idealized torsos.

Selected Bibliography
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: Deux Siècles de Mode Européenne, 1700-1915. Paris: Arts Décoratifs; Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Delmonico Books-Prestel, 2013.
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Delmonico Books/Prestel, 2010.
  • Takeda, Sharon Sadako and Kaye Durland Spilker. Fashioning Fashion: Europäische Moden, 1700-1915. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich; New York: Prestel, 2012.
  • Mida, Ingrid E. Reading Fashion in Art. London; New York: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2020.