Bustle
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A bustle is a padded undergarment or wire frame used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the ba
Bustle, lady's undergarment, England, c. 1885. Los Angeles County Museum of Art M.2007.211.399
English bustle supports worn as undergarments, from 1875 to 1885.
Woman wearing a dress with a bustle, US, about mid-1880s
Bustle dress from 1870
Petticoat
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A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries.
Bustle
…back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. Heavy fabric tended to pull the back of a skirt down and flatten it. As a result a woman's petticoated skirt would lose its shape during everyday wear (from merely sitting down or moving about). Women throughout history have used various methods to shape…
American petticoat, 1855–1865
Modern petticoat
Silk embroidery on petticoat, Portugal, c. 1760
Washer woman petticoat inspired skirt and jacket by Sybil Connolly