Stays
Unknown Artist
ca. 1835
Medium
Cotton, bone, metal
Classification
Stays
Culture
American
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. James Dowd Lester, 1942
Accession Number
2009.300.6489
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of 19th-century American fashion with *Stays*, a meticulously crafted undergarment from around 1835, now housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Created by an unknown artist, piece exemplifies everyday attire from a time when women's clothing rigidly defined the silhouette. Made from cotton reinforced with bone and metal stays, it provided the structured support essential for the era's high-waisted gowns and full skirts. In the 1830s, as America embraced early Victorian influences, stays like this one cinched the waist to an idealized narrow shape whi...