It is frustrating to me to read people speaking so inaccurately about them who clearly have limited experience with them.

The Corset – Laura Purcell

Dorothea Truelove is a 25 year old Victorian lady determined to do good works by visiting prisons. These visits also afford her the opportunity to pursue her interests in phrenology as she examines the skulls of inmates. At the prison she meets Ruth Buttram, a teenage seamstress accused of murder. Ruth is convinced that the emotions she stitches into the garments she sews have the potential to kill.

17th Century

The tight lacing in a corset, in my mind, is a symbol of the submissive role that women played in those times. A ‘corsetee’ moves a little bit more carefully and a lot more subdued than one without the confines of the corset. But many others will say that in a corset you walk a little bit more elegantly and gracefully. Yes, the wearer of the corset is perceived as attractive because of the strange waist-hip ratio entrenched in our minds. It is the precursor to the waist/body shapers, girdles and wonder bras we have today. There is a HUGE difference between modern corsets and antique corsets. I have worn both and will never wear a modern corset again, they are dangerous and uncomfortable. An antique reproduction? I will wear that instead of a bra any day. Other types of corset dresses are created for unique high fashion looks by a few modern corset makers. These modern styles are functional as well as fashionable and are designed to be worn with comfort for a dramatic look. I found the idea in this book very original, even more so than the first book. I loved Dotty and Ruth as characters. However, there were many problems in the plot. In addition, there were too many characters.

Corset - Wikipedia Corset - Wikipedia

Doyle, R. (1997). Waisted Efforts: An Illustrated Guide to Corset Making. Sartorial Press Publications. ISBN 0-9683039-0-0. Corsets have been around for several centuries. So where did the history of corsets begin and how did they come about? 16th Century The modern-day bra is a derived form of the corset; it supports the bust but does not confine the waist. Modern day corsets In 1855, a woman named Frances Egbert had trouble with her corsets, due to the front steel pieces constantly breaking as a result of strain. [14] Consequently, her husband, Samuel Barnes, designed "reinforced steels" for Egbert's corsets. Barnes filed a patent for the invention 11 years later, and Egbert collected the royalties on this patent for 15 years following his death. [14] Following the case of Egbert v. Lippmann, the US Supreme court deemed Barnes's and Egbert's patent as "public". As women’s fashion continually changes everyday, present-day women and even men have begun to incorporate corsets in their wardrobe. As seen in social media and televised events, celebrities and influencers have been wearing the very corset that women in the 19th century were fighting hard to get away from. But the corset design has changed drastically, from being worn as a restricting undergarment to becoming outerwear and often worn to replicate “retro” fashion.

There are two main characters. Dorothea Truelove (yes really) is an heiress who is unmarried and in her 20s. She does good works and is very much persuaded by phrenology and believes that the shape of the skull can give clues about the criminal propensities of the owner of said skull. Phrenology was quite popular in the mid nineteenth century. Dorothea is being pushed to marry a man of quality, but is actually enamoured of a policeman called David. Their relationship drifts through the book not really going anywhere. From the description the reader knows that one woman is from a life of privilege and luxury while the other is poor - extremely poor. Dotty has known a relatively easy life. Ruth has known pain, loss, suffering, and hard work. Their socio-economic difference is HUGE as are their outlook on life, and each's understanding of the world. These corsets were typically made out of layered fabric, stiffened with glue, and were tightly laced. Usually worn with shoulder straps, the corset extends the length of the torso, stopping just above the pelvic bone. Catherine de Medici (1519–1589) is credited with introducing corsets to France where women of the French court embraced it. Dorothea and Ruth. Prison visitor and prisoner. Powerful and powerless. Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder.

Complete History of Corsets: Starting in the 16th Century A Complete History of Corsets: Starting in the 16th Century

Ironically, the Regency era ushered experiments and variety in how a woman could wear a corset, leading to a plethora of different designs. Apart from the materials of the corset, the other contributor to its “body damaging” reputation was tight-lacing. As corset designs and styles were constantly changing, it wasn’t until the implementation of the “metal eyelet” in the early 19th century﹘the holes through which the laces crossover through﹘that tight-lacing became recognized. The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations – of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses – will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality and the power of redemption. Even though society began to reject the idea of normalized corsets, that didn’t stop actresses from wearing them. Corsets were not unusual to see on the silver screen, on treasured celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn. Despite this though, corsets never sustained popularity in the 1960s. This is a signature corset made popular by the French fashion designer Christian Dior during the 1940s and 1950s. It combines bustier, waist clincher and garter belt into a single garment. Also called Basque. So far, so gothic. It’s well told and the menace builds as it should. The whole thing doesn’t really seem to know whether it’s a crime novel or a supernatural chiller.

Victorian Corset

Breathe in… the corset – a garment that is never far from a revival in fashion circles – has been attracting a far wider audience recently. Online searches for the body-sculpting garment have soared, along with demand for four-poster beds and wisteria, an interest in all things Regency sparked by the period romance TV series Bridgerton. However, I found the ending to be very satisfying – Laura Purcell pulls together the two storylines in a really wonderful way. I was fine with the men’s storylines to be unresolved because in the end – this is a book about Ruth and Dorothea. During the late 19th century tight-lacing has raised some concerns. Some doctors supported the theory that corset may cause health injuries, specifically during pregnancy and women who practiced tight-lacing were looked upon as slaves to fashion. As a result I don't seek out gothic novels, but occasionally I will read a review that piques my curiosity enough that I decide to give it a try. That was certainly a good decision in the case of this book.

corsets: how a piece of clothing sparked The history behind corsets: how a piece of clothing sparked

In 1968, at the feminist Miss America protest, protestors symbolically threw a number of feminine products into a "Freedom Trash Can". They included corsets, [23] which were among items the protestors called "instruments of female torture", [24] and accoutrements which they perceived to enforce femininity. century [ edit ] Group of five corsets: late 19th and early 20th century Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation I got retroactive FOMO for Laura Purcell’s novel The Silent Companions because everybody seemed to be raving about it, so I knew I needed to read this one. Especially because it focuses on two women, one of them being a prisoner on trial for murder. I love books featuring unapologetically difficult women and Ruth and Dorothea definitely fit the bill. When Dorothea’s charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she finds herself drawn to Ruth, a teenage seamstress – and self-confessed murderess – who nurses a dark and uncanny secret. A secret that is leading her straight to the gallows. As Ruth reveals her disturbing past to Dorothea, the fates of these two women entwine, and with every revelation, a new layer of doubt is cast… Dow, Bonnie J. (Spring 2003). "Feminism, Miss America, and Media Mythology". Rhetoric & Public Affairs. 6 (1): 127–149. doi: 10.1353/rap.2003.0028. S2CID 143094250.Let us have a look at the different types of corsets that women used and the different body profiles and waistlines they created. ( and still do) Different types of corsets