Charlottes Brontes corset

I wanted to examine the corset because it is a well documented Bronte artifact and known to have definitely belonged to Charlotte so the measurements of the corset will be Charlotte’s. It will  therefore help not just to work out her build but also to clarify which gowns in the Parsonage collection are Charlotte’s and which can be reliably used to work out Charlotte’s fashion tastes. This will clarify which views in  the letters  she writes are in fact accurate reflections of Charlottes own views and what comments in the novels often used to illustrate her character are infact hers as this is usually assumed to be the case. However my closer examination of the corset has raised much wider issues concerning Charlottes mind-set, health and overall well being.
It is quite long early Victorian style with a number of quite sturdy bones, which may be whalebone or possibly steel and whalebone mix as one protruding bone looked like steel. I didnt want to be the person who ruined the Bronte corset so I didnt try to see what the give on the corset was but most steel boned modern corsets are decidedly inflexible (though this was lighter than modern ones). It also has a very wide but removable front busk which when worn would severely limit any  bending or leaning forward movements and has rather alarming health implications. 

Read more of this fascinating subject on:
Hathaways of Haworth


 

The pink Wrapper gown

Hathaways of Haworth/Bronte-clothing-the-pink-wrapper-gowndressing-gown/