Child’s stays

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

Women and girls wore corsets or “stays” (the 17th and 18th century term). In addition to insuring that a young girl’s back would be straight; corsets and stays provided support to the torso when carrying heavy things such as children, milk buckets, cast iron cooking pots, firewood, etc. They also created the desired silhouette for the time period. Girls started wearing corsets when quite young. The stays pictured here date from the 18th century. They are for a toddler and are stiffened with cardboard rather than whalebone or metal.

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Details

Item typeClothing
Date1760–1790
TopicClothing, Textile, Fashion, Costume
Family, Children, Marriage, Courtship
EraColonial settlement, 1620–1762
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
The New Nation, 1784–1815
MaterialCloth; Paper
Dimension detailsCenter front length: 5″; Center back length: 6.75″; Bust: 17″; Waist: 18.25″ Height: 6.75 in Width: 8.75 in
Catalog #1880.015.02
View this item in our curatorial database →
Child’s stays. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1880-015-02/. Accessed on December 9, 2024.

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