During the 1860s, large circular crinoline skirts shifted into a new shape, flat at the front and flared at the back. The flared fabric gradually gathered up below the back waist. This look would become one of the most iconic 19th century silhouettes—the bustle.
The bustle is actually the physical support beneath the fabric used to create the shape. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary it is “a pad or framework expanding and supporting the fullness and drapery of the back of a woman’s skirt or dress.” The underpinnings which created the silhouette are the subject of this vignette and offer the opportunity to highlight interesting bustle gown varieties from the clothing collection.
The bustle era includes three periods. The earliest, circa 1869–1876, and the final bustle period, circa 1881–1889, are the best-known representations. An intervening period, circa 1876–1881, known as the cuirasse style is strikingly illustrated by Hannah P. Adams’ embroidered wool dress (pictured at right), which served as Northern Threads Part I's signature garment. Smaller bustles carried into the 1890s, but by the turn of the century, the fashion lost its appeal among women.
This bustle silhouette vignette is part of Northern Threads: Two centuries of dress at Maine Historical Society, a two-part exhibition at MHS in 2022. See the bustle silhouette portion, or the full exhibit online by using the links below.
