The Whole Truth About Victorian Underwear


The survival of undergarments from the Victorian era is a rarity in that they were invariably handed down to the second hand market and by the time they were again disposed of they were likely to fit only to serve as dusters and floor cloths. Before the Victorian era the basic underwear for women was the shift, a simple garment which hung straight from the shoulders to ankle length. Made in the home, it was worn next to the skin, and was meant to cover up the top of that essential item of female attire, the stay or corset. From very early times, the undergarments of working women were regarded as normal working attire. The dress would be discarded just as the men would remove their jackets to work with their shirt sleeves rolled up. There was no recognised special fastening for women’s clothing. It was held in place with pins and consequently fastening was by no means an exact science.

The main determining feature of fashion today is the breadth and fall of the outer garment. In Victorian times it was the corset and the function of the device was to produce a long narrow waist rather than to enhance the outline of the bosom. The essential element of the corset was a long narrow rigid strip of metal or whalebone which provided rigidity from the bust to the pit of the stomach. The effect of the device was to render it impossible for the wearer to bend. Upper class women removed their corsets in the one circumstance of wearing a tea gown which was a garment worn only in the home environment. Working women could not aspire to corsets. It was believed that the corset could have adverse effects on a woman’s child-bearing potential. The corset was worn over the shift and in this way was protected from grime generated by the body. The materials which made up the corset made it impossible to place whole in the washtub. It was essential therefore to take it apart for washing which meant social isolation until its reassembly.

By mid Victorian times five or six petticoats had to be worn in order to create a fashionable shape and as a result the total burden of clothing could be as much as 20 pounds in weight. The tendency of Victorian ladies to faint is therefore understandable. Unfortunately the consequent fall could be dangerous given the rigidity of the underwear. In this period the crinoline was revived and it was necessary for ladies to take lessons in deportment in order to manage the metal loops beneath the skirts which could spring outwards with the most embarrassing consequences to the wearer. Underneath the dress it was the fashion to wear a separate pocket tied around the waist but it was possible for the pocket to move beneath the outer garment with embarrassing consequences. We may recall the words of the song “Lucy Locket lost her pocket”. In fact, every movement of the wearer had to be quite deliberate to avoid a regular embarrassment.

In respect of knickers it has to be admitted that they were a relatively late addition to female attire. In the culture of the period they were regarded as not quite decent! Gradually the construction of clothing became more flexible. This followed the greater flexibility of children’s clothing. There are many fashionable ladies of today who would recollect wearing their liberty bodices.

Article taken from a talk given to the Charnwood Antiques and Collectors’ Club by Miss J. E. May, a member of the decorative arts department of the Leicester City Museum.