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William Hogarth: The Graham Children 1742

Valerie Steele: The Corset, p23

Baby in swaddling clothes

Cunnington P30
Merstham Church, Surrey

In the past it was fairly generally believed that young children's bodies needed support to ensure that they developed properly, and in mediaeval times it was common for babies to be wrapped in swaddling clothes. These effectively formed a straight-jacket, as shown in the illustration on the left, which is taken from a late 16th century brass. In parts of Eastern Europe this custom persisted into the 19th century, and even today Australian mothers are sometimes advised to wrap their babies hands inside their rugs so they cannot move them.

However it is difficult to imagine how a baby constrained in this manner could have grown into a healthy child.

The idea that children were a separate group, and not just miniature adults, is relatively recent. In the past children were usually dressed in miniature versions of the current adult fashions, as shown in the painting shown on the right. This fascinating painting, by William Hogarth, is remarkable for the severe straight stays all the girls are wearing, including the baby, even though she appears to be about two.

Elizabeth Ewing (speaking of the middle of the 18th century) wrote:

The bodices of dresses worn with these adventurous skirts were, by contrast, tight and rigid. They were usually long waisted, coming down to a point in front, and under them stiff, heavily boned stays were worn throughout this century. Fashionable men were addicted to these as well as women, and girls also wore them continually from a very early age.(Elizabeth Ewing: Fashion in Underwear p39).

Valerie Steele states:

'By the 17th century, girls as young as two years wore miniature corsets to support the body and "prevent deformities of the skeleton," as well as to "procure an agreeable waist and a well-positioned bust"'.

She also quotes a Mme de Sévigné (May 16, 1676):

"One must put them in small stays which are a little stiff if you want to keep the waist under control". 'Little boys were also put into stays, at least until they were breeched at about six.' (Valerie Steele: The Corset; a Cultural History p12)

 

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