Help on dating corset

[LeighA]

Hi. I've recently purchased a corset but struggling to find any information on the piece I was sold it as it being victorian /edwardian but have struggled to find anything similar. The corset is in excellent condition.
Any help would be great fully received

 

[sewingmachinegirl]

Hi LeighA,

Your beautiful corset appears to be late Victorian/early Edwardian to me, but I am sure one of our historical experts will pop in and be able to help you more.
I did however find many books that may be of interest that mention what 'Girton Girl' means.
It seems to refer to Schoolgirls.

This book below has 'Girton Girl' Corsets in the index if you want to do some further detective work.

Health and Girlhood in Britain, 1874-1920
By Hilary Marland

 

[retro ruth]

Girton Girls refers to Girton College, part of Cambridge University in England. It was one of the first female university colleges, and opened in 1873 near Girton village near Cambridge. So Girton Girls are university students, and graduates, rather than schoolgirls (though they weren't even allowed to be given actual degrees at first). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girton_College,_Cambridge

As a term it means something like 'blue stocking' - an educated woman, at a time when that was unusual.

Quite how it goes from that, to being a brand or model name for a corset, I can't quite picture. I would have thought Girton Girls were the types to reject the wearing of restrictive corsets as soon as society allowed.

 

[Pinkcoke]

There's no reference to Girton Girls it in my Symmington corset book. The most similar corset I saw was from c.1910 though it was a washable version with removable bones and buttons rather than hooks, but it was straight across the top and bottom, with a laced back and similar structure. It also had only two tapes at the front, which had clips for stockings on.

Have the tapes been cut on yours Leigh?

I wonder if it was a first proper corset, so a girl graduated to a Girton Girl corset?

 

[retro ruth]

As Girton Girls were associated with female emancipation, I wonder if it was meant to be a less restrictive corset, that allowed more freedom of movement. Like a health corset. That would also fit with the "recommended by eminent phsycians and surgeons." Does it have any elastication?

 

[LeighA]

Thank you everyone for your help, it really has me stumped . There's no elastic in it.
Looking at the tapes closer it may have been cut and stitched up a little at some point. I've added a couple more photos to try and show this.
Thank you again for all your help I really appreciate it