The Victorian Wasp-Waist

The Victorian ideal of female beauty was characterised in an 1871 issue of Le Follet as ‘Height, five feet and so many inches; age, five-and-twenty, more or less; figure, slight and undulating.’[1] This standard to which nineteenth century women aspired was extremely narrow-waisted. According to one pattern for a bodice, an ‘ordinary figure’ will fit…

Past in Perspective

Wasp Waist Mannequin, Germany, ca. 1901

Wasp Waists: The Ultimate Thin – The Pragmatic Costumer

Eat, Drink, and be Married! — Iconic Wedding Gowns #1: Lady Diana Spencer to

Victorian Underbust

Wasp waist was the ideal of beauty around 1890. In many cases, outside help was needed to put the garment on, until the woman almost lost her breath. This probably explains the

Antique Victorian Wasp Waist Mannequin. Bustle Back Paper Mache W/ Wood Stand, Black Silk Covered Top, Brown Batiste Hips. Rare Antique.

Eat, Drink, and be Married! — Iconic Wedding Gowns #1: Lady Diana Spencer to

Victorian portrait of an unknown fashionable young woman wearing a wasp waisted dress with leg of mutton sleeves. Dates to c1896. Photo by John Tom Drinkwater Butt (died 1929 Stock Photo - Alamy