Fascinating survey of various undergarments worn by the English over six centuries. Well-documented, scholarly presentation enhanced with over 100 period illustrations depicting laced-up bodice of the 12th century, embroidered linen drawers (1500s), hooped petticoat support (c. 1750), footed long drawers (1795), 19th-century bustles, early 19th-century corsets for men, Victorian "bust improvers," much more.
Here's a sample of other books in this Dover category
The Corset and the Crinoline: An Illustrated History by W. B. Lord Profusely illustrated fashion history examines how the use of wood, whalebone, steel, hoops, and tight laces had a gripping influence on shaping the figures of women from ancient Greece to 19th-century Vienna.
Fashion and Women's Attitudes in the Nineteenth Century by C. Willett Cunnington Fascinating account of what "proper" 19th-century Englishwomen wore. Enlivened with extracts from contemporary novels, correspondence from columns in ladies' magazines, fashion descriptions. Collection of period advertisements. 8 black-and-white illustrations.
