Editor s note: This op-ed is by award-winning journalist TellyHalkias. It first appeared in the Bennington Banner on Feb. 29. No, the Bennington Museum won t be giving Victoria s Secret a runfor its money.
Later this month, however, it will take a peek underthe skirts of historical Bennington s fashionable females when itopens the exhibit "Revealed: A Century of Women sUnderwear." The museum s curator of collections Jamie Franklin said theshow s name, as well as its intimate subject, carry a doubleentendre. "As a museum that has been collecting objects of regionalhistoric interest for 85 years, we have remarkable troves ofmaterial that rarely get seen," Franklin said. "Anexhibition on a topic that rarely gets discussed or seen in publicduring its useful life, but plays such a significant daily role,makes for a perfect subject. The show will reveal that which ishardly ever seen during its life as a functioning garment, but alsogives us an opportunity to reveal an aspect of our collections thatfew people, if any, knew we had." Franklin added there is more to fashion than what one sees on thesurface. So the show will attempt to answer a range of historicalquestions such as: How did Victorian women create the illusion ofsuch impossibly tiny waists? How did they maintain hoop skirts ofsuch epic proportions on the eve of the Civil War? Why are ourwhites white? Victorian images The ideal female body changed repeatedly between 1800 and 1900.
Thestiff figure of the 1700s gave way to the lithe Empire style of theearly 1800s, which transitioned to the wide-bottomed Civil Warfigure, to the wasp waists of the early 1900s, to the slim youthfulideal of the 1920s. Exhibit curator Callie Stewart, the museum s collections manager,said the natural female body has remained the same over thecenturies, but undergarments made these changes in fashionpossible. "Corsets cinched in the waist, which was further accentuatedby a large skirt held out by multiple petticoats," Stewartsaid. "Corsets and stays were well known for their ability tothrust up or keep down alluring breasts. Whether the breasts wereup or down depends on the decade." Stewart said "Revealed" will deal primarily with theVictorian period, and one of the things she d like to do ischallenge people s view of that time.
"Yes, they were prudish, and all of those layers of underwearwere not necessarily meant to be comfortable, but there is so muchmore going on here," Stewart said. "The corset isholding the body stiff and proper. It s emphasizing femininecurves and creating an intentionally sexy silhouette. The Wonderbrahas nothing on some of these pieces. Petticoats might hide theshape of a woman s legs, but the detailed embroidery and lace onthe bottom suggests that someone was meant to see them, if onlyfleetingly." Underwear served other important functions.
At a time when doinglaundry was backbreaking, and bathing infrequent, a chemise, orshift, protected expensive dresses from body odor and sweat.Underwear was plain white cotton or linen, which could be bleachedto remove stains. Unlike the dress, the chemise was changed everyday, giving some semblance of freshness to its owner. Local flair During the 19th century, clothing manufacturing shifted from hometo factory, and is reflected in the era s underwear. In 1800,shifts and stays were either made at home or by specializedartisans. By 1900 corsets and union suits were manufactured inmills.
According to Stewart, underwear companies in Bennington includedH.E. Bradford, EZ Mills, Cooper Manufacturing Co., George Rockwood& Co., and others. Unlike other New England mill towns thatmade woven cloth, many of Bennington s mills specialized in knitunderwear. It was no coincidence that Charles Cooper s machineworks on East Main Street manufactured the knitting machines andneedles used in the town s factories. "The manufacture of underwear in Bennington can also belooked at as a microcosm of the textile industry in the U.S.
as awhole," Stewart said. "In the 1700s most clothing washomemade, often using locally produced cloth. By 1900 almosteveryone bought some of their clothing ready made. The textilemills in Bennington sold their knit union suits and undershirts allover the country.
The H.E. Bradford Co. was around for over 100years." The Industrial Revolution found Bennington s growing middle classwith disposable income for the first time. No longer forced to workin the fields, the Victorian woman was the guardian of the home andfamily s moral compass. Restrictive clothing hindered physicality,visually asserting her status as a symbolic and decorative figure.Corsets, bustles and hoop skirts weren t comfortable, but ease wassecondary to her respectability.
Logistics, logistics Stewart, who holds a graduate degree in museum studies from GeorgeWashington University, landed the Bennington Museum job in 2005,right out of school. As collections manager, she is theinstitution s historical logistician, and she has been lauded forher complete inventory and cataloging of the museum s collection.This is her first solo curated show, complete with problem solving. "Clothing is made to fit a human form, and it can bedifficult trying to make it look good on a stiff mannequin,"Stewart said. "The corsets are particularly problematic sincethey are designed to mold the human body by moving the flesharound. To make them look correct, I had to use our smallest dressforms for the slim waist, and then stuff the bust and hips to givethem the correct shape.
The material is old and sometimes fragile,so I don t dare put as much pressure on them as they wereoriginally designed for." Stewart said another interesting challenge has been trying to keepthe exhibit from being dull and academic without letting it getindecent. She said it was easy to get carried away with risquepuns, but then had to strike an appropriate balance forpropriety s sake. In all, Stewart is eagerly anticipating the debut of"Revealed." "I m happy to talk about historic underwear all daylong," she said. "It s not just about grannypanties!" "Revealed: A Century of Women s Underwear" opens March17 at the Bennington Museum and runs through May 15.
For moreinformation, call 802-447-1571 or visit benningtonmuseum.org. I am Apparel writer, reports some information about glass foil beads , my strongest suit.
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