Corset
PeriodCirca 1884
Place MadePossibly New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date1875-1880
MediumHot pink satin, white silk embroidery floss, white cotton, steel hardware.
Dimensions12 in. (30.5 cm)
ClassificationsCostume, Women's
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Frank J. Valentine
Object numberT1976.76
DescriptionWoman's corset, typical hourglass figure with spoonbill busk front of the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Of hot pink satin, heavily boned, with steel spoonbill busk at the front. Rear lacing closure; front closure of steel tab closures. Decorative crow's foot embroidery in white silk floss at front and back, top and bottom. Contrasting white boning seams. Top of corset trimmed with off-white net lace.Curatorial RemarksJennie Selleck Brown's hot pink silk satin corset may well have been part of her wedding trousseau. The corset includes the wildly popular "spoon bill" front busk. Made of lightweight thin steel, the two-part busk easily fastened in the front. This distinctive format, with the noticeable curve along the stomach area, was introduced in 1873. Corsets (and in the 18th century, "stays") were a typical part of most women's wardrobes. And although many corset styles included front fastenings or lacings, the introduction of the spoonbill busk made fastening one's own corset even easier. Combined with the availability of new colors and machine embroidery techniques, cutting down on extensive hand labor, corsets became newly popular and more affordable towards the end of the 19th century. Jennie's corset includes elegant detailing, including boldly contrasting "flossing" or embroidery along the top and bottom portions of the garment, as well as delicate lace edging along the top. The eyelets along the back of the corset are placed to allow for an hourglass or crosslacing arrangement, making the adjustment and tightening of the corset easy to do by the wearer.NotesThis lovely hot pink silk corset was owned and worn by Matawan resident Jeannette Selleck Brown. "Jennie" was born on 14 September 1856 in New York. Her father, Sands Selleck (1831 - 1887) moved the family to Keyport when Jeannette was only a year old. Jeannette married Benjamin Franklin Brown on 29 June 1884 in New York. Brown was a reporter for the New York Tribune. In 1890, the family moved to Matawan after Brown purchased The Matawan Journal, running it as owner and editor. It is probable that Jennie Selleck purchased this garment as part of her wedding trousseau. Jennie Selleck Brown had seven children: Josephine "Jeannie" Mabel Brown (1885 - 1980), Charles Bradford Brown (1887 - 1939), Hubert Franklin Brown (1889 - 1948), Cornelius Merrill Brown (1892 - 1956), Mildred Josephine (1894 - 1980), Geraldine Van Mater Brown (1897 - 1986), and Bernice Wymond Brown (1901 - 1977). Oldest child Josephine (who preferred her middle name, Mabel) joined her father in the publishing business after graduating from college in 1904. Jennie Selleck Brown's obituary, published in The Matwan Journal, noted that "she was a lover of flowers and work among them all her life."
Collections
ProvenanceJeannette Selleck Brown (1856 - 1932) to her son Charles Bradford Brown (1887 - 1939) to his daughter Vivian Lois Brown Valentine (1914 - 2002)
