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 It is useless in this analysis to touch more than in the briefest man­ner possible upon the corset of his­tory. Recent writers upon the sub­ject have dug it from the tombs of antiquity and drawn it from the legends of mythology and brought it down through the ages in all its variations, including the iron corset in­vented by the infamous Catherine, shown in illustration 2, and while interesting, these facts are not essen­tial to this discussion. Only the cor­set as it exists in the memory of those still living need be considered in pointing out the methods for improv­ing that of the present day. Medical annals for scores of years are bountifully supplied with writings and illustrations concerning the physiological evil of tight lacing&mdash;the fundamental crime of the corset&mdash;which seemed to reach the limit of possibility be­tween forty and fifty years ago, and continued with little varia­tion for over thirty years. The waists of the fashionable women of England from 1860 to 1870 were often of such small di­mensions that they were easily spanned by the two hands, while France boasted of "finishing schools" for young ladies where the pupils were graduated with eleven-inch waists. Little girls of seven were laced into corsets as tightly as two grown persons could pull the strings and these corsets were worn day and night. In 1893-4 there was sold in this country the corset shown in illustration 3, as "the corset which produced the ideal feminine form." The advertisement accompanying this illustration reads: "This shape is, so to speak, classical, for it will always be the greatest favorite among fashionable women.

Distinctive qualities: Well studied, plastic form, Extreme softness of wearing, Unlimited Durability."