The Fashionable Bustle 1870s and 1880s

The first appearance of the bustle was in the late 1860s to early 1870s. This bustle was small compared with later ones worn with a stiffened waist band tied at the front with ribbons and made with horse hair and whale bones. Its task was to add fullness to the back of the skirt and it was worn initially with the crinoline. The fashion had ended by the late 1870's. This young lady was photographed in the early 1870s by William Brown, 123 Southgate Street, Gloucester, England. Her skirt and bodice are edged with frills and fringing (lace) and her clothes generally have a soft, loose, look. She's wearing a small bustle.

These three ladies of the 1880s are typical of the period, many wore dark colours or black, but not everyone as can be seen by the checks and stripes here. The bodice is worn tightly fitting, in contrast to the full high bustle at the back of the skirt. The bustle was revived sometime after 1881 and was high fashion by 1884 and disappeared again in the early 1890s. The ladies are from Bristol, London and Penzance		A White cotton bustle from 1884 with additional cage adjusted by lacings.

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