Most people have heard that corsets were widespread among women in the 1800s. But did you know that not only adult women have worn corsets?
In the collection of the Bruun family on Børøya in Hadsel, we find a corset, probably made for a child of five or six years. Both boys and girls could wear corsets. In the upper class at the end of the 1700s and the beginning of the 1800s, it was important that children should develop good posture. Physical flaws such as a crooked back or bad posture acceptable in a time when prosperity, power and success were something that were shown outwardly.
Whereas the richest in society today can show up for events in T-shirts and denim jeans in an attempt to make themselves relatable, the exact opposite was true 200 years ago. Wealth and power were to be visible to the outside world, and to act as a guarantee of reliability.
The Bruun family’s children’s corset is made of golden leather. The skin has been through a time-consuming and expensive treatment. You shape the leather into intricate patterns, paint it and decorate it with gold leaf. Up until 1750, golden leather was popular in Europe, and was used by the upper class for upholstery and wallpaper, among other things.
Applying this technique to a piece of clothing for a growing child tells something about the family’s ambitions. Everyone should see that the child dressed in this corset belonged to a truly successful and prosperous family.
But if you look closely, you will discover something else. It looks as if the corset bay have been repurposed. Perhaps the leather originated from the upholstery of a chair or something similar. It shows another side of life, which we could also learn from today. Even such a wealthy family as the Bruun family used up what they had, collected leftovers and repurposed it.
The wealth was to be shown, but nothing useful was to go to waste.