Child's Stays

Currently not on view

Child's Stays

c. 1770-1790

Artist/maker unknown, American

This pair of stays is only eighteen inches around, and might have been worn by a small child of eighteen months to two years old. Putting stays on young girls and boys was not seen as harsh, but rather as insurance that their figures would develop the correct form, with chest out and shoulders down. While boys usually wore stays only in early childhood, they were considered essential for females throughout their lives.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Child's Stays

Date:

c. 1770-1790

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, American

Medium:

Linen plain weave, baleen (whalebone), silk braided tape

Dimensions:

Center Front Length: 5 3/4 inches (14.6 cm) Waist: 18 inches (45.7 cm)

Classification:

Costume (including accessories)

Credit Line:

Purchased with the Bloomfield Moore Fund, 1988

Accession Number:

1988-15-1

Geography:

Made in United States, North and Central America

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Currently not on view