He eased her up and unfastened the back of her dress. She knew she should stop him, but she did not, though the last tatters of her modesty had her clutching her dress to her breasts at the front. His hand spread hot against her back where it was exposed above her stays. He lifted her, casually dislodging her grip on her bodice so her dress fell away. When he set her on her feet, she was standing in her shift and stays, [pantalettes, petticoat and cage] and tried to conceal herself. She blushed and laughed shakily. “If I’d known, I’d have worn my best underwear.” He traced the simple cotton-over-bone of her stays. He deftly unknotted the laces and pulled the strings loose so her stays, too, fell to the carpet…. His hands cherished her liberated torso over the plain cotton of her shift…. Well, you get the picture. (Edited excerpt from Tempting Fortune by Jo Beverely, 1995.)

Something all readers of Victorian era romance novels know is that women’s underwear in the 19^th century was extremely complicated. In these saucy period reads, the dispensing of underwear was fraught with anticipation, longing, and lust, resulting, finally, in a very large pile of clothing. Getting it back on was no easy matter, either. With almost 6 different types of undergarments making up the 3 layers of cotton, silk, bone and steel that she wore each day even before donning her dress, the 19^th Century woman was better fortified than any of the Union or Confederate soldiers going to war at that time. In fact, a woman in the 1850s and 1860s wore at least 10 yards of fabric UNDER her clothes.

Each of these undergarments had a specific purpose, but together, they had the practical effect of providing a clean layer of fabric underneath elaborate clothing that was never washed but was brushed clean instead. As Robert DeValcourt mentioned in his 1855 book, The Illustrated Manners Book, “It is suitable for the protection of cleanliness and delicacy of the skin, that the whole person should be covered with linen or cotton.”

While it may be hard for us to imagine what all of these latter day unmentionables looked like and how they worked together to create the perfect hourglass shape, the “Exhibit of Mid-19^th Century Women’s Underwear” at the Merchant’s House Museum displays all of these various components of a women’s foundation in an ideal setting – an authentic 19^th century merchant’s house. Even better, the underwear is displayed in the bedroom of the real mistress of the house, Elizabeth Treadwell. In this very personal setting we can almost see Elizabeth Treadwell getting dressed with the help of her maid.

First to be put on would have been the pantalettes or drawers, which were actually two cotton pant legs sewn together at the waist, leaving them split down the middle. While this split was obviously for ease of personal hygiene, it prominently features in romance novels as well, usually when the heroine is being hurriedly seduced in the library. The pantalettes on display at the Merchant’s House have a lovely hand sewn ruffled leg that close just below the knee with a button.

Next would come the chemise, which looks very much like a modern day cotton nightgown with delicate pin tucks and lace. In romance novels, the chemise was the last layer between the “innocent” and the “Rake” and the cause of much heat for one party and consternation for the other. Over the chemise would go the corset. With whalebone inserts along the sides to create an hourglass figure and metal fasteners in the front, the corset (or stays, as they were sometimes called) was laced from the back. The Rake in all romance novels knows his way around a corset and with deft fingers, is able to relieve his paramour of this nuisance faster than a lady’s maid. Of course, getting into the corset was harder than getting out. Who can forget the scene in Gone With the Wind of Mammy lacing up Scarlett’s stays to give her a 22-inch waist. The corset also served as a bra with supportive, up-lifting demi-cups. More modest women of the day would add a cover of netting over the corset, especially when wearing lightweight summer dresses.

The ideal figure of the mid 19^th century required a small waist offset by a large skirt. To achieve this affect, women wore a cage crinoline or a hoop made of steel and cotton to widen their skirts. A petticoat was slipped over the cage and tied. The petticoat on display at the Merchant’s House Museum features a lovely pleated bottom with gathers on the top. Underneath all of this, the women wore silk stockings, not the type of silk we may think of today, but of a very heavy weave, held up by tied garters. Of course, the Rake would roll these down, slowly, one by one, while he kissed his way up the Innocent’s leg. Maybe these Victorians were on to something after all.

The Mid-19^th Century Underwear Exhibit runs until September 19 at the Merchant’s House Museum. Built in 1832 in the fashionable Bond Street just steps from Washington Square, this elegant row house was home to a prosperous merchant family for 100 years. Complete with the family’s original furnishings and personal possessions, the Merchant’s House offers a rare and intimate glimpse of domestic life during 19^th century New York.

The Merchant’s House Museum is located at 29 East Fourth Street.  Visit www.merchantshouse.com for more information.