Corset

This corset was designed by Madame Roxey Ann Caplin, a staymaker of Berners Street, London. It is believed to have been shown at the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851, where Caplin was awarded a prize medla of "Manufacturer, Designer and Inventor".

Roxey Ann Caplin and her husband invented and patented many corsets and corset "improvements" between 1838 and 1860. This corset is noticeably light-weight, as the designers reduced the amount of boning and removed the large busk (metal support) from the centre front. Caplin described herself as an inventor rather than a dressmaker.

She also published a book in 1864, titled 'Health and beauty : or, woman and her clothing'. In this book she defended the corset against men who did not understand the comfort, support and protection they provided. But she believed that corsets could be better designed to suit women’s bodies, and that as a woman, she was better qualified to make them.

When this corset entered the London Museum collection in 1937, it was descibed as follows:
"Has the special openers called "Dr Caplin's busks" after the patentee of the process. These stays were exhibited at the Great Exhibition by the firm of Madam Caplin, and the stand won the only bronze medal given for this type of work. The color is merely [...] for exhibition purposes. Nothing but white, grey or black corsets being made for the respectable public. The buttons on the side of the strap are intended for the petticoats and the hook went over the front of the petticoat to prevent it from riding up and bunching around the waist."