{"id":2810,"date":"2026-01-05T19:02:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianregency.com\/blog\/?p=2810"},"modified":"2026-01-05T19:02:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T19:02:08","slug":"corsets-putting-a-rakes-knowledge-to-good-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/05\/corsets-putting-a-rakes-knowledge-to-good-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Corsets: Putting a Rake’s Knowledge to Good Use"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vanessa here,<\/p>

\"Fire<\/a><\/div>\n

To celebrate the release of\u00a0Madeline\u2019s Protector<\/em>, we\u2019re running a special contest. Starting today through next Friday, May 3, we\u2019ll feature thought-provoking questions at the end of each post. To enter the contest, you\u2019ll need to supply a thoughtful answer to the question. The grand prize winner at the end of the week will\u00a0receive\u00a0a brand new Nook.<\/p>\n

But the contest doesn\u2019t stop there. Each day a new post goes up (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) we\u2019ll be giving away mini-prizes for that day only. Here\u2019s a list of the prizes:<\/p>\n

Fri, April 26\u2014$10 starbuck\u2019s gift card\u00a0 – Nancy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<\/p>\n

Mon, April 29\u2013$itune card<\/p>\n

Wed, May 1\u2013$10 Amazon Gift certificate<\/p>\n

Fri, May 3\u2014A paperback of Madeline\u2019s Protector.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not all. If you want to be eligible for a second chance to win the Nook tablet, you need to refer someone else to Regency Reflections. (Note: if you bring someone on over, make sure the other person\u2019s comment mentions that you referred them).<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t feel comfortable leaving a comment to enter the giveaway, or if you want yet a third chance to enter, you can follow this link and enter the contest once on this site:\u00a0https:\/\/contest.io\/c\/8jhitnpz<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, on with this post.<\/em><\/p>\n

In my debut novel, Madeline’s Protector, my heroine, Madeline St. James, has been shot. She’s drenched to the bone, and the hero, Justain Delveaux, Lord Devonshire, has to stop the bleeding, remove the bullet, and keep her from going into shock.<\/p>\n

Devonshire\u00a0is a complex Regency gentleman. He’s a veteran of the Peninsula War\u00a0and is\u00a0familiar with patching men up, but a woman?<\/p>\n

Luckily, Lord Devonshire is also a\u00a0reforming rake. His acute knowledge of unmentionables helps him save Miss St. James ‘s life without indecent action. (This is a Christian Regency. \ud83d\ude42 )<\/p>\n

Thus, I researched stays. Stays is the English term for the corset during the Regency. Prior to the 18th<\/sup> century, corsets were stiff devices made to support and shape a woman’s body. They were made of silk, silk brocade, linen, or even leather. They were boned throughout with whalebones, making the unmentionables stiff and restricting.<\/p>\n

Here are some pictures of corsets from the 1760 and early 18th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n

\"corset5\"
Picture A.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Picture
Picture B<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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One of the things that struck me about these\u00a0corsets\u00a0were the bright colors of these Pre-Regency pieces. Also, it was not uncommon to find over 150 wale bones inside the corset\u00a0to sculpt the female\u00a0shape. Ouch.<\/p>\n

These units laced in multiple directions. Picture A laces in the front and the back.\u00a0 Picture B laces on both sides under the arms. So trying to unhook these models varied from corset to corset. Thus attempting to loosen one of these to aid a stricken woman’s breathing could be useless or fraught with disaster. We’d hope a gentleman wouldn’t need to grope a woman trying to determine where the laces of the corset were positioned.<\/p>\n

Typically, the corset did not sit against the skin. A chemise of cotton chintz or muslin covered the body sitting underneath the corset. This continued to be the norm during the Regency.<\/p>\n

Between 1785-1800’s, corsets were typically light in color. Boning is used to stiffen, but metal springs are also used to help shape.\u00a0 Fabric choices are quilted silk taffeta,<\/p>\n

\"Picture<\/a>
Picture C<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

linen, and chintz. Hand darned eyelets routed the laces to keep on the corset. These corsets laced in the front and\/or back. (Picture C)<\/p>\n

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By 1804, a new type of corset was created. These were soft without the all over use of whalebone.\u00a0 These corsets were constructed from cotton, cotton sateen, cord quilting, and\/ or cotton satin. The bust could have a drawstring to help provide shaping. It might also use a busk, a long strip of metal or flat bone to stiffen the corset. The following picture show a long rectangular section between the breasts (Picture D). That is the busk.<\/p>\n

\"Picture<\/a>
Picture D<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These corsets used laces in the back (Picture E)\u00a0to close the garment. Sometimes these corsets are called Long Corsets.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the hero during the Regency more often than naught guessed correctly, if he attempted to loosen the corset by finding laces along the heroine’s back.<\/p>\n

A man during the Regency did not have to be a rake or a womanizer to have knowledge of a woman’s undergarments. Having a sister, mother, or a dandy as a brother could provide the needed information. Some dandies\u00a0wore Apollo or Cumberland Corsets. The male corsets bound the stomach and were constructed with whalebone to stiffen.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Picture E<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the more interesting things, I found during my research is that girls also started<\/p>\n

\"Picture<\/a>
Picture F<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

in corsets (Picture\u00a0F)\u00a0at a young age.\u00a0 I suppose if you\u00a0become accustomed\u00a0to something early in life, it is easier to bear.<\/p>\n

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Today’s question: If you lived\u00a0during the Regency and found yourself in a dire circumstance would you:<\/p>\n

A. Do everything possible to save yourself, not caring of any possible ramifications.<\/p>\n

B. Do everything possible, but you would\u00a0worry about potential scandals or compromise.<\/p>\n

C. Risk everything to a point. Your family name and position could not be threatened.<\/p>\n

Please add your comment below. You could be today’s daily post winner. All comments will be entered into our grand prize drawing.\u00a0 For an extra chance to win click here: https:\/\/contest.io\/c\/8jhitnpz<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n

Originally posted 2013-04-29 10:00:00. <\/small><\/p>

\"Listen<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vanessa here, To celebrate the release of\u00a0Madeline\u2019s Protector, we\u2019re running a special contest. Starting today through next Friday, May 3, we\u2019ll feature thought-provoking questions at the end of each post. To enter the contest, you\u2019ll need to supply a thoughtful answer to the question. The grand prize winner at the end of the week will\u00a0receive\u00a0a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t