Let me loosen those laces for you, m'lady...

On Tuesdays, I volunteer with the Ladies. This is a small group of women who meet once a week and happily spend about two hours working with the historic costume collection.

Over the years, these ladies have accessioned materials, moved costumes and shoes and hats and boots and undergarments from old boxes into shiny, new, archival boxes (lined with archival tissue paper), and set up displays.

Here is my current favorite:
It is a mid-nineteenth century corset, with metal boning. I have a reproduction mid-nineteenth century corset at home from my American Civil War reenacting days, and it is surprisingly similar to this one. However, mine does not have a busk, it has hooks and eyes that keep me in.