Historical inspiration for bust support

Here's a place to look at historical methods of bust support.  Including modern adaptations of historical garb.

Most of my research has been England and Western Europe, but people everywhere had variations in their cup size.  I wonder what they used for support.

Basically, I'm just dumping some stuff I found about stays, jumps, corsets, and other supportive garb with the hopes of starting a discussion and so I can find the info again all in one place.  

kirtle pattern into a bra, with mixed results.

Historybounding while busty is a challenge, so I adapted a medieval bra design for modern wear. That's right, historical bust support isn't just corsets and stays. Before the boned support garments there came something that looks a lot like the longline bras worn in the mid-20th century, if you just add a skirt: The Lengberg Castle "brassiere," a textile find from Austria.

Medieval Underwear


The Lengberg Bra is an article of underwear from the 15th century, made of linen, with two separate breast cups and attached skirts.


Join me on my quest to recreate the 15th century Lengberg Bra using medieval sewing techniques.

Part 1 is dedicated to figuring out the mock up, and there were plenty of things to learn, believe me.
Apologies for the quality of lighting in some clips. I'm far from being a videographer, and have much to learn in the future.

Tell you what, this thing might be better than a modern sports bra!  Medieval supportive undergarments are a new endeavor for me and I couldn't be happier with how it's going.  It's all thanks to:

Here is my process of making a Medieval or Renaissance inspired bra!

Medieval underwear is a little...passion of mine, one could say. As it goes, I am one of those people who needs the support to manage all the things I do at events, and modern bras just don't get the right silhouette. I hope this helps any of you join the 14th/15th century boob support squad! It's sometimes a cult, with how much those of us researching it like to talk about it.

Materials:
4.7oz Linen from Dharma Trading Co
Silk thread from DeVere Yarns
Linen thread from Burnley and Trowbridge
Linen tape from Burnley and Trowbridge

Further Reading on the Subject:
Bras in the 15th Century? A Preliminary Report. In: Johanna Banck-Burgess and Carla Nübold (Eds.) , The North European Symposium for Archaeological Textiles XI. (Rahden/Westf. 2013 ) p. 221-225.
Really, Nutz seems to be the only one publishing papers on the subject, I'd binge her academia.edu page if I were you
Balade sur Les Femmes Qui Troussent Leur Tetins by Eustache Deschamps
La Chirgurie by Henri de Mondeville

In this fast paced world we now live in, it almost seems like ancient history when "Xena: Warrior Princess" ruled the channel listings.  My wife became a fan during the deep dark winter evenings and even followed on one of the news-groups for the show.  The piece of clothing on that show covering Gabrielle's bust became known on the newsgroup as the "bilious green sports bra".....even becoming abbreviated as BGSB.  Perhaps the commentary on the newsgroup prompted the shows creators in later episodes to 'change it up a bit' with regard to Gabby's apparel,......and she later could be seen sporting numerous other support options.

:-)

I actually enjoy wearing a corset, I just need to repair mine.  I'm large busted and have back issues and a properly fitting overbust corset works great for both.  Especially for the homesteader or just hard worker lol up the pretty housemaid.  It used mostly cording and strategic stitching for the support.  They can get pricey though as they're custom made.  

For a half length corset look to the regency era.  I love the following channels on YouTube for this:
Bernadette Banner
Morgan Donner
Abby Cox
Nicole Rudolph
Lucy's Corsetry
Elin Abrahamsson
Orchard Corset

Very nice clips!! Like the sewing tips n details of fitting n making the patterns as well as clothing. Then the historical insights are a whole other treasure trove! This is great stuff for many reasons. Thanks for posting!

Just thought I'd update a little for myself.  I officially have a very nice corset that I'm still in the breaking in stages (there's a process of wearing longer each day and tightening it down a little more each time over the course of 2 weeks).  So far I'm still learning how to bend gracefully in it but when sewing for hours to finish a baby quilt as well as working in a seated position for long periods it's very comfortable and is helping with my sore lower back issues.  I'm not going to be wearing this satin one while working in the woods any time soon but one made of cotton duck or canvas will very soon be bought or planned.  I also have plans for making some of the more medieval styles of breast support as well as a corset using mostly cording instead of lots of boning.
I got my corset ready-made from Orchard Corset and so far it's a 5-star.