Acrylic on 9x12 canvas sheet on Hardbord
Available through DPW gallery/auction
This is my submission to the DPW challenge "Paint your undies." This is not my corset, but I wanted to paint something that was rich with color, style & history. The corset represents all of that for me. A most interesting read on the history of the corset can be found here. One amazing moment in both US history & the history of the corset:
Shortly after the United States' entry into World War I in 1917, the U.S. War Industries Board asked women to stop buying corsets to free up metal for war production. This step liberated some 28,000 tons of metal, enough to build two battleships.
Corsets, on the other hand, were often used to force women's figures into an enhanced hourglass figure. A shape that was deemed to be more appealing. I am quite sure they were NOT comfortable, but were worn as they were expected, for hundreds of years by women who suffered silently. It does make todays women's underwear seem like such simple, little pieces!
2 comments:
They sure were pretty though. I couldn't imagine squeezing my fat self into one of these. Love this one and am reminded of the scene in Gone With the Wind where the maid is pulling on the strings of the corset and Scarlett is holding onto the bed post (if I remember correctly).
Wow, that's a tough subject. Good job!
Post a Comment