History of Bras
ď ś The history of bras is
inextricably intertwined with the social history of the status of women, including the evolution of fashion and changing views of the female body.
Ancient ď ś Egypt
In ancient Egypt, women were generally bare breasted. The most common items of female attire were the skirt and the sheath dress, - kalasiris, a rectangular piece of cloth that was folded once and sewn down the edge to make a tube.
ď ś India
The first historical reference to bras in India is found during the rule of King Harshavardhana (1st century AD). The halfsleeved tight bodice or kanchuka figures prominently in the literature of the period, especially Basavapurana (1237 AD), which says kanchukas were worn by young girls as well.
ď ś Greece
Their clothing looked somewhat like modern fitted and laced corsets or a corselette. The support device was worn outside other clothing and supported and exposed the breasts, pushing them upwards and making them more visible. The succeeding Mycenaean civilization emphasized the breast, which had a special cultural and religious significance, associating the mature figure with fertility and procreation.
Middle ages In the Middle Ages the breasts were minimized in dresses with straight bodices, full skirts and high necklines, designed primarily for function rather than emphasis on form. Late medieval dresses are fitted precisely and snugly to the body and function as breast support. Depictions of women in 14th- and 15th-century art show a high, rounded breast silhouette on women old and young, fullbusted and small. This look is not possible without support. The 15th-century ideal form was small-breasted and full-figured, symbolizing abundance of fertility.
Renaissance Early corsets of the 16th century consisted of pastestiffened linen and a primitive busk at the front, but later included iron supports at the side and back. The emphasis now was on form, with compression of the breasts forcing them upwards to the point of almost spilling out, so a considerable part of the breast was exposed. The ideal form was a flat torso, which inevitably pushed the breasts upwards and out. The labouring class by contrast wore a simple front-lacing cotte.
The clothing reform movement ď ś In 1893, Marie Tucek received
a U.S. patent for a device that consisted of separate pockets for each breast above a metal supporting plate and shoulder straps fastened by hook-andeye. This invention more closely resembled the modern bra known today, and was a precursor to the underwire bra. Apparently she failed to market it with any success.
The 20 century and the modern era bra th
Henry Lesher Henry S. Lesher of Brooklyn, New York patented a bra-like device in 1859. . ď ś It is convoluted, confusing, and very uncomfortable looking. And it
comes with "ARM PIT SHIELDS"! Because you never know when your armpits might need shielding from the occasional arrow or misdirected rock.
Did Mary give Victoria her secret ? Before Victoria had a secret, Mary had a problem. Nineteen year old Mary Phelps Jacob was attending a ball and the dress she wanted to wear looked awful with a corset underneath. So with the help of her French maid Mary fashioned a bra out of handkerchiefs and ribbon.
Mary filed a patent for her brassiere in 1914 and this is when most bra historians (all 3 of them:) agree as the year the modern bra was introduced to society. Mary ran a small business making 'bras' for mostly friends and family members. Bra Business wasn't for her and in a couple years she sold her patent to Warner Brothers for $1,500.00.