tradicionalart:

Adjustable Duplex Corsets

The corset industry of the Nineteenth Century was highly competitive and advertisers needed to be creative in order to stand out. Any company could offer an ordinary trade card with an image of a pretty woman all trussed up in her gown. To really capture the attention of the corset-buying public, a company had to present an unusual card, something “interactive.”

We already looked at one card which featured a nifty gimmick. Here’s another. When a lady was handed this card, it looked something like this. 

 

Two ladies peer through an unusually high keyhole (one of two, I might add) to spy on a friend (or rival) in the dressing room of a fashion shop. The card reads:

 

The 

Secret 

Out at Last 

Why

Mrs. Brown 

Has Such a 

Perfect 

Figure 

If you lift up the flap, you’ll see WHY Mrs. Brown has such a perfect figure. 

 

It seems she’s using an unfortunately-named Duplex Corset.

(source: stalkingthebelleepoque)

vinceveretts:

Elvis in San Diego, CA. June 6th 1956.

(via vintagegal)

solo-vintage:

Suzy Parker, Vogue 1956