This exhibition provides a glimpse into the undergarments that supported the body and created extraordinary silhouettes of the female form during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The antique corsets, undergarments, and intimate clothing in this exhibition are part of the Antique Corset Museum collection at Lace Embrace Atelier.

Curated by corsetiere and historian, Melanie Talkington, from her collection of antique corsets. She is the owner of Lace Embrace Atelier and the Antique Corset Museum. She has assembled the largest private corset collection in the world. Her collection is made up of over 300 antique corsets and underpinnings from the 18th century up to 1970. Melanie has worked with local fashion historians Ivan Sayers and Claus Jahnke, installing underwear exhibits at the Nanaimo Museum and the Museum of Vancouver. She has also worked with the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in the Louvre Palace, loaning and installing 40 pieces from her collection in the Mécaniques des Dessous exhibit. The collection has also travelled to New York and Texas.

This exhibition is now on display in our collections room.

Visit Roedde House Museum to learn more.