Whalebone (Baleen) Corsets Dominate European Fashion
Poets involved
What happened
By the mid-seventeenth century, baleen (whalebone) had become the dominant stiffening material for corsets across England, the Netherlands, and France, driving a significant expansion of the whaling industry in the North Atlantic. Corsets of this era were stiff, flat-fronted garments designed to produce an upright, severe silhouette aligned with Puritan and post-Civil War English notions of restraint. The material's flexibility and durability made it ideal for shaping the torso while allowing some movement.
Literary impact
The close link between the whaling industry and women's fashion was later seized upon by poets and satirists as a symbol of the violence concealed within femininity. Andrew Marvell and other metaphysical poets referenced dress and bodily containment in their love poetry. The Restoration period saw an easing of fashion strictures, and poets like John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, wrote directly about women's dress and undress as sites of erotic and social meaning.
Source: Wikipedia
