June 21, 2023, 2:27 p.m past verb
An archaeological find found in Austria raised questions about the clothing habits of our ancestors. Men wore shirts and knee-length underpants similar to the shorts of the day, and women similarly wore shirts, but no pants. That’s all we know about medieval undergarments, but after a discovery in East Tyrol we now have more knowledge about what women wore under their outer clothing in the Middle Ages.
Francesco Hayes: Reclining Odalisque (1839)
The lewd bastards
Lengberg Castle was first mentioned in 1190, and was converted into a luxurious palace in the 15th century with the addition of a second floor. In July 2008, during an extensive renovation, a cavity was found under the floor of one of the rooms on the upper floor, filled with waste, which was still present during construction in the 15th century. Owing to the dryness prevailing in the bore, the organic part of the litter, especially the processed woods, hides, and various textiles, remained in exceptionally good condition.
Longline bra
And four pieces of fabric reminiscent of modern bras. The decisive criterion is the presence of distinct baskets, whereas the ancient Greek and Roman breastplate were simple strips of leather or linen, which, when wrapped around the body, serve to flatten it rather than accentuate it.
There are written sources from the Middle Ages that mention the preservation of women’s breasts, but they are all rather vague. Henri de Mondeville, IV. (Szép) King Philip of France and his successor, court surgeon Louis X, were born between 1312 and 1320 for surgeryHe wrote: “Some women […] They put two bags in their clothes, tightly adjusted to the size of their breasts, and then stuff them inside each morning [a mellüket] And with a suitable belt, if possible, fastened.
These “purses” served the same purpose as the breast belts of old – to hold large breasts. On the other hand, the “shirts with sacks in which they put their breasts”, which Conrad Stoll complained about in his chronicle of 1480 explaining the history of Thuringia and Erfurt, supposedly had the opposite effect, with Conrad ending his description with “utterly insolent”.
An anonymous 15th-century South German author clearly noted the emphasis on breasts in his satirical poem: “Several women make breastplates and scatter the streets with them so that every young man who looks at them may see their beautiful breasts; but for those who have very large breasts, it He makes tight wallets so that there are no rumors about big breasts in the city. As you can see, medieval suspenders worked both ways.
Two of the “bras” found at Lengberg Castle appear to be “braless shirts”. Unfortunately, there is only one basket left for both of them, but a part of the material used to cover the cleft above the two baskets seems to belong to them also; It can therefore be best described as a combination of a camisole that ends just below the breasts and a push-up bra.
A cartoon depicting a reversal of gender roles: a woman forces her husband to do the laundry
The third is closer to the modern bra, and it is possible that this is what the anonymous German author called a “tuttenseck”, meaning “bra”. It has two broad shoulder straps, and the jagged edges of the baskets suggest a back girth. The shoulder straps are sewn with lace, and the lower edge of the bags is decorated with frills and lace. The fourth “bra” is very similar to modern longline models, which were popular in the 50s of the last century, but have not gone out of fashion today. In this example, both baskets were sewn together from two pieces of cloth, and the cloth tying them together reached the bottom of the rib basket, with six eyelets on the side, which could be used to pull it tight. We also find narrow shoulder straps and lace adorning the neckline.
Two of the bras have been radiocarbon dated at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and date from the end of the 14th century to the second half of the 15th century.
There is no evidence that all medieval women wore “breasts” – but some certainly did. While it may have been socially acceptable to use it to tighten the breasts, breast enhancement was generally frowned upon, as evidenced by the complaints and sarcastic comments surrounding it.
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