1821 Busk
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1821 A corset busk made of whalebone
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The top of the busk
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Detail of the carving
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Detail of the carving
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Detail of the carving
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Detail of the carving
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The lower end of the busk
Description
The busk has been carved out of whalebone or baleen.
It is 13¾" long, with rounded ends, ¾" wide at the very top widening to 1½" at the lower end. It is slightly concave down its length and the lower end is shaped to curve in over the abdomen.
The front is covered with images scratched into the surface; some of them are hard to make out and the surface towards the top is cracking and breaking up.
An anchor is at the very top, and below that are four detailed images of saling ships. The next section has a heart with an arrow pointing to it and some sort of shield shape, and below that is a man standing next to another anchor. The date '1821' is in a pointed oval at the lower end with 'September 18 or possibly 28' above it, and at the very end are initials I or possibly J and a letter which could be B. This busk was probably a love token and maybe from a sailor..
The back is completely plain.
This would have been worn with a corset which had a busk pocket in the front; it could be slotted in and out, and it kept the centre front of the corset rigid. The first known mention of baleen busks is in the wardrobe accounts of Elizabeth I in the 1580s. Busks were also often made of wood.