Atheists & Agnostics

When Fay Dunaway seduces Simon Ward...she's sitting on the bed in her corset and bumroll...

The corsets of the period have a "busk"...which is a wide rigid piece of wood or bone that slips in a pocket at the center front of the corset to keep it flat and rigid. (Raquel Welch wouldn't have one.... so her costumes are by someone else, sans busk)

Anyway, the Duke slides Milady's busk out of her coast and tosses it over his shoulder.


Love it!.



(Uh oh....costume history 101)
Busks could get very elaborate....carved with filigree out of ivory and stuff like that. Later, in the 1700's, they became narrower and guys would carve them out of boxwood with hearts and the initials of their girlfriend and give them as intimate gifts.

I should find a pic.... Here are some scrimshaw ones:



(I didn't know Skinner collected obscure period intimate apparel!)

Here's a later wooden one with hearts and initials