Reader “M”, who submitted a question earlier asking about bust-compressing corsets, sends along some additional information and photos.

First, on the information front, “M” describes a corset specifically for compressing the upper torso:

I found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redresseur_corset
and also http://haabet.dk/patent/Lung_Expander.html

a special type of corset, the redresseur corset, also known as the training corset, mainly for children still in puberty. The special shoulderstraps are supposed to lower the ribs in the shoulders.
It seems to be rarely remade though, the closest I found are 18th century corsets with shoulderstraps.

Here are a few photos of “M” in his corsets (and one with the corset just removed):

It’s always interesting to peer back into history and get a feel for what the hot topics were. (Imagine what we might see if they had Google’s zeitgeist in the early 1900s.)

Here is a short article from The Guardian from 1902 that talks a bit about male corsetry:

Should corsets be taxed? And other issues
19 February 1902

The Guardian, Thursday 19 February 2009

Article history
A question as exciting as any of the silly season flared in prominent type in the Strand yesterday. The question, related to the coming Budget, was, “Should corsets be taxed?” If there is really a demand for a certain corset, “a great favourite with military gentlemen”, advertised in a window near the Garrick Theatre, showing a waspish waist on a figure surmounted by a fierce moustache, the proposed tax would seem to affect both sexes [and probably be connected with] the desire of someone to sell corsets.

The statement made yesterday [for] the new Town Council of Pretoria that the city will in the future, as in the past, be the capital of the Transvaal, marks the end of a controversy between Mr. Chamberlain and Lord Milner. Lord Milner has, as all the world knows, established himself at Johannesburg, which he prefers to Pretoria. Lord Milner has predicted for Johannesburg a population of no less than five millions.

Mr. Chamberlain, probably not regarding Lord Milner as the permanent and inevitable ruler of South Africa, is rumoured to have taken the more statesmanlike view that the fine government buildings at Pretoria ought to be utilised, not the new international mushroom town in which the capitalists are congregated. If the Chairman of the Pretoria Town Council is correctly informed, Mr. Chamberlain has carried his point.

The Kate Greenaway Memorial Committee has decided that a child’s cot be endowed in Miss Greenaway’s name at Great Ormond Street hospital.

In his lecture on “The Town Child”, Mr. Reginald Bray dealt with the family life of the masses. Mr. Bray has gained the right to speak with authority on this subject by living in a tenement house in South London, and keeping the objects of his studies under close personal observation.

He argued that family life was one of the basic conceptions of social studies. The system of cottage dwellings he showed to be far more acceptable and advantageous than that of block buildings, in which all the evils of overcrowding were intensified.

Analysing the effects of family life upon the child, he told us that the mother proceeds on the following educational lines. [Conventional morality] causes her to disapprove of drunkenness and vice, but rarely to regard truthfulness as of great value. [Her utilitarian morality] is directed to discouraging troublesome or noisy tendencies on the part of the children.

Since we in the USA are in the midst of some intense campaigning for the Presidency, I thought the following historical note was appropriate:

In the 1836 race for US President, in which Martin Van Buren was running for re-election, he was accused by none other than Davy Crockett of wearing corsets. Said Crockett, “He is laced up in corsets, such as women in a town wear, and, if possible, tighter than the best of them. It would be difficult to say, from his personal appearance, whether he was a man or woman, but for his large red and gray whiskers.”

There is an excellent thread on male corsetry on the CorsetHeaven forum site:

http://www.corsetheaven.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=62

In particular, look at the most recent posts – you’ll find great pictures of men in corsets, as well as an interesting discussion of practical issues for men who want to wear corsets.

Wow…it’s been such a long time since I posted last. Apologies for the absence. I’ll get back on the ball and post the photos that people have sent me, as well as those that I’ve collected in the past few weeks. Here is a somewhat-funny photo to get us started. This clearly isn’t tightlacing…

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anytimesoon/117835247/

Here are two photos that reader PR sent in. I particularly like the latter photo. In general I prefer black-and-white photography. But, in addition, I like the “old-time” look.