Semester of Graduation
Summer 2026
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Textiles, Apparel Design, and Merchandising
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Making historical garments can lead researchers to uncover inexplicit knowledge; however, only recently have material culture historians considered making as a historical practice. In 2019, Davidson championed embodied knowledge, or the tacit knowledge of a maker, and the idea of experiential history, or physically making as historical practice, within dress history studies (p. 330). This thesis examines the process of making historical corsetry as a method for dress history research by exploring the use of experiential history in material culture analysis. The author synthesizes their documented embodied experiences through using thematic analysis. The purpose of this research is to recreate historical corsets from five periods (Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Romantic, and Edwardian) while investigating the making process, balancing perceived authenticity in a modern context, and determining the role of embodied knowledge in the reproduction of historical corsetry. A secondary goal was to examine how the five historical corsets fit on a contemporary body.
The theoretical framework for this research included Strauss’ (2001) Authenticity Continuum and Davidson’s (2019) theory of embodied knowledge. Strauss’ (2001) work provides a foundation to base decisions upon as the author made the corsets, while Davidson’s (2019) theory of embodied knowledge contextualizes the author’s experiential learning. Material culture methods posited by Prown (1982) and Mida and Kim (2015) inform the research and making process. The author builds upon these works to propose a method for using experiential history in dress historical practice. The author analyzed autoethnographic data using thematic analysis, a qualitative approach to organizing themes in data (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Themes that emerged from the data included experiential learning, negotiating authenticity, access to source material, and fit. This research supported the utility of Davidson’s (2019) concept of experiential history by providing insights into the experiences of women of the past through garment recreation. The side-by-side comparisons of historical corsetry, range-of-movement models, and documented embodied learning fills significant gaps in dress-history literature. The paper expands upon existing literature by providing insights into both the women who wore corsets and the individuals who made them.
Date
5-27-2026
Recommended Citation
Bankhead, Katherine, "FUNTION OF FORM: NEGOTIATING AUTHENTICITY AND MATERIAL CULTURE METHODS IN HISTORICAL CORSET RECREATIONS" (2026). LSU Master's Theses. 6395.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/6395
Committee Chair
Casey Stannard
LSU Acknowledgement
1
LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment
1
Included in
Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Art Practice Commons, Cultural History Commons, European History Commons, Fashion Design Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, History of Gender Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Museum Studies Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Other History Commons, Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Theatre and Performance Studies Commons, Women's History Commons, Women's Studies Commons