Historical development of the girdle as a clothing accessory. We hope you enjoy this selction of free spanking stories from the pages of janus and februs. Some years ago i decided to make a socalled girdle book. The traditional medieval girdle book has an extended covering of soft leather often ending with a turks head knot. Changes in the multiauthor book were carried out by john walton in the year 1971.
Papermaking for a medieval girdle book lovable history. This type of binding provides portability, protection against unruly weather and some defense against theft. Lingerie history bra, girdle, slips, panties, garters cute things in my board. Herodotus on burial in egypt ancient history encyclopedia. Girdle in this sense is now a literary word and may connote a more elaborate item of dress than the term belt. The medieval girdle book is a wellwritten book, for the interested binder that will further ones understanding of the structural and covering solutions employed in making girdle books. Girdle books first appeared in the late th century and gained popularity through the 15th sometimes becoming ostentatious jewelencrusted presentation books and falling out of favour late in the 16th century, when printed books had become much more common. Girdle books were in the possession of monks and aristocrats in medieval europe. A girdle book is a special type of book which was in vogue about 400600 years ago. In the latter part of the th century, the knights surcoat was girdled with a narrow cord at the waist, while the great belt, which became the pride of the cavalier, looped across the hips, carrying the heavy sword aslant across the hips of the wearer. Youll also find new and original content by fiona lewison and pat greenham uploaded on this page. Girdle or foundation garmentthe modern equivalent of a corset. Girdle books are not hard to find in late medieval art, in numbers far out of proportion to the tiny number that is known to have survived.
The leather extension often terminates in a decorative knot or hook. The classification, natural history and treatment of the limb girdle muscular dystrophies. Check out our medieval girdle book selection for the very best in unique or custom. When people think of lingerie in the 1940s, what usually comes to mind are the glamorous, curvy, satin and lace pinup girls whose pictures filled the magazines popular with lonely soldiers overseas. Project muse the medieval girdle book by margit smith. An elegant window display of scandale corsets and suspenders.
The classification was published based on the genetic factors as well as clinical factors such as the sex association with dmd, limbgirdle muscular dystrophy or lgmd, myotonic and facioscapulohumeral forms. When libraries placed these objects, hundreds of years old, in front of her, she felt a sense of awe. A really nice details is the red colour of the cover the lady is wearing through her belt in comparison to the simple black cover of the other girdle book. The owner thinks madonna is the woman of the hour because she introduced the young to the. This book, a philosophical tract by boetheius the consolation of philosophy, was. The medieval girdle book margit smith oak knoll books. Today there are only twentysix known examples identified and documented in collections worldwide. Overall prevalence of lgmd worldwide has been estimated to be 1 in 14,50045,000.
The book was bound in this way so the knot could be tucked under a girdle or belt and the book swung up for reading. While the specifics of all aspects of making a girdle book are hinted at, a conscientious practitioner can infer enough to make ones own girdle book. A girdle book held by the beinecke library at yale university. Check out our girdle book selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade. Girdle book, a kind of binding in use in the centuries. Beautiful women posed provocatively in corsets, nightgowns and swimsuits with a look that remains iconic today. Study of the medieval girdle book and advanced paper conservation. I used to have to help her pull together both sides and snap it shut. Many years ago i was working in this one office, i was about 25 years old, single, and living with a male.
The girdle book is a medieval binding structure featuring a long extension of leather, which could be attached to a travelers belt. I made one of these, and its way cool, based on one that i saw at the british library. I remember struggling with it as if i were reeling in a large tuna. Historical bookbinding knights templar prayer book, dnd game prosp. The printed book is from 1508, the blindtooled leather binding from 1579 and the exterior knotted leather cover was added ten years later, in 1589.
Here you can see the two possible methods in wearing a girdle book in your hand or tucked through your belt. After 20 minutes, we unwrapped our books, placed blotters both inside and outside of our covers, and pressed the book under weight overnight. This text presents a logical approach to the examination. This leather extends from the tail of the book, so the text can be read while the book is still attached to the readers belt. The atlantic has tackled the topic of girdle books before, such as in this 1888 history of childrens books by caroline hewins, a connecticut. Between the 14th and 16th centuries a littleknown book format, now called the girdle book, was used throughout various european countries.
Genetic investigation in patients with progressive limb girdle weakness is directed by history, examination, specific family history and the results of other. There was a wide variety of corsets worn during the decade in combination with a bra, girdle or panties. What is a girdle book the term girdle books in reference to leather bound books with a tail was first used in english in 1939 but is now the common description for a bound book which can be hung from or by the girdle belt. Every generation of women has a garment that is supposed to help eliminate bulges, bumps and all manner of obvious lumps. I would try to encourage her to try to simply wear a bra, but she was adamant that it made her back feel. Saint james wears a girdle book in 16thcentury panel by hieronymus bosch. And its a very unique and beautiful accessory to contemporary larp live action role play or historical reenactment events. Once the book was covered, we wrapped our books tightly with an ace bandage to help ensure good adhesion.
The monk in the bottom left corner is holding something in his hand that looks like a girdle book but that can hardly be the case because of the dating of the picture. Girdle books had to be small, and they had to be light. The medieval girdle book provides rich information about this iconic binding structure and inspiration to those binders teachers and students alike who are seeking to replicate the structure and keep alive this branch of book history. As a retailer wrote recently, the owner of my corset shop says the girdle business is the best its been in decades, and growing. What a hot mobile device from the 16th century tells us about. Renates presentation starts with a brief introduction into the history and variations of the girdle book.
To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, im or document to embed the entire object, paste this html in website to link to this page, paste this link in email, im or document to embed this page, paste this html in website. This leather extends from the tail of the book, so the text can be read while the book is still attached to the. The medieval girdlebook the town of montefiascone in august of 2003 i returned to the small tuscan hilltown of montefiascone, 80 miles north of rome, full of anticipation of a week filled with medieval history, and anxious to learn about the development and construction of a rare book format, namely the girdlebook. The classification, natural history and treatment of the. After that time this book type vanished, except for a handful of still functioning books. My handmade girdle book was made of my own moldmade paper. From girdles to spanx a trousseau corset of embroidered silk satin, with ribbon and lace detailing. Smith has measured, photographed, and investigated the history of each one. The headband is stitched by hand and the book end papers are handmarbled. The term girdle book refers to a book that was bound in such a way that it had a. The book is sewn on double cords and has leathercovered book boards with silver clasps. While they werent so rare back in the times as you can see on contemporary artworks, worldwide only about two dozen of those books remain in museums. For years she did well enough with bras for the underforty set, but now its both bras and girdles. The medieval girdle book provides rich information about this iconic binding.
The girdle book was a portable volume a person could tuck under his girdle or belt. Complete instructions to craft a girdle book, a medieval binding structure featuring a long extension of leather, which could be attached to a. Girdle books were small portable books worn by medieval european monks, clergymen and. Go medieval by attaching a book to your belt atlas obscura. Making a girdle book isnt as difficult as it looks if you have a little time and patience. Worldwide books was established in new york city in 1962, and moved to boston in 1969. How to make a medieval girdle book lovable history. In addition to these purely utilitarian functions, in the past it was a symbol of status in society, as it implied wealth and literacy. History of shapewear first lets give credit to the originator of the modern girdle. The book is looking good and im very happy with my progress. Corsets the corset was essential to achieving the perfect 50s figure, but it definitely wasnt built for comfort. The girdle book by karen hanmer paperback online at lulu.
Click on any of the the highlighted links to read the full story. The girdle book is distinguished by a cover that extends beyond the limits of the book itself and may end in a knot, hook or ring, or may be left ungathered. The medieval girdle book and advanced paper conservation. Girdle book portable medieval manuscripts from the collections of yale universitys beinecke rare book and manuscript library pretty medieval manuscript of the day is a girdle book. Portable volume, girdle book of leather with a knot to be tucked under a persons girdle or belt, from which the book hung upside down so that it could be picked up and read at any time. The term girdle, meaning belt, commonly refers to the liturgical attire that normally closes a cassock of catholic priests and is also used in many other christian denominations, including the anglican communion, methodist church and lutheran church. Girdle, a band that encircles or girds the waist either to confine the loose and flowing outer garments so as to allow freedom of movement or to fasten and support the garments of the wearer.
In the second half of the 14th century, the knightly girdle took its most. The girdle, in the 8th or 9th century, was said to resemble an ancient levitical jewish vestment, and in that era, was not visible. And some mythological girdles were the key to conquering monsters. Show off your favorite photos and videos to the world, securely and privately show content to your friends and family, or blog the photos and videos you take with a cameraphone. If you wanted to carry your book on your body instead of in a box or bag, for example because you needed to consult the text frequently, the girdle book was your device of choice. Smith uncovers the largely untold story of a very different model of medieval book use. There was a knot, being a part of an exterior leather cover, that was holding the book behind the belt. But today there are just 26 girdle books known in the world. Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world.
Photos from the 2014 gridle book workshop with renate mesmer at the folger shakespeare library, washington dc. Why was the knot made at the bottom of the extended leather layer. In 1978, worldwide was acquired by the krausthomson organization later the kraus organization ltd. The binding of these books came with a wrapper, which kind of flows from the leather of the binding itself. While it is wrong to equate these items precisely with what we think of as a more modern girdle, these predecessors are an important part of the long history of garments used to shape, reinforce and strengthen the body. It is not known when the first shape wear idea occurred to man, or whether the first practitioner invented the idea out of genuine concern or was he simply a strategist waiting to make a quick buck. The world digital library provides free access to manuscripts, rare books, maps, photographs, and other important cultural documents from all countries and cultures, in arabic, chinese, english, french, portuguese, russian and spanish. The book of history 15v set rare 19151stscholarly grolier 6600p8000. Paring alum tawed leather hinge using the scharfix. They extended well above the waistline in order to narrow the waist and were made of elasticized panels with some stretch combined with panels of firmer, nonstretching fabrics. At some point in the books life, flaps were cut into.
716 369 1051 1058 1239 1426 52 680 1258 1119 666 822 589 200 643 900 181 973 889 283 1489 1190 268 644 1221 1468 530 979 944 27 1362 1072 781 1351 609 1119