Object of the Day: Adjustable Duplex Corsets

The corset industry of the Nineteenth Century was highly competitive and advertisers needed to be creative in order to stand out. Any company could offer an ordinary trade card with an image of a pretty woman all trussed up in her gown. To really capture the attention of the corset-buying public, a company had to present an unusual card, something “interactive.”

We already looked at one card which featured a nifty gimmick. Here’s another. When a lady was handed this card, it looked something like this. 

Two ladies peer through an unusually high keyhole (one of two, I might add) to spy on a friend (or rival) in the dressing room of a fashion shop. The card reads:

The 

Secret 

Out at Last 

Why

Mrs. Brown 

Has Such a 

Perfect 

Figure 

If you lift up the flap, you’ll see WHY Mrs. Brown has such a perfect figure. 

It seems she’s using an unfortunately-named Duplex Corset.

The reverse tells us:

ADJUSTABLE
DUPLEX
CORSET 
The best corset in the
world. Perfect in shape,
and the most comfortable
and durable corset known. 
DOUBLE BONE
              DOUBLE STEEL
                                 DOUBLE SEAMS. 
WARRANTED NOT TO RIP 
ASK FOR IT! SEE THAT THE WORD “DUPLEX” 
IS STAMPED ON EVERY CORSET. MADE ONLY BY THE 
BORTREE M’F’G CO. 
JACKSON, MICH.
OFFICE & SALESROOM 15 17 MERCER ST. NEW YORK 



I imagine it’s called “Duplex” because everything is reinforced two times, but it still seems a rather sad name for a corset. Nevertheless, it makes your friends want to watch you get dressed—and that’s just priceless.