A Light-Weight Wedding Corset by the Hummingbird True Fit Co.

One of the many items on exhibit for “I Do, I Do: Seacoast Brides Say Yes” is a light-weight wedding/trousseau corset by 'Hummingbird True Fit Co.' It is of stiffened cotton with steel boning. Worn in the late 19^th or early 20th century, it was painstakingly repaired by a member of the Newmarket Historical Society board.

The wedding corset in the collection most likely belonged to Martha Julia Elliott. Martha was born July 26, 1899 in Yonkers, N.Y., and died in Newmarket on October 22, 1982. Her glamorous lace wedding dress and ivory wool going away suit survive as well.

Another example of this type of light weight corset, manufactured by the same company, was sold at Augusta Auctions and extant examples are in museum collections such as the Metropolitan Museum.

With today’s interest in waist training – often associated with work out sessions at the gym --you can still purchase a similar corset.