Box covered with Dover Book cloth, linen finish,

machine embroidered label

Closed Outside Edge Length: 12 3/4”

Closed Outside Edge Width: 11 1/2”

Height Outside Edge: 2 3/4”

Images Copyright © 2020 by Tamar Stone. All Rights Reserved.
No images may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the artist.

This piece was inspired by found objects that happen to mirror each other—a postcard title “An Inborn Habit” and an antique wood hand mirror. These images coincidentally reflect so much of women’s history, and how girls are brought up with preconceived ideas of womanhood.

The corset book is comprised of three

individual corsets, each with its own book

inside. The titles of each corset,

“Features of Loveliness,” “The Mother Intent,”

and “Form the Figure” were taken from

advertisements for corsets found in

early magazines 20th c. magazines.

The titles of the smaller interior books,

“The Mother Interest,” “Punctualities of

Dress,” and “An Inborn Habit” take the

reader on a journey of a girl’s growth –

from maternity corsets for the mother,

supports for an infant, and corsets for young

girlhood and beyond – promising to “Train your daughters to a healthy and symmetrical body and mind” until

“…existence becomes a delight….”

Information regarding a girls growing body, from babyhood to motherhood was passed down through publications such as Womanhood; Hints and Helps for Young Women (1895 ), and Health – beauty – sexuality – from girlhood to womanhood... (1904), in addition to the various advertisements extolling the virtues of various support garments for all ages.

From the Greek mythologies to today’s episodes on the Lifetime Channel, mother-daughter relationships have been fraught with controversies. Although the mother was expected to pass down the rules of the day of deportment to her daughter, it was more complicated than that, as women were told,

… how complex the relation is between the mother and the daughter: for the mother, the daughter is both her double and another, the mother cherishes her and at the same time is hostile to her; she imposes her own destiny on her child: it is a way to proudly claim her own femininity and also to take revenge on it.

As girls were growing and trying to figure out their place in the world, they were being informed that

“Neatness in person, as in dress, is natural to a woman... like all other habits, it becomes, in time, agreeable to the person who practices it, but the first training into it, is a painful struggle.”

Female Images throughout this piece include portraits of girls with their sisters and mothers, both informal, and formal. Little girls posing with dolls, mimicking future poses of the girl grown into a mother herself, as well as images taken from corset catalogues for children.

Book 1 “Features of Loveliness” Outside Cover Corset: Antique off-white waist-cincher corset with 4 front hooks, back corset lace and new lavender ribbon trim.

Machine embroidered title text.

Height: 11”

Width closed: 12”

Book 1 “Features of Loveliness” Outside Cover Vest interior: Width opened: 17”

Interior Corset Linings: Ink jet printed images on both linings. Cotton twill corset lining, with sheer cotton voile over-lining, attached with vintage plastic buttons.

Interior Book 1 “The Mother Interest”:  6 pages with 2 covers

Machine embroidery vintage linen covers with lace edge. Attached with 3 vintage plastic buttons.

Book covers with laced edge: 6” (L) x 7 1/2” (W)

Book pages: 5 1/2” x 7” (W)

Interior Book 1: 6 pages + 2 covers

Front cover inside back, page 1 front

Interior book pages: Ink jet printed images on vintage cotton bed sheets.

Page Height: 5 1/2”

Page Width: 7”

Interior Book 1 pages: 1 back, 2 front

Interior Book 1, detail

Book with loops attachments to 3 plastic vintage buttons.

Machine embroidered text and image on vintage linen with lace edge.

Interior Book 1 pages: 3 back, 4 front

Interior Book 1: Back Cover

Machine embroidered text and image on vintage linen with lace edge.

Interior Book 1 page: 4 front, detail

Locket: Digitally printed locket and portrait images on Quick Fuse fabric sheets, with gross-grain ribbon attached.

Interior Book 1 pages: 6 back, 7 front (inside back cover)

Book 2 “The Mother Intent” Outside Cover Corset: Antique off-white waist-cincher corset with lace edge, 4 front hooks and back corset lace.

Machine embroidered title text.

Height: 9”

Width closed: 8 1/2”

Book 2 “The Mother Intent” Outside Cover Vest interior: Width opened: 17”

Interior Corset Linings: Ink jet printed images on both linings. Cotton Sateen corset lining,
with sheer off-white silk georgette over-lining, attached with antique bone buttons.

Interior Book 2 “Punctualities of Dress”:  6 pages with 2 covers

Machine embroidery on vintage linen covers with lace edge, attached with 3 vintage size 22, off-white, “Boye Unbreakable Flexible” Buttons.

Book covers with laced edge: 6” (L) x 6 1/2” (W)

Book pages: 5 1/2” x 6” (W)

Interior Book 2: 6 pages + 2 covers

Front cover inside back, page 1 front with hand sewn pleated framed image.

Interior book pages: Ink jet printed images on vintage cotton bed sheets.

Page Height: 5 1/2”

Page Width: 6”

Interior Book 2 pages: 2 back, 3 front

Interior Book 2, detail

Book with loops attachments to 3 vintage size 22, off-white “Boye Unbreakable Flexible” Buttons.

Machine embroidered text and image on vintage linen covers with lace edge.

Interior Book 2: Back Cover

Machine embroidered text and image on vintage linen covers with lace edge.

Interior Book 2 pages: 4 back, 5 front

Interior Book 2 pages: 6 back, 7 front (inside back cover)

Book 3 “Form the Figure” Outside Cover Corset: Antique doll corset with 5 holes, laced with vintage shoe lace.

Machine embroidered title text.

Height: 4”

Width closed: 4 1/4”

Book 3 “Form the Figure” Outside Cover Vest interior: Width opened: 9 1/2”

Interior Book 3 “An Inborn Habit”: 7 pages with 2 covers

Machine embroidered covers on vintage linen with ink jet printed images, with hand embroidery. Attached with 3 antique mother of pearl metal buttons.

Book covers and pages: 3” (L) x 4” (W)

Interior Book 3: 7 pages + 2 covers

Front cover inside back, page 1 front

Interior book pages: Ink jet printed images on vintage cotton bed sheets.

Page Height: 3”

Page Width: 4”

Interior Book 3, detail

Book with loops attachments with antique mother of pearl metal buttons

Machine embroidered title text with hand embroidered frame around printed cover image

Interior Book 3: Back Cover

Machine embroidered title text with hand embroidered frame around printed cover image.

Interior Book 3 pages: 5 sheer back, 6 sheer front

Interior Book 3 page:

2 front, detail

Hand embroidered frame on ink jet printed page on vintage cotton bed sheet.

Interior Book 3 pages: 7 back, 8 front (inside back cover)

Interior Book 3 pages: 1 back, 2 front

Interior Book 3 pages: 3 back, 4 front

What Mothers Want videos

Interior Book 1 pages: 5 back, 6 front