The Art of Underwear
A history of what lies beneath at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum
The bra was invented during the early part of the 20th century as a way to free women from the painful clutches of the corset. The jockstrap came into being during the Victorian era, when the new obsession with bicycling created the need for an undergarment that protected and supported male genitalia. Those are just a couple of the intimate discoveries found within the Victoria & Albert Museum’s exhibit, “Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear,” on display until March 2017. Filled with more than 250 objects—from caged crinolines to buttocks-enhancing shapewear to a Givenchy gown with matching lace panties—the show tracks the evolution of undergarments from the mid-18th century to the present. The exhibition, which is sponsored by the lingerie company Agent Provocateur, also makes clear that the practicality of underwear has always coexisted with its sensual allure. “I thought it would be dishonest to curate the exhibition without acknowledging the erotic side of underwear,” said museum curator Edwina Ehrman. “So we have one big case which looks at role-play and fetish.”
