Cage crinoline

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The first bustle phase, from 1869-77, required skirt supports to accomplish the desired silhouette. This particular example of a cage crinoline would simply keep the skirt away from the body and hold its cylindrical shape. A separate bustle would need to be worn to push the skirts up and out over the back of the wearer's skirt.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art