Read an earlier discussion of this: What did European and
American women use for menstruation in the 19th
century and before?
 
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Part 2: Some facts about European underwear, 1700 - 1900, and its relationship
to what women used for menstruation
(Part 1, Part 3)
Two tubes of cloth joined at the waist and open
in the crotch formed the earliest women's underpants, around 1800, and remained
roughly so until about 1900 - see below and here, where I show a drawing of an American pair in this museum.
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Front of underpants for a doll, about 1830.
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Back of same underpants, showing open crotch. From "Zur
Geschichte der Unterwäsche 1700-1960."
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next (last part, part 3)
© 2001 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or
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