Two women dressed in dark underwear, silk stockings and shoes model two styles of Berlei corsetry. They stand on raised platforms in front of a plain backdrop, the larger space of the studio visible beyond it. They turn, step down from their platforms, link hands and walk back towards to the camera. The woman on the left comes forward, does a full turn, poses, turns again and walks back. The woman on the right mirrors the first woman, and similarly models her corset. This is followed by the women modelling their undergarments in single shot. Summary by Poppy de Souza.

Like all successful advertising this glass slide image sells much more than just the product - Berlei's 'side fastening wrap-on [corset] for medium average figures'. We are being sold the ideas of beauty, strength, virtue, excitement (she's got her feet in the clouds!) and design, and how all of these ideals come together in the Berlei brand.

The design of the background has strong art deco references. There is something 'Wonder Woman' about the image with the model standing straight and proud - clouds and angular shapes emanating from her. The character of Wonder Woman didn't appear in DC Comics until 1941, so she is ahead of her time. The glass slide would have been used either as an advertisement in a cinema setting or as part of the educational training package for Berlei fitters.

Notes by Beth Taylor

In 1926 Berlei and physiologists from the University of Sydney did an anthropometric survey of 6000 Australian women (of European descent) in order to find different figure types. The types they created were Sway Back Type, Hip Type, Abdomen Type, Average Type and Short Below Waist Type. Having many women fit into these categories meant they could manufacture corsets ahead of time and simply supply the correct size for the customer's measurements.

This research led to the creation of the Berlei Type Indicator whose moving parts could isolate the correct type from a woman's measurements. Seeking to enhance the legitimacy of their design underpinnings, images like this and the language used have a scientific and medical flavour to them. It's interesting that all but one of the figure types were pejorative terms - highlighting the 'figure flaws' of the women. Creating insecurity about a particular feature of a woman's body was (and continues to be) a successful marketing tool.

This slide was shown in an educational slideshow presented to Berlei fitters in the 1930s. It is a great example of Berlei's conscious decision to feature models of different shapes and sizes. Each woman, no matter her particular 'figure flaw', has a rose in her cheek and a proud, healthful persona. The slide is indicative of Berlei's love of pink during this era with the slide hand-coloured using pink and a tiny bit of yellow for the women's shoes. The slide uses four different typefaces.

Notes by Beth Taylor

'Rum babas, strawberry shortcake, delicious pastries. You should say "no", yet everything inside of you is saying "yes!". Well, go on. Enjoy yourself. Berlei have all the willpower you need. Berlei Will-power panties, Will-power body suits, Will-power waistband panties with double stretch only where you need it. So instead of having the life squeezed out of you, you enjoy life. How sweet it is to have Will-power.'

The voice-over is delivered sumptuously - tempting women to believe it's possible, with Berlei's help, to both eat cake and have watch your waistline.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This hand-coloured glass slide would have been shown in cinemas aimed at patrons who aspired to look like a Hollywood movie star. This advertisement was from the last year of the Second World War. Hollywood stars of this time included: Gene Tierney, Hedy Lamarr, Betty Grable, Joan Fontaine, Ginger Rogers, Ava Gardner, Barbara Stanwyck and Vivien Leigh. 

The full caption reads 'Berlei brings you this Hollywood glamour secret. Hollywood Maxwell Brassieres worn by the stars for youthful new uplift.'

Notes by Beth Taylor

The influence of Jean-Luc Godard's science fiction cult classic Alphaville (1965) is evident in this television ad for Berlei.

The narrator says, 'This is the fashion picture as Berlei sees it. Are you ready? ... Under plastic you need a figure.'

Notes by Beth Taylor

Classic tricks of the before and after genre are employed here including: a more fashionable dress, more upright posture and a happier and more confident expression on the 'after' model's face.

Images like this one illustrate a before and after image of a real woman who, under Berlei's direction, has made changes to her diet, exercise regime, posture, foundation garment, make-up and choice of fashion.

During the 1930s and 40s Berlei encouraged women to follow their advice through live shows such as Beauty in the Balance, special fittings by trained corsetieres, film screenings and a booklet full of hints.

As they still do today, Berlei prided themselves on using models who looked like everyday women. It is unclear what this slide would have been used for. It was either used as a training slide for Berlei fitters or as part of the womens-only film screenings organised by Berlei that travelled around NSW in the late 1930s and early 40s. Judging from the fashions the woman is wearing this image was from the early 1940s.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This illustration of the Berlei Type Indicator would have been used either as part of the Berlei training for prospective corsetieres, or as part of one of their women-only live shows or film screenings in the late 1930s and early 40s. It shows a corsetiere examining the fit of a foundation garment with the indicator appearing in the background.

In 1926 Berlei and physiologists from the University of Sydney did an anthropometric survey of 6000 Australian women (of European descent) in order to find different figure types. The types they created were Sway Back Type, Hip Type, Abdomen Type, Average Type and Short Below Waist Type. Having many women fit into these categories meant they could manufacture corsets ahead of time and simply supply the correct size for the customer's measurements. 

This research led to the creation of the Berlei Type Indicator whose moving parts could isolate the correct type from a woman's measurements. Seeking to enhance the legitimacy of their design underpinnings, images like this and the language used have a scientific and medical flavour to them. It's interesting that all but one of the figure types were pejorative terms - highlighting the 'figure flaws' of the women. Creating insecurity about a particular feature of a woman's body was (and continues to be) a successful marketing tool. 

Notes by Beth Taylor

After taking Barb’s measurements, Ms Blake calls Ms Trent and asks her to check them against the Berlei Figure Type Indicator, which indicates she is a ‘slender average type’. A suitable foundation garment for evening wear is brought up to the room to correct Barb’s ‘figure faults’. After slipping it on, she stands in front of the mirror where she admires herself in her evening dress. Barb is now converted, agreeing that from now on she will never forsake her Berlei – 'it simply isn’t done!’. Summary by Poppy de Souza.

Go from frumpy to fabulous with the aid of a correctly fitted Berlei foundation garment, correct posture, diet, exercise and make-up!

In the tradition of before and after photographs some tricks have been used to help us form the conclusion that the woman's life is much better after the make-over treatment: her cheeks are rosy, her expression proud instead of dejected and disengaged, her shoes and hair are fancier.

In the second image she is standing in what social psychologist Amy Cuddy would refer to as a 'power pose' or a 'superhero stance'. Women's roles in Australian society changed dramatically during the 20th century - spurred on by the First World War and the changes to employment opportunities for women that this brought. Images like this one speak to the tensions, that are still being played out today, between women's role as objects of beauty, and powerful people who are contributing citizens in their own right.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Fashionable garments are modelled displaying a range of designers clothes include a dress by couturier Melnotte Simonin; a hand-embroidered coat with fur trim by designer Jacques Heim, a painted velvet georgette fabric again by Melnotte Simonin; a broad cloth by Bernard; an art-deco inspired headpiece by Le Mennier; and a dress with net and accompanying feathers by Jenny.

Summary by Poppy de Souza.

This glass slide is an advertisement for Berlei's free film Beauty in the Balance at the Savoy Theatre in Maitland, presented by Galton's department store. The women's-only film toured around NSW in the late 1930s. According to the Wingham Chronicle in 1939 the film, and a live show that only took place in Sydney, showed how women can be 'made over by simple diet, exercises, correct corsetry, proper posture, individual make-up and inexpensive frocks chosen to type'. The show included glass slides and a commentary.

Both the film and the live show featured everyday women who had followed a 'short course of beautification' prescribed by Berlei. The Chronicle described 'Huge photographs - taken before they commenced - will be shown in in comparison with these women as they are today - both in corsets and street clothes'.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Berlei's education for women on how to improve their figures included 'diet, exercises, correct corsetry, proper posture, individual make-up and inexpensive frocks chosen to type'.

The text says: 'Australians do not use enough milk. Great Britain less than 1/2 pint. Australia 1/2 pint. USA 1 1/2 pints. Holland 2 pints. Sweden 2 pints. Switzerland 2 pints. The people of Holland, Sweden and Switzerland are renowned for beautiful complexions and good teeth'.

This slide was manufactured by Shearman Slides, Croydon Park, NSW and was probably used as part of the education for Berlei corsetieres.

Notes by Beth Taylor

The woman depicted in this hand-coloured glass slide is wearing a dress from the Victorian era (approximately 1850s). The slide was part of an educational slide-show presented to Berlei fitters during the 1930s, designed to show the evolution of women's dress and underwear.

The dress would most probably have been made from floral patterned wool and lace. Her accessories include a bonnet trimmed with flowers and tied under her chin, white gloves, a blue jacket, a small purse and a lace parasol. Underneath this dress she would have been wearing a corset made of whale bone, laced tightly to accentuate her waist, and a crinoline - a stiff petticoat made of rigid wire, horsehair and cotton or linen. It was considered vulgar for women to expose any skin below their necks during the day, so modesty demanded high-necked dresses. Evening wear was slightly more revealing.

These undergarments made walking and sitting difficult, making for a fairly restricted life. Bicycles, which were invented in 1817, would have been off-limits for any woman wearing these garments. This look was only available to those who were reasonably wealthy. This slide is an important part of the Berlei story because it gives historical context to what Berlei were trying to achieve with their less restrictive corset designs, which they called 'foundation garments'. Whilst aiming to maintain the association the corset had with moral piety, they promoted a less constrictive design that allowed women a more active, healthful lifestyle.

Berlei also aimed to make their undergarments affordable to more people by undertaking research and standardising white Australian women into five different figure types in 1926. Previously the wealthy had elaborate corsets made to order and poorer people made their own.

Notes by Beth Taylor

The woman in this slide is wearing a dress with a big skirt supported by a bustle. This type of dress was worn by wealthy women around the 1880s and dates from the late Victorian era.

To get the look for this dress women wore corsets to accentuate their waists and an undergarment called a bustle which pushed out the skirt. There were many types of bustles, also known as 'dress improvers'. There were heavy bustle pads which were stuffed with horsehair and crinolettes which were made from linen stretched over a wire frame. Bustles made it difficult for women to sit down or walk. The dress has extra flounces of material with pleats and tassles to emphasise the bustle's shape. Her accessories include a pearl necklace, book and flowers in her hair. Her shoes are not visible under her dress.

This slide would have been shown in an educational slide show presented to Berlei fitters in the 1930s designed to show the evolution of women's dress and underwear. This slide is a significant part of the Berlei story because it gives historical context to what Berlei were trying to achieve with their less rigid and cumbersome corset designs. They sought to maintain the association the corset had with moral piety, but to move with the times and promote a less restrictive design that allowed women a more active, healthful lifestyle.

Most glass slides shown in Australia were manufactured overseas but this one was made by Linto Bros, 61 Market Street, Sydney. The slide has been hand-coloured.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Berlei were ahead of their time in using real women as models for their underwear. 

This is a great example of a before and after glass slide, complete with all the tricks of the trade to make the 'after' image look its best including: having the model smile in the after shot, featuring a different colour background to make the model stand out, giving her a different hairstyle, using a more flattering angle and changing her shoes. This would have been used in the educational training package for Berlei fitters.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This glass slide illustrates the difference in corset waistlines from 1900 to 1931 in five steps. It was used as part of the Berlei training for prospective fitters.

Suspenders for stockings are visible in all the designs after 1900. The 1900 corset pictured is called the s-bend style and accentuates the bust and hips whilst restricting the waist for an hourglass look. During the First World War women took up jobs traditionally done by men and fashion needed to be plainer and more practical.

The 1920s saw the beginning of a fashion revolution with 'bright young things', known as flappers, wearing more liberating fashions, showing more flesh, chopping their hair into bobs and favouring a more boyish (corsetless) look without the accentuated waist, breasts or hips. Berlei were understandably against the fashion of going corsetless and educated their fitters about the supposed damage such a trend could wreak on a woman's digestive and reproductive health.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This educational glass slide would have been shown to prospective Berlei fitters. It depicts the 'earliest true corset made of steel for Catharine de Medias (sic) of France and a court Lady of the time of Catherine de Medici showing the effect of the steel corset'. Unlike corsets from the Victorian era and beyond which tended to create an hourglass figure, the fashion of the 1500s was for a funnel-like shape. It's now believed that Catherine de Medici (1519–1589), Queen of France, did not start the craze for fashion metal corsets. Rather, they were designed for orthopaedic support and correcting 'crookedness of the Bodie' (as French army surgeon Ambroise Paré called it).

This slide shows other fashions of the time for wealthy women including a hat featuring a feather, plucked hairline, a ruff worn around the neck to stop perspiration ruining garments, puffed sleeves, a fan and a stomacher - a stiffened triangular panel to further flatten the stomach and abdomen.

In addition to the corset, structured underwear called cartwheel farthingales used stiff hoops made from wire or cane, in conjunction with a roll of fabric around the waist called a bum roll, to make the gowns stand out more. This slide gives a historical context to the Berlei corset, making the corsets of the 1930s seem simultaneously softer and kinder but also traditional and beautiful in comparison to fashions of the 1500s.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This educational glass slide shows an illustration of a 'Lady of the Court of Charles X of France' and 'The first Corset of the Modern Period, approaching our own Corset Waist about 1825'. In addition to her dress, the woman has: a headdress made of feathers; gloves; handkerchief; fan; pearl necklace; and ruffled high sleeves. The dress shows markedly more flesh than fashion from later in the century when it was considered immodest for a woman to expose her body below the neck.

This slide is a romanticised view of the first 'modern' corset and was used as part of the training for Berlei undergarment fitters in the 1930s. Positioning Berlei corsets from the 1930s alongside those from the early 1800s, worn by royalty, adds to the idea that corsets are a desirable tradition that has been modernised and made accessible to Australian women.

Notes by Beth Taylor

A woman in a dress dances to cocktail music as a female voice-over explains the features of the ‘Sarong’ girdle the woman is wearing beneath her clothes. The action freezes as the camera zooms in and ‘sees through’ the woman’s outer clothing to reveal the girdle and how comfortable, flexible and flattering it is.

Summary by Poppy de Souza.

In an elaborate fitting room, careless Barb is always losing things. She has lost her shoes, and she just may lose her heart this evening too! But she despairs that her evening dress is ‘frightful’ because it ‘flops where it should fit and fits where it should flop’. Attended by a refined and fashionable Ms Blake, Barb learns that it is because she has no foundation beneath her frocking. Ms Blake gets out the tape measure to check her body size. 

The art deco interiors with shaped mirrors, door frames and seating all align with Berlei’s reputation for quality and beauty.

Summary by Poppy de Souza.

This stern-looking woman is a perfect example of Berlei's use of real women as models. We can't be totally sure what the use was for this glass slide, but it was probably used either as part of the educational training package for Berlei fitting trainees or as part of the Beauty in the Balance shows for women in the late 1930s.

Today it is a great document of corset styles of the past and the changing social mores of the 1920s and 30s that enabled women to be photographed in this state of undress. In the collection there is both a black-and-white and a yellow tinted version of this slide. Perhaps the two different coloured slides were used in sequence to make a point of the different body shapes or 'figure flaws', incorrect postures or ill-fitting corsetry.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This cinema glass slide advertises the services of Berlei corsetiere Mrs Winifred Doyle. Galton's was a department store in Maitland, NSW. Mrs Doyle was based in Sydney but she travelled around New South Wales performing fittings during the late 1930s and early 1940s.

She is mentioned numerous times in newspapers from the time as visiting stores including Anthony Horderns' and Way's in Sydney, The Grand Hotel in Broken Hill, Beesley's in Guyra, Winn's in Newcastle, Cansdell's in Inverell, Lance's in Wollongong, Fraser's in Parramatta, AE Collins Pty Ltd in Narrabri, M Campbell and Co Pty Ltd in Muswellbrook, John Meagher & Co Pty Ltd in Forbes and Yeo and Mansell's in Bathurst. According to The National Advocate from Bathurst in 1938, 'Paris says: "contour your figure', so to be smart, see Mrs Winifred Doyle, the Berlei Corsetiere, who will show you how easy it is to be lovelier'.

A Guyra Argus article from 1937 says 'When you're a bit worried about your figure - not quite sure about the type of corset you need - it's a tremendous help to be able to talk to someone like Mrs Doyle, who really knows about these things! Mrs Doyle considers figures individually, advises and fits correct corsetry for each particular need.'

Being a corsetiere of Mrs Doyle's experience and standing would have been a sought-after and respectable job for a woman at a time when women were only just entering the workforce between the World Wars. This hand-coloured glass slide advertisement would have been shown in local cinemas.

Notes by Beth Taylor

A young girl fills the cup of her smaller companion with milk with a somewhat deadly look in her eye. It is not known exactly what this hand-coloured glass slide would have been used for, but it is likely to be either part of the educational slides used to train Berlei fitters, or part of the Berlei presentation Beauty and the Balance.

The Berlei philosophy has always advocated good health - including wholesome foods, rest and sleep, fresh air and sunlight and exercise - as an important part of looking good in your Berlei undergarments.

Notes by Beth Taylor

In the closing minutes of this advertisement, mannequins and live models appear in Berlei’s figure-hugging foundation garments, the ‘basis for all frocking’. After an elaborate pyramid display of mannequins wearing the latest fashions, a single mannequin is shown wearing a ‘flapper’ style dress. This dissolves into the mannequin wearing only the foundation garment she has on beneath. Another dissolve goes back to the pyramid of models, all now wearing only their foundation garments which transitions to a final shot of a single live model wearing only Berlei.

These sequences are complemented with intertitles.

Notes by Poppy de Souza.

A woman dances wearing a red dress and feathered hat. This image presents a fantasy of what women can look like with the waist enhancement performed by a tightly-laced corset or similar garment. The woman displays other conventional ideas of feminine beauty including a demure look, long hair and tiny feet. This hand-coloured glass slide would most likely have been used in training Berlei fitters. 

It was manufactured by Linton Bros, 61 Market Street, Sydney. At the time it was relatively rare for glass slides to be manufactured in Australia.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This black-and-white television advertisement for the Berlei ‘Sarong Body Magic’ girdle demonstrates the wonders of a girdle that adjusts to the figure, no matter what your shape.

A woman’s voice-over accompanies a figure seen from the waist down wearing a Berlei ‘Sarong Body Magic’ girdle. Two versions of the girdle – a pant and panty girdle – are shown on the figures.

As the girdle adjusts to fit the figure that wears it, the voice-over says it ‘controls and smooths you everywhere’.

Summary by Poppy de Souza

Berlei have always catered for different shapes and sizes of women. This glass slide was part of the training program for Berlei fitters and illustrates the 'Berlei Wrap-on 650 for heavy figures requiring abdominal control'. The numbers were important so that fitters knew which corset women of different figure types needed. The numbering also adds an air of scientific authority to the lingerie business.

The practise of using real women as models grounded the Berlei brand and gained them a strong fan base with everyday women wanting to look their best. Women could identify with these 'average' women and their 'figure flaws'.

Notes by Beth Taylor

One of the great things about using real women as models is that the women aren't trained in how to stand and pose like other models. Each woman has a real character that shines through their expressions and accessories instead of the more passive expressions and generic look that were fashionable then and, to some extent, still are today.

We can project whatever story we want onto the images. Was this woman in her spotted corset and spectacles a spy, mother, teacher, librarian or a Country Women's Association member? 

We can't be totally sure of the use for this glass slide, but it was probably part of the educational training package for Berlei fitting trainees or included in the Beauty in the Balance films shown to women in the late 1930s. Today images like this one are a historical document showing corset styles of the past and the changing social mores of the 1920s and 30s that enabled women to be photographed in this state of undress.

In the collection there is both a black-and-white and a yellow tinted version of this slide. Perhaps the two different coloured slides were used in sequence to make a point about different body shapes, 'figure flaws', incorrect postures or ill-fitting corsetry.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Two women in white lab coats measure a woman for her foundation garment in a clinical-looking setting complete with scales. There is a sign on top of an anatomical drawing that reminds the fitters to 'BE EXACT!'.

This hand-coloured glass slide was probably used as part of the educational training package for Berlei fitting trainees. 

Notes by Beth Taylor

Medical images like this one offer an explanation of the benefits of wearing corsets. This one shows 'the delicate internal organs in region controlled by Foundation Garment' such as those made by Berlei.

In the 1920s and 30s it was the fashion for young women to go corset-less. Berlei opposed this trend on medical, moral and fashion grounds. In this case women were warned that not wearing corsets could result in prolapsed organs. Something that we know now to be untrue. This glass slide is an example of how women's bodies were (and to some extent still are) a matter of public concern and consternation. Women required an external 'foundation' to hold them together. Not only were women's bodies delicate, but also their internal organs and minds. This glass slide is a fascinating window onto the social mores of 1930s Australia. 

This glass slide, produced by the Linton Bros of 61 Market St Sydney, was used as part of the educational material presented to would-be Berlei fitters.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This hand-coloured glass slide shows a male model in a brown hat, jacket and cane with yellow waistcoat standing before a garden wall.

It is unclear what this slide would have been used for, but Dr Jenny Gall, documents and artefacts assistant curator at the NFSA, speculates that it is a picture of a man in theatre costume, showing that it's not only women who need foundation garments.

It could have been used as a training slide for Berlei fitters or as part of the womens-only film screenings that travelled around NSW in the late 1930s and early 40s. Either way, it would have been used to inject some humour into the session for women feeling a little overwhelmed by their responsibilities to stay slim and look fashionable.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This slide is another used in the educational training series for Berlei fitters. It compares the tight-laced corsets of the early 1900s with the modern foundation garments of the 1930s.

Diagram 1 caption reads: '1902. Natural breathing of lung prevented owing to lower section being congested by tight corset. Lower ribs cramped preventing organs functioning.' 

Diagram 2 caption reads: 'Lungs allowed full breathing capacity. Ribs and breast bone in correct position.'

Slides like this one gave the training a scientific/medical feel which was part of the Berlei brand's success. It showed medical reasons why women had it better now, while still maintaining that foundation garments were necessary for support and positioning of the body whilst not impinging on a woman's freedom.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This glass slide illustrates a before and after image of a woman who, under Berlei's direction, has made changes to her diet, exercise regime, posture, foundation garment, make-up and choice of fashion.

During the 1930s and 40s Berlei encouraged women to follow their advice through live shows such as Beauty in the Balance, special fittings by trained corsetieres, film screenings and a booklet full of hints.

Classic tricks of the before and after genre are employed here including: application of rose to the woman's cheeks through hand-colouring of the slide, a change of dress, more fashionable shoes and a happier expression on the model's face. As they still do today, Berlei prided themselves on using models who looked like everyday women. It is unclear what this slide would have been used for. It was either used as a training slide for Berlei fitters or as part of the womens-only film screenings that travelled around NSW in the late 1930s and early 40s. Judging from the fashions the woman is wearing this image was from the early 1940s.

Notes by Beth Taylor

Images like this one illustrate a before and after image of a woman who, under Berlei's direction, has made changes to her diet, exercise regime, posture, foundation garment, make-up and choice of fashion.

During the 1930s and 40s Berlei encouraged women to follow their advice through live shows such as Beauty in the Balance, special fittings by trained corsetieres, film screenings and a booklet full of hints.

Classic tricks of the before and after genre are employed here including: a more fashionable dress, more upright posture, fashionable shoes and a softer expression on the 'after' model's face.

As they still do today, Berlei prided themselves on using models who looked like everyday women. It is unclear what this slide would have been used for. It was either used as a training slide for Berlei fitters or as part of the womens-only film screenings that travelled around NSW in the late 1930s and early 40s. Judging from the fashions the woman is wearing this image was from the early 1940s.

Notes by Beth Taylor

This beautiful design has echoes of art deco. It was created to promote the 'Berlei corset 595 (back-laced) for the SBW (short below waist) type' and was probably used as part of the training for Berlei fitters.

The woman admires herself in a mirror with yellow fabric draped around her corseted frame. The text appearing to one side makes explicit the aim of the corsetry game - capturing 'the lines of youth'. So much has changed today and yet it also hasn't. Historical artefacts like this glass slide show the social and cultural underpinnings of women's position, and idea of beauty, even today in a new century. 

In 1926 Berlei and physiologists from the University of Sydney did an anthropometric survey of 6000 Australian women (of European descent) in order to find different figure types. The types they created were Sway Back Type, Hip Type, Abdomen Type, Average Type and Short Below Waist Type. Having many women fit into these categories meant they could manufacture corsets ahead of time and simply supply the correct size for the customer's measurements. 

This research led to the creation of the Berlei Type Indicator whose moving parts could isolate the correct type from a woman's measurements. Seeking to enhance the legitimacy of their design underpinnings, images like this and the language used have a scientific and medical flavour to them. It's interesting that all but one of the figure types were pejorative terms - highlighting the 'figure flaws' of the women. Creating insecurity about a particular feature of a woman's body was (and continues to be) a successful marketing tool. 

Notes by Beth Taylor

The 'Berlei controllette [corset] no. 6181 SBW (short below waist) type'. The design is particularly beautiful and has echoes of art deco in the triangular shapes and filigree font.

The woman depicted has a look of control, poise and dignity despite appearing in her underwear with the addition of a shawl, necklace and earrings. Her hairstyle is typical of the shorter cuts popularised by the flappers of the 1920s. 

In 1926 Berlei and physiologists from the University of Sydney did an anthropometric survey of 6000 Australian women (of European descent) in order to find different figure types. The types they created were Sway Back Type, Hip Type, Abdomen Type, Average Type and Short Below Waist Type. Having many women fit into these categories meant they could manufacture corsets ahead of time and simply supply the correct size for the customer's measurements. 

This slide would have been used as part of the training for prospective Berlei corsetieres.

Notes by Beth Taylor

The 'Berlei-Camp side fastening maternity support 2711 for medium figures.' The Berlei-Camp range was from the mid-to-late 1920s at around the time when Berlei was performing the studies that would lead to the creation of five figure types that revolutionised their corsetry.

The design has strong echoes of art deco in its angular design. The woman's hair is shorter which became a fashionable style in the 1920s.

Notes by Beth Taylor

'Berlei-Camp Convalescing Support 2703 for Post-operative Wear'. The Berlei-Camp range was from the mid-to-late 1920s at around the time when Berlei was performing the studies that would lead to the creation of five figure types that revolutionised their corsetry.

The design has strong echoes of art deco angles. The woman's hair is shorter which became a fashionable style for women in the 1920s.

Notes by Beth Taylor

A woman dressed in golfing attire practices her golf swing as a female voice-over explains the features of the ‘Sarong’ girdle the woman is wearing beneath her clothes. The action freezes as the camera zooms in and ‘sees through’ the woman’s outer clothing to reveal the girdle and how comfortable, flexible and flattering it is.

Summary by Poppy de Souza.