"Foundations and Accessories" emphasizes the sometimes literal supporting roles of undergarments, and the fashion accessories that were a key element of proper dress. Two pairs of women's stays (corsets), one from the late 18th century and one from the early 19th century, demonstrate the radical change from a rigid foundation to softer support. A beautifully worked pocketbook from the 18th century, and an elaborately woven straw bonnet from about 1820 exemplify finishing flourishes that meant "style."

Woman's stays (corset), ca. 1780-1790 click to enlarge click for close-ups What we now call corsets were referred to as "stays" in the eighteenth century. Rigid, heavily-boned stays were standard wear for women, their torsos having become accustomed to the imposed, erect posture from childhood on. "Good breeding" was thought to be evident in one's carriage and deportment as well as in dress, speech, education, and accomplishments; "training" of the body, which was achieved with stays, was as important as training of the mind, and the earlier begun, the better. This corset is made of a twill-woven wool, lined and interlined with linen, and stiffened with whalebone. White kid leather was used to protect the edges from wear, and to keep the bones from poking through the top or bottom. The stays were laced at the back, and there, too, a strip of leather provided protection from wear. Because stays involved precise cutting and stitching, professional stay-makers were employed to construct them, and many were beautifully made of rose, green, blue, or gold color wool fabrics, accented with elaborate rows of stitching.

Woman's corset, ca. 1820-1840 click to enlarge Detail of bone eyelets, and areas of cotton cording Early 19th century corsets were as different from their unyielding 18th century counterparts as were the fashionable dresses. The light-weight dresses of the Empire and Romantic Eras were worn with cotton–or cotton and linen–foundation garments referred to as corsets, no longer "stays." Unboned, the structure of these corsets relied on cording inserted between the two layers of fabric and secured by lines of stitching. The channel stitching was worked in attractive designs, such as parallel lines forming rows of cording or crisscrossed to form diamonds, and sometimes included decorative elements such as grapevines, flowers, leaves, or hearts. Silk thread highlights the frond-like leaf designs on this corset. A slot, just over an inch wide, was stitched at the center front to accommodate a wood, bone, or baleen busk, a device which effectively prevented the wearer from bending at the waist. Flat and smooth, the busk could be inserted into or removed from the corset if desired, probably according to the wearer's varying needs for mobility or a more formal, fashionable appearance. Bone eyelets protected the fabric from tearing when laced.

Woven-straw bonnet, ca. 1820 click to enlarge click for close-ups Made by the enterprising Wethersfield, Connecticut, native Sophia Woodhouse (Mrs. Gurdon Welles, b.1799-d.1883), this woven-straw bonnet is an outstanding example of intricate and decorative hat-making techniques. Although straw braiding and weaving was commonly done by girls and young women in early 19th century New England as a way to earn money or credit at local stores, Woodhouse carried it to a fine art. She had a workshop in her home, in which she and other Wethersfield women made bonnets that were said to rival the high standard of Italian leghorn bonnets. Two varieties of Spear grass, called Red-top and English grass, were grown locally and processed and bleached in preparation for braiding or weaving. Woodhouse invented "a new and useful improvement in the manufacture of Grass Bonnets and Hats" related to this processing, and was granted a patent from the U.S. government in 1821. This bonnet probably once had a ribbon stitched between the brim and crown, but even without applied trimming, it could hardly be called plain. An elaborately looped edging framed the wearer's face, and the main "fabric" of the bonnet employs a tapestry technique to cover areas of the straw with greenish thread, forming diamond-like motifs.

Embroidered pocketbook (wallet), ca. 1750-1775 click to enlarge click for close-ups Pocketbooks were used by both men and women in the 18th century to hold valuables, including small books. Many pocketbooks were leather, but "special" ones – often made as gifts – were made of linen canvas embroidered with colored wool yarns. Many of the pocketbooks that have been preserved for generations were worked in the distinctive "flame-stitch" (also known as Irish stitch), and often the owner's name and date is included along one edge. This pocketbook is more unusual in having been embroidered in flower and feather motifs, and is also slightly smaller than most. Placement of the design motifs was not particularly well planned, since the prominent feather design is partly obscured when the flap is closed. This suggests that the maker was more concerned with the needlework itself, and simply created a composite of designs copied from other sources; alternatively it may have be that the pocketbook shape was cut from some other larger object on which the motifs were suitably arranged. The pocketbook is lined with a striped brown linen fabric.