Collections Online

Symington Collection of Corsetry, Foundation & Swimwear

The Symington collection was created by the Market Harborough company R. & W. H. Symington, which began to make corsets for fashionable Victorian ladies in the 1850s. The company eventually grew into an international concern and one of its most famous products, the Liberty Bodice, was produced for almost seventy years.

This unique collection was presented to Leicestershire County Council's Museums Service in 1980. Although it includes some pieces made by their competitors, the collection essentially tells the story of the Symington company over a period of one hundred and thirty years. It includes garments and supporting advertising material, which provide an insight into the development of corsetry, foundation garments and swimwear from the late 19th century through to the beginning of the 1990s.

Some photographs in this collection can be bought online as prints or photo products .

Click here for other sections in the Symington Collection of Corsetry, Foundation & Swimwear collection.