whalebone
Victorian bodice support
Whalebone is the flexible, horn-like material that hangs in plates from the upper jaw of certain whales, used to filter food from seawater.
Before plastics, whalebone (more accurately called baleen) was prized for corset stays, umbrella ribs, and other items requiring springy stiffness: The dress had a whalebone bodice.
Removing skeletal structure
- staysRemains in place
- bodiceFitted upper garment
- VictorianOf a prim era
- EdwardianOf early twentieth-century Britain
tightlacing · hourglass · silhouette · crinoline · bustle · hoopskirt · pannier · girdle
Structural hair protein
- scrimshawEngraved whale ivory art
- ivoryTusk-derived material
- hornPointed animal headgear
- tortoiseshellMottled brown-yellow shell material
organic · biopolymer · artifact · antique · fossilized · craftsmanship · carving · engraving
Aquatic mammal order
- humpbackBaleen whale species
- bowheadArctic whale species
- minkeSmall baleen whale species
- blowholeWhale's breathing aperture
fluke · krill · filter-feeding · hunting · harpoon · rendering · oil · blubber
Handheld shade device
- fanAdmirer or air mover
- corsetBoned waist-shaping undergarment
- buggy whipCarriage driver's lash
- fishing rodTackle for catching fish
Ability to bend easily
- supplenessCapacity to bend easily
- springinessCapacity for elastic recovery
- bendabilityCapacity to flex
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
elasticity · give · pliant · yielding · tensile · splinting · shaping · moldable
boning
Removing skeletal structure
Edwardian · tightlacing · hourglass · silhouette · crinoline · bustle · hoopskirt · pannier · girdle · undergarment
keratin
Structural hair protein
tortoiseshell · organic · biopolymer · artifact · antique · fossilized · craftsmanship · carving · engraving · inlay
cetacean
Aquatic mammal order
blowhole · fluke · krill · filter-feeding · hunting · harpoon · rendering · oil · blubber · maritime
parasol
Handheld shade device
- fanAdmirer or air mover
- corsetBoned waist-shaping undergarment
- buggy whipCarriage driver's lash
fishing rod · bodkin · comb · buttons · inlay
pliability
Ability to bend easily
- supplenessCapacity to bend easily
- springinessCapacity for elastic recovery
- bendabilityCapacity to flex
resilience · elasticity · give · pliant · yielding · tensile · splinting · shaping · moldable
- Victorian antiquesbustle, corset, bonnet, cravat, waistcoat
- corsetrycorset, stays, boning, busk, waist cincher
- Atlantic HistoryAtlantic crossing, transatlantic trade, transatlantic crossing, Columbus, triangle trade
- bone-like substancesivory, antler, horn, dentin, enamel
- Maori culturemana, tapu, whanaungatanga, whakapapa, waka
- Arctic toolsulu, harpoon, umiak, snow knife, snow goggles
whalebonespring steel
Elastic metal for flexing
nylon · polyester · fiberglass · carbon fiber