“The Evolution of Underwear in Art: A Historical Overview”
**The Legacy and Evolution of Undergarments: A Glimpse into Nina Edwards’ *The Virtues of Underwear***
Fashion history is often perceived as the tale of opulent outerwear, iconic dresses, and avant-garde design. Yet the evolution of intimate apparel forms a rich, overlooked narrative that reveals the social, economic, and cultural transformations of societies across centuries. British writer Nina Edwards dives deep into this underappreciated topic in her new book, *The Virtues of Underwear: Modesty, Flamboyance, and Filth* (2024). Through a wealth of historical documents, illustrations, and artifacts, Edwards explores the dual nature of underwear as both a private necessity and a public statement.
What may initially appear as a mundane subject is deftly shaped into a survey of human ingenuity, societal norms, and even rebellion. The book reveals the fascinating ways in which intimate garments have symbolized everything from modesty and propriety to confidence and flamboyance, showing how underwear is both a reflection of culture and a driver of individual agency.
—
### **Unmentionables Through Time**
Edwards organizes her book into eight chapters, each dissecting specific themes such as the origin and purpose of undergarments, their class and gender connotations, and the marketing methods used to commodify them. While focusing primarily on Western fashion history, Edwards includes global perspectives that highlight the universality of intimate apparel and its nuanced cultural adaptations.
One of the most significant challenges Edwards faces as a historian is the scarcity of early, preserved examples of underwear. Unlike elaborate evening gowns or ceremonial attire, undergarments were often subjected to heavy wear and typically discarded when no longer functional. In an interview for the *New Books in Women’s History* podcast, Edwards noted, “The material examples we have tend to be clothing that wasn’t worn very much … If it was more or less worn out by the wearer, it might be reused as rags or for other purposes.” Still, Edwards employs creative documentation methods, relying on paintings, illustrations, and photographs to supplement this absence.
—
### **A Visual Odyssey**
One of the book’s strengths is its imagery. With 89 historical illustrations and photos, the book brings the history of undergarments vividly to life. Edwards includes everything from Renaissance paintings to 20th-century billboard advertisements, weaving a visual tapestry that traces the evolution of intimate apparel.
Highlights include a color photo of the pale blue, knit silk shirt worn by England’s King Charles I on the day of his execution in 1649, as well as a black-and-white image of a preserved Inuit *naatsit* (a thong lined with seal fur) from the 19th century. Edwards also showcases Japanese woodblock prints, such as an 1837 illustration of a samurai donning a *fundoshi* (a traditional loincloth), alongside modern phenomena like New Zealand’s *Cardrona Bra Fence*, which has come to symbolize playful individuality and activism.
Edwards also draws attention to professional photography’s role in preserving the lingerie evolution. Stanley Kubrick’s 1949 photograph of a lingerie model smoking a cigarette encapsulates mid-20th-century sophistication, consumerism, and beauty standards. Such contrasting depictions of modesty, functionality, and sensuality reflect how undergarments have transcended their origins as mere necessities.
—
### **The Social Significance of Underwear**
Undergarments serve a deeper societal role beyond their physical function. Edwards delves into how corsets, codpieces, crinolines, and lingerie have been appropriated to signify class, gender, and morality. For example, she highlights how early corsets were blamed for everything from tuberculosis to infertility in women, reflecting the medical and moral prejudices of their time. Similarly, the crinoline, despite its association with femininity and fashion, has been repurposed in art to lampoon excessive consumerism and cheating customs officials, as demonstrated in Honoré-Victorin Daumier’s 1857 lithograph *The Usefulness of a Crinoline When Cheating the Customs.*
Edwards also contextualizes how intimate apparel intersects with political movements and social reform. From bras used as symbols of women’s liberation in the 1960s to modern efforts in sustainable fashion and menstrual equity campaigns, underwear has frequently been as much about ideology as it has been about comfort or practicality.
—
### **Material Evolution: From Wool to Spandex**
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is the focus on the transformation of fabric technologies. Edwards explains how materials like cotton, linen, and wool dominated early undergarment production due to their availability and durability, only to be gradually replaced by silk, latex, and synthetic fibers in the 20th century. Spandex, in particular, revolutionized underwear design by bridging the gap between comfort, durability, and aesthetic appeal.
Edwards provides case studies that reveal how materials often dictated the function and form of intimate