Breast bags

There is a picture in November’s National Geographic of a 15th century linen “skirted bra” from Austria’s Lengberg Castle. This discovery in a cluttered vault resembles the modern long-line bra and is evidence of the “breast bags” referred to by some medieval authors. It surprised clothing historians who thought bra cups were a 19th century creation.

There is no definite proof of when the brassiere was first introduced, but Aphrodite of Greek history is mentioned in Homer’s Iliad as wearing a “curiously embroidered girdle.” Women depicted in a 4th century C.E. mosaic are shown with bandeau-sty...