Invention by experience
The primary source analysed in this paper is a corset from the Victorian Era found in the London Museum. Unlike a written document, it does not communicate an idea explicitly through words, but rather provides material evidence of how women’s bodies were expected to be shaped and presented.
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The corset appears to be made from a pale blue or greyish silk-like material, with metal eyelets on the back allowing it to be tightened through a cream-coloured lacing. Not only that, but it also seems like it can be opened at the front, allowing women to put on the undergarment more easily. At the sides, both at the front and the back, there are three buttons, which may imply that a skirt or dress was intended to be attached around the hip area. The corset appears extremely rigid, suggesting an internal structure or metal support designed to maintain its exaggerated hourglass silhouette, with the waist significantly narrower than the hips and bust. This structure implies that the garment was designed not only to shape the body, but also to discipline it into the desired form; therefore, it was not merely functional, but also restrictive. The maker was most likely a professional manufacturer, which can be deduced from the corset’s symmetrica structure. Moreover, no visible imperfections can be observed, suggesting skilled craftsmanship.
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When compared to other corsets of the time, which were often made from cotton and in more neutral colours, it can be deduced that this was a more refined garment rather than an everyday piece of clothing. Its material and decorative elements suggest that the owner was most likely a middle or upper-class woman with considerable economic means. At the same time, signs of wear can be observed through the creasing of the fabric and the slight staining visible in some areas, demonstrating that the corset was actively used rather than simply decorative. Earlier Victorian corsets tended to prioritise practicality and less exaggerated shaping, so this example reflects the preference for a more dramatic hourglass silhouette during the late nineteenth century. However, compared to later Edwardian “S-bend”corsets, it still maintains a relatively balanced shape rather than the strongly curved silhouette that became fashionable in the early twentieth century.
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The purpose of this Victorian garment appears to have been both practical — supporting the torso and allowing dresses to fit according to contemporary fashion — and ideological—conveying the ideal of femininity through the image of a small waist, controlled posture, and bodily discipline—. Therefore, this undergarment reflects broader expectations regarding women’s appearance and behaviour in public society. Although the corset was made for a specific wearer, its effects were intended to be publicly visible. It shaped the female body beneath clothing so that a woman’s external appearance matched Victorian ideals of femininity, elegance, and social status.
However, beyond revealing the idealised feminine silhouette imposed by fashion standards, it is impossible to know whether the user found the corset uncomfortable, attractive, oppressive, or even empowering. This demonstrates how material objects can reveal social expectations while concealing individual experience.
To conclude, this corset is a valuable primary source for historians seeking to understand how fashion, gender, class, and the body were interconnected in Victorian Britain. It supports the idea that clothing was not merely decorative, but also functioned as a means of constructing social identity and reinforcing cultural expectations surrounding femininity.
The episode that will be analysed in this essay is “Prestonpans”, episode ten from season two of the TV series Outlander. In this episode the representation of the Battle of Prestonpans—hence the title—, which took place in 1745 during the Jacobite rising, is showcased through the fictional storyline of Jamie and Claire Fraser, alongside the Highlander clans and soldiers that surround them. Therefore, it is not a neutral representation, since the audience is encouraged to sympathise with the Jacobite cause.
There is a significant bias of omission since the Scottish and British armies are portrayed very differently. The audience is meant to connect with the Jacobites, presenting them as brave and loyal soldiers defending their cause, causing a deep emotional connection to the characters. In opposition, the British army is reduced to the role of the opposing enemy and not complex individuals with their own motives. As a result, the British are reduced to antagonistic figures rather than portrayed as individuals with legitimate political motivations. This reflects the element of romantic nationalism, showing the Highlander culture as authentic and morally superior to the British force.
This idea and connection is reinforced by the way the highland clan is shown as an intimate camp that pays close attention to the relationships between characters and their feelings. Episode ten focuses on the Jacobite rising, not giving space to the British perspectives, presenting the conflict through Highland identity, simplifying a complex political conflict into a narrative that threatens the romanticised Highland culture. The production of the series emphasieses the courage and sacrifce pf the Highlanders through violent and chaotic battle scenes, making the viewer experience these harsh images through characters they are already emotionally familiar with. Therefore, this historical conflict becomes a drama of loyalty and national identity, making the Jacobite cause feel personal and moral to the audience, in opposition to the British army.
Nevertheless, although the viewers stand with the highlanders, the battle shown in this episode is not meant to feel solely triumphal. Through Claire’s eyes war is not perceived as glorious but rather as traumatic and chaotic. She takes medical care of both Scottish and British soldiers, implying that human lives are far more important than the war that this series showcases. She brings emotion and grief, creating tension through the romanticisation of the Jacobite side at the same time it criticises the cost of war—countless human deaths—.
Through Claire’s character the viewer also experiences a form of dramatic irony as well as hindsight bias, since they are aware that the Jacobite cause will ultimately fail and end in a terrible disaster at the Battle of Culloden. Consequently, even victories do not feel like a complete triumph or win, because it is already known that the ending is already doomed. That is why even a victory, such as the one portrayed in this episode, is presented with sadness rather than victory, foreshadowing the imminent result. Even though the episode commemorates a traumatic historical event, it should not be interpreted as an accurate representation of the real conflict.
In conclusion, “Prestonpans” is not an objective representation of the real historical event. Its historical bias lies in the romanticised portrayal of the Jacobite and Highland perspective, reinforced by the deep emotional connection to the characters and storytelling, as well as the production itself. Not only does the episode create a connection between viewer and the scots, but it also complicates this bias that they enforce by showing the traumatic consequences and cost of war, from both sides of it.