Regretfully, I neglected to wish a very happy 100th birthday to the bra yesterday.  To mark the milestone and give thanks for a century of support, let’s take a moment to appreciate the bra’s humble beginnings.

Bras, officially known as brassieres, have been used throughout history to cover, restrain and shape womens’ breasts.  Bra-like undergarments were depicted on female athletes as far back as the seventh century BCE (Minoan ear).  The first historical reference to brassieres may come from India during the rule of king Harshavardhana (1st Century CE).  In China, a rudimentary bra was made from two cups, a piece of cloth and shoulder straps that connected to a rear seam that also sucked in the stomach. 

By the 16th century, the bra had gained some renowned in the states and was worn by wealthy women in the form of corsets.  Cosets became girdles in the latter part of the 19th century and the bra as we know it emerged in the early 20th century with commerical production reaching prominance in the 1930′s. 

Credit for the invention of the modern day bra usually is shared.  In 1859,  Henry S. Lesher of Brooklyn, New York  patented a devise meant to give “symmetrical rotundity” to the wearer.  Luman L. Chapman of Camden, New Jersey patented a “corset substitute” in 1863.  In 1876 a dressmaker named Olivia Flynt was granted four patents for her “true Corset” or “Flynt Waist” which was marketed toward well-endowed woman.  The Flynt garments saw great success because they were thought to be more hygienic than previous models.  A frenchwoman, Herminie Cadolle, also stakes a claim as the inventor of the modern bra in 1889 (she called it  le bien-etre, or the well-being).