It is not clear who first introduced the cage crinoline although
its invention has been attributed to the English couturier
Charles Frederick Worth working in Paris. His most prestigious
client, the Empress Eugenie, is said to have worn one on a visit
to Queen Victoria in 1855, and it is recorded that Queen
Victoria pronounced them to be "indelicate", refusing to wear
one. Surviving photographs of Victoria suggest otherwise
however, and certainly, the crinoline was an undersupport worn
universally by women throughout society in the later 1850s and
early 1860s. Cage crinoline petticoats were made of narrow
parallel bands of metal, often watch spring, fixed in a bell-
shaped structure with tapes or fabric. The metal frame was far
lighter to wear than several layers of cotton petticoats and
still created a full rounded silhouette. However it was
difficult to manage without having accidents when doing
housework, travelling, or coping with the weather, and it
provided rich amunition for lampoons in magazines like P