Summary

During the Victorian era, the discovery of electricity led to its incorporation into fashion through electric corsets and belts, which were advertised with unfounded health claims by quack doctors and capitalized on the cultural obsession with electricity.

Abstract

The article discusses the Victorian era's fascination with electricity, which was so profound that it influenced fashion with the introduction of electric corsets and belts. These items were marketed with grandiose claims, suggesting they could cure a variety of ailments, capitalizing on the public's awe of electrical technology. The era's press often referred to inventors like Thomas Edison as "wizards," reflecting the magical perception of electricity. However, the excitement surrounding these innovations allowed pseudoscience to thrive, with figures like C.S. Harness promoting products like the "Electropathic Belt" and "Electric Corset," despite having no medical qualifications. These products were eventually exposed as fraudulent, leading to lawsuits and a decline in their popularity.

Opinions

The author views the Victorian era's embrace of electricity in fashion as a cultural craze that was both intriguing and misguided.
There is a clear skepticism towards the claims made by pseudoscientific figures and the lack of regulation in advertising such products.
The article suggests that the public's limited understanding of electricity at the time made them susceptible to the allure of these dubious health devices.
The author implies that the success of these electric fashion items was largely due to effective marketing and the societal status of electricity as a symbol of modernity.
There is an underlying critique of the historical lack of oversight and research in the publication of health claims related to these products.
The author seems to appreciate the historical significance and entertainment value of these quirky inventions, while also acknowledging the harm they could have caused.

ARTICLE

Fads From The Past: Electric Corsets and Belts

Quack doctors and false advertisements: how the discovery of electricity made its way to Victorian fashion.

*The Penny Illustrated Paper and Illustrated Times*, 31 December 1892

In our current age, we are so used to seeing a lightbulb turn on that we don’t see anything particularly special about this piece of technology. One can only imagine how magical it all must’ve seemed to those who saw it for the first time.

This can be observed while reading some Victorian era newspapers; Thomas Edison was called the “wizard” of electricity by the press, due to his many marvelous electric inventions. Edison was a celebrity, as he was the face of this almost supernatural achievement.

Although this wave of electric inventions began with many practical household items—such as lamps and telegraphs—eventually, “electric” turned into a gimmicky word. It became a cultural craze and obsession.

The buzz and excitement surrounding this newfound technology paved the way to some pretty odd, pseudoscientific products.

Electricity became this grandiose symbol of modernity. The pinnacle of human achievement: we were on a cultural high. Thus, many advertisements took advantage of this phenomenon and claimed it cured practically any ailment:

Middlesex & Surrey Express — Saturday 30 September 1893

Text: ELECTRICITY WILL CURE YOU. All sufferers should know that Electricity is now recognized as a valuable curative agent in all forms of disease. ‘Harness’s Electropathic Belt’ has proved to thousands an unfailing remedy in Indigestion, Constipation, Rheumatism, Gout, Sciatica, Liver and Kidney complaints, Varicocele, Ladies’ Ailments and Nervous Diseases. Send for consultation form, and pamphlets post free. Write, Mr. C.S., Harness, 58, Oxford Street, London, W. —Middlesex & Surrey Express, 1893

Doctors and scientists were still trying to understand the connection between electricity and anatomy. But, as always, pseudoscience and quacks had to scramble for a rushed explanation, so they could capitalize off of this phenomenon as fast as possible.

So, now we have a variety of questionable electric inventions. The one mentioned in the previous article is “Harness’s Electropathic Belt”.

Harness also invented what he deemed the “Electric Corset”, which was actually magnetic rather than electric. All it contained was a magnetic steel husk. It supposedly cured indigestion and “strengthened internal organs”. These false claims were only the tip of the iceberg.

Harness was a furniture salesman and jeweler, who claimed he was a “medical electrician”, even though he had no certifications or qualifications.

He quickly became one of the most notorious quacks during this era of electric-mania— you’d be hard-pressed to find a newspaper that didn’t contain a ridiculous advertisement for his products. There was not much regulation, or research being done when publishing these claims. So, let’s just say, if cancer was prevalent in the Victorian Era, without a doubt, these quacks would’ve also claimed it cured cancer.

After quite a few years of success—between the 1890s and 1920s, they sold thousands of products in the United States alone—the inevitable lawsuits came flooding in.

In 1892, a young man suffering from a hernia sued Harness’s company, as his condition only got worse since using the acclaimed belt. He won the case, and it opened the floodgates for many others.

The Press, Vol. 8,663 — Tuesday December 12, 1893

A year later, “The Pall Mall Gazette” published an exposé on this product titled “The Electropathic Belt Swindle”. Soon thereafter, sales declined drastically, and like with any fad, people moved on to the next thing.

Harness—with his reputation now down the drain—couldn’t sell any more products.

Thank you for reading! Really enjoyed finding these newspapers and adverts.

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