According to Life magazine, in 1889 Herminie Cadolle of France invented the first modern bra. It appeared in a corset catalogue as a two-piece undergarment, which she originally called the corselet gorge, and later le bien-être (or "the well-being").

Did girls wear bras in the 1800s?

Despite strict, even uptight, Victorian morals, corsets during the 1800s exaggerated women's bodies. However, some forms of the bra were still around, as this risqué photo from 1900 shows. ... But the first truly modern bra is often attributed to this woman, Mary Phelps Jacob, who would later be known as Caresse Crosby.

When did bras get invented?

Caresse Crosby patented the first modern bra in the U.S. in 1914. While primping for a debutante ball, she donned a stiff corset and tight corset cover beneath her sheer evening gown.