08/15/2026
Carved Walnut Busk, attributed to Major John Dunlap (1746-1792). Illustrated in The Currier Gallery of Art, “The Dunlaps & Their Furniture,” Manchester, New Hampshire: Lee Cummings, Inc., 1970, fig. 105. Coming this fall, as part of the Collection of Bud & Ruth Meader.
Although often ornamented, busks served a functional purpose. They were inserted into the front of a corset or bodice and served to keep the front of the garment completely flat and rigid, flattening the stomach and forcing the wearer to maintain proper upright posture.