(If anyone’s wondering, here’s the picture.)

Illustrated Police News, London, June 25, 1870

Death Through Tight-Lacing 

(Subject of Illustration.)

It would be impossible to form anything like an accurate estimate of the thousands of persons who have fallen victims to the odious fashion of tight-lacing. A melancholy instance of this harmful practice occurred in New Town on Saturday last. Dorothea, the eldest daughter of Vincent Posthelwaite, Esq. (a highly respectable and wealthy merchant of New Town), died suddenly at a ball given in her father’s house. While dancing with a young gentleman to whom she was engaged, she was observed by her partner to turn pale and to gasp spasmodically for breath; she tottered for a few brief seconds, and then fell. The general impression was that she had fainted; restoratives were applied without producing the desired effect. A doctor was sent for, who, upon examining the patient, pronounced the ill fated young lady to be dead. The consternation of the family and guests may be readily imagined, which was not a little enhanced by the medical gentleman declaring that Miss Posthelwaite had died from no other cause than tight-lacing - the heart’s action had been impeded, the excitement and exertion was, under the circumstances, too great a strain upon the system, and hence sudden death. our artist furnished us with a picture, which is sufficiently significant in itself, without a commentary. Many of our fair readers will be at no loss to divine its meaning, and they will do well by taking a warning therefrom.