Caged Crinolines - The Deadly Skirts Of The Victorian Era
So, what are caged crinoline skirts?
In the mid-19th century, hoop skirts called cage crinolines became popular among Victorian women. These structured cages created the then popular, wide skirt look without the need for many layers. This new design quickly replaced the original crinoline skirt, which was a stiff petticoat made of horsehair fabric. It got it’s name from the French word crin “horsehair”. The caged design of the new crinoline skirts made for a more comfortable experience, and allowed the wearer to move more freely than their predecessor.
Popular, comical, and… deadly?
Though these skirts were popular with women, they were regularly mocked by men. Crinoline skirts could sometimes extend as wide as 18 feet. And were often made fun of in Victorian era cartoons. Many of the cartoons portrayed men being crushed by the unwieldy skirts. Others showed the wearers kept astonishingly far from other party guests due to their large skirts.
Unfortunately crinolines were not just a laughing matter. They were also prone to catching fire, and an estimated 3,000 women burned alive while wearing them. The flammable materials used to create these skirts and the presence of large air pockets that could fuel a flame, made the perfect environment for a deadly fire. It only took accidentally brushing up against a lit candle or stove top, or even just a stray spark from the fireplace, for the whole skirt to go up in flames.
What made these skirts so flammable?
The crinoline’s hooped framework was created using whalebone until 1856, when a lighter frame made of steel hoops started being made. Though steel hoops became more popular, some women still wore ones made from whalebone. Both types of hoops were held together by fabric or tape. And both types were extremely dangerous.
Oil within the whale bones, used to make crinoline skirts, is highly flammable. In fact, the oil was initially obtained for use in domestic and street lighting. Though, its uses diversified to include lubricants, margarine and even explosives. The steel frames were not in and of themselves flammable, like whalebone. But the combination of air pockets and the fabric surrounding the cage, made these frames just as hazardous.
The fabrics involved?
Lightweight and airy fabrics, such as muslin, tulle and gauze, were fashionable in the 19th century. The delicate and ethereal appearance of these materials made them quite popular among the Victorian people. Unfortunately, they were also highly flammable. Flannelette, often called brushed cotton, was another popular fabric. The working class wore it as a substitute for the more expensive, traditional wool-based flannel. To mimic the soft wool surface, cheap cotton was brushed to produce a ‘nap’ that felt soft and warm. It too, was readily-ignited. Incidents of women’s clothes going up in flames were so common that they incited the development of less flammable materials. Regulations regarding fabric safety were eventually put into effect as well.
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Sources:
- Clifton, Alana. “Fatal Fashion | Fiery Fabric.” The Sartorial Project, 31 May 2024, www.thesartorialproject.com/en-us/blogs/news/f
- “Fashion Victims: The Toxicology of Fashion - Flammable Clothing.” Surgeons Hall Museums, 4 July 2025, surgeonshallmuseums.wordpress.com/2025/07/04/fashion-victims-the-toxicology-of-fashion-flammable-clothing/
- Higgs, Nicholas D., et al. “Bones as Biofuel: A Review of Whale Bone Composition with Implications for Deep-Sea Biology and Palaeoanthropology.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 278, no. 1702, 11 Aug. 2010, pp. 9–17, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2992730/, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.1267
- Multiple Contributors “Crinoline | Clothing.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/crinoline
- “The Crinoline Fashion Trend That Killed Thousands of Women, 1855-1870 - Rare Historical Photos.” Https://Rarehistoricalphotos.com/, 17 Sept. 2021, rarehistoricalphotos.com/crinoline-historical-photos/
