Reading from her forthcoming book A Proper Fit (working title, Tidepool Press https://tidepoolpress.com/about/), Anne Marie Murphy will introduce some of the many women who worked in Worcester's corset industry that began in the 1860s, continuing until the 1980s.  Thousands of the city's women made corsets during those years, some performing specific tasks at factories such as a presser or a stitcher, some running their own one-person shops where they custom-made corsets for their regular clients, and one even opening her own factory and allied chain of retail shops across the U.S.  These corset-makers were widows, divorcees, immigrants, former dressmakers, former shopkeepers, sixth grade drop-outs.  They and the corsets they created played important roles in the history of the city.

Anne Marie Murphy is the author of City of Corsets, a history of the 120+ corset making businesses in the city of Worcester (1860-1980) that focuses on its many women entrepreneurs.  A professional researcher for the film & television industry for over thirty years, she has a Bachelor's degree in English Literature (Bowdoin College) and a Master's degree from the UCLA Film School.  This is her first book.

More information about the corset history project can be found at www.cityofcorsets.com