As we have already pointed out, the corset was especially employed to accentuate the breasts, the corset having already produced the stimulating contrast between the prominence of the breast and the slenderness of the waist, increased by lacing. At the same time, at an early date the denuding of the upper part of the breasts was associated with this accentuation, the top of the dress being cut away in front _à la grand’ gorge_, whilst the corset, strengthened by rods of whalebone or steel, produced a _bonne conché_. This accentuation of the breasts dominated feminine fashion down to the present day. Besides the use of the corset in this matter, the region of the breasts was also rendered more prominent by the use of artificial breasts made of wax, by ornaments in the form of breast-rings, etc. The partial denuding of the breasts represents the true _décolleté_ of our balls and parties, a custom which a man so tolerant in other respects as H. Bahr condemns on æsthetic grounds.[109] “The art of undressing and enjoying =in imagination= beautiful girls and women,” says Georg Hirth, “is learnt chiefly at Court and other balls, at which the feminine guests are compelled by fashion to bare the upper part of the body. It is astonishing how quickly, how invariably, the girls of the upper classes accustom themselves to this exhibition, which exercises so stimulating an effect upon us of the opposite sex. And yet they would turn up their noses if, at the parties of non-commissioned officers and servants, the women allowed such extensive glimpses of their charms. I once heard a girl three years of age express a naive surprise when she saw the _décolletage_ of her mother, who was about to go to a ball. What a scolding would the poor servant-girl get if _she_ were to exhibit her nudity to the children in such a manner!”[110] Fr. Th. Vischer also severely criticizes this exposure of feminine nudities _coram publico_. Moreover, the free enjoyment of alcohol customary among men at these evening entertainments is likely to induce a frame of mind in which the charms thus freely displayed before their eyes will receive an attention _not_ purely æsthetic. As regards the corset more particularly, it is not only =unæsthetic=, but also =unhygienic=. The corset draws in the beautiful outline of the feminine body in the most disagreeable manner; the wasp waist which it produces is an ugly exaggeration of the natural condition. The lady editor of the _Documents of Women_ instituted an inquiry amongst a number of artists in regard to the corset. One of these, the architect Leopold Bauer, replied as follows: