Support for women has been around longer than most people think.

Everything from evolution to patenting of the a shoulder-suspended brassiere will be presented by Jane Farrell-Beck, professor of textiles and clothing in the program “The Brassiere: Older Than You Think,” this Sunday.

Farrell-Beck will show a replica of the Mortimer-Clarke brassiere, made by Laura Poreski, a graduate student in textiles and clothing.

The original front panel of the Mortimer-Clarke bra from about the 1880’s was made out of elastic or an elastic woven cloth. Poreski said she reconstructed the bra with a six inch wide ace bandage.

The original brassiere was made to hold up all the woman’s under garments.

“I’d say the main difference between the Mortimer-Clarke brassiere and a modern sports bra is that it was meant to hold up your drawers and stockings. It actually had suspenders,” Poreski said. “The idea was to transfer the weight to the shoulders.”

“At the time we worked on the Mortimer-Clarke bra, we believed it was the earliest breast supporter,” Farrell-Beck said.

However, later Farrell-Beck found that two women had patented breast supporters in the 1870’s. This preceded Mortimer-Clarke’s brassiere by eight to nine years, she said.

Farrell-Beck found the oldest brassiere patented by L. Chapman dates back to 1863. Research is still on-going as to the earliest patented brassiere, she said.

The medical profession in the 1800’s gradually become more favorable toward the brassiere, and some doctors patented their own style, Farrell-Beck said. “These physicians were assisting patients who were pregnant or postpartum, and nursing,” she added.

“By the 1910s a nurse had patented a bra,” Farrell-Beck said, “and in the 1930s there was a mastectomy bra.”

Farrell-Beck will share her findings at the Brunnier Art Museum on the second floor of the Scheman Building. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome.