<p>A corset (or "short stays", as it would have been known in the English language at that time) which is boneless and laced in front, as worn over a chemise in <i>Costumes Parisiens</i>, 1822.
</p>
By contrast, corsets which were intended to exert serious body-shaping force (such as those of the Victorian era) were longer (extending to and below the natural waist), stiffened with boning, and laced in back.
Unknown 1822 artist
1822
<i>Costumes Parisiens</i>