From luxury lingerie to linen underpants. Under/wear is a Rijksmuseum Special Collections display tracing shifts in underwear trends between 1640 and 1940 – from linen underpants belonging to 17th-century Dutch ruler Hendrik Casimir I to early 20th-century stocking suspenders.

Underclothing was purely functional in the 17th century, but from the 19th century onwards fashion increasingly came into play . This was the era of corsets, petticoats, crinolines, chemise undershirts and ‘directoire’ knickers. The display is running until 16 June 2024.

RARE 17TH-CENTURY UNDERGARMENT One of the most exceptional objects in the display is a pair of underpants dating from between 1630 and 1640. It belonged to Hendrik Casimir I, Count of Nassau-Dietz and ruling Stadtholder of the Dutch province of Friesland. Undergarments such as these were worn in the 17th-century only by the very wealthy, so they are now very rare. Most men in this period wore a long shirt tucked into their trousers. This pair of underpants is one of very few in Europe to have survived from the 17th century to the present day . It has been preserved thanks to the decision of Hendrik Casimir’s family to keep his clothing in memory of his death on the battlefield.