… a skirt that was flat and straight in the front and a back that was “poufed” out by use of a bustle or “tournure”. The large skirt “poufs” were below the waist and in the back.
Through the 1880’s, there were MANY kinds of bustles and “tournures”, ranging from stuffed tubes stacked on a cotton or linen flat piece, to extreme wire and tape contraptions. Each served a different purpose such as to support the lighter silks of evening gowns vs. the heavy cotton velveteen of walking dresses.
(Sketches: Left a “Pullman Bustle”; right “Tubular Bustle” of the mid to late 1880’s. Differing from the 1870’s bustles which tended to stay around the hips and upper thighs, these later and larger bustles both supported the back drapery from waist to floor. Note the fabric “tent” that pushed it away from the legs to keep the contraption vertical )