Waists got tinier as time went on…

.. in the early Victorian Era.  Busks and metal boning became stronger, and the rib cage started to move from its normal position.  By the 1860’s, the 13″ waist of Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With the Wind” would be possible due to her corset.

(Corsets: left 1850 and right 1860 – getting tighter and more controlling; simpler and less ornamented)