The traditional Belarusian women’s costume had common roots with the Ukrainian and Russian folk dress. At the same time, it reflected the influence of Polish and Lithuanian traditions. Nevertheless, the clothing of Belarusian women became a distinctive and independent phenomenon. In Siberia, they did not wear sarafans at all. The traditional female attire consisted of a long canvas shirt, a skirt, an apron or a bodice.

References to these popular bodices in Siberia were not found in all the villages where people were resettled. Aprons were more often registered, which were generally made of thin linen cloth of white color and decorated with various patterns. The clothing of Belarusian settlers was characterized by the significant role of linen in its production.

Belarusian peasant women produced both coarse and fine linen on hand looms. At the same time, in some regions of Siberia, the culture of linen cultivation was less widespread or completely absent among Russian long-time residents. Besides linen, Belarusians used hemp, sheep’s wool, and cattle skin as traditional materials for making clothes.

Malorussian women were often depicted wearing a short dark bodice over a shirt. According to some ethnographic descriptions of women’s clothing, in the 19th century it was called a “corset”. It was adorned with embroidery, lace, appliqués and decorative patches of colored braid. At that time, it was made of chintz, velvet and brocade.

The bodice from the museum’s collection was made from woolen fabric, with the cotton lining sewn to it using lockstitch. The item was decorated with cross-stitch embroidery, and satin ribbons of brown color were sewn to it.

By the 1920s, traditional clothes began to lose their significance, and Belarusians started to wear urban dress. The bodice was made by Anna Iosifovna Palto, a native of Brest region. This piece of clothing was part of a dance costume, in which the craftswoman toured Belarusian towns and villages with travelling concerts in the 1960–1970s.