English: Victorian dress lifter. Dress lifters were used to prevent long Victorian dresses from trailing in the mud. The two circular discs would be placed around the hem of the skirt, and could be locked tight by the device at the top, which is decorated in the shape of a seashell. A cord was attached to the waist and threaded through the holes of the locking device. This meant that once the lifter had been attached, the skirt could be hoisted up or down without the need to bend or use hands to lift the dress.