Band
1620-1630 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Cutwork decorates the edges of this falling linen band (collar) of the 1630s. The technique involved cutting holes in the linen to make a design and then finishing the raw edges with buttonhole stitch. Using white embroidery thread on a white fabric is a type of needlework known as whitework.
The band appeared as a new style of neckwear in the 1590s. It was worn informally in place of the ruff, because it used less fabric and was therefore less expensive. A band was also much easier to care for and soon replaced the ruff for all but the most formal occasions. A band was considered to be ‘standing’ or ‘falling’ depending on how it was arranged in relation to the doublet or bodice. A standing band was heavily starched and held perfectly flat by a wire, bone or card support underneath. For more informal occasions, a falling band was worn, lightly starched and allowed to drape over the collar of the garment underneath.
The band appeared as a new style of neckwear in the 1590s. It was worn informally in place of the ruff, because it used less fabric and was therefore less expensive. A band was also much easier to care for and soon replaced the ruff for all but the most formal occasions. A band was considered to be ‘standing’ or ‘falling’ depending on how it was arranged in relation to the doublet or bodice. A standing band was heavily starched and held perfectly flat by a wire, bone or card support underneath. For more informal occasions, a falling band was worn, lightly starched and allowed to drape over the collar of the garment underneath.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Linen; hand-woven, hand-sewn, hand-embroidered |
| Brief description | Man's linen band, 1625-50, English; embroidered with cutwork, floral, whitework |
| Physical description | Man’s falling band of linen. It is made of a rectangle of linen, darted at the neck edge and sewn to a 1¼-inch (3mm) neck band, with a worked eyelet at each end for fastening. The outer edge of the band is scalloped and embroidered with white linen and cutwork with simple bobbin lace insertions. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Part of the Isham collection purchased in 1899. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Cutwork decorates the edges of this falling linen band (collar) of the 1630s. The technique involved cutting holes in the linen to make a design and then finishing the raw edges with buttonhole stitch. Using white embroidery thread on a white fabric is a type of needlework known as whitework. The band appeared as a new style of neckwear in the 1590s. It was worn informally in place of the ruff, because it used less fabric and was therefore less expensive. A band was also much easier to care for and soon replaced the ruff for all but the most formal occasions. A band was considered to be ‘standing’ or ‘falling’ depending on how it was arranged in relation to the doublet or bodice. A standing band was heavily starched and held perfectly flat by a wire, bone or card support underneath. For more informal occasions, a falling band was worn, lightly starched and allowed to drape over the collar of the garment underneath. |
| Bibliographic reference | Avril Hart and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: the 17th and 18th centuries, London: V&A, 1998, p. 196
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 190-1900 |
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| Record created | January 2, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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