Shirt
1740-1780 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The shirt was an item of underwear in the 18th century. It served a hygienic function in an age when daily bathing was not a common practice. Shirts were purchased in the dozens if the owner could afford them, so that a clean one could be worn every day. They were usually made of linen, a washable and durable fabric, in a simple construction. A shirt pattern was a series of squares (for gussets) and rectangles (sleeves, collar, cuffs, etc) which ensured that no scraps were left over after the pieces had been cut from a length of linen.
The hand stitching on 18th-century shirts is extremely fine, in order to prevent the seams from fraying during the harsh hand-laundering process. In this example, fine pleats have been ironed into the sleeves, to accommodate the tightly fitting sleeves of the coat worn over the shirt.
The hand stitching on 18th-century shirts is extremely fine, in order to prevent the seams from fraying during the harsh hand-laundering process. In this example, fine pleats have been ironed into the sleeves, to accommodate the tightly fitting sleeves of the coat worn over the shirt.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Linen hand sewn with linen thread |
| Brief description | Man's linen shirt, British, 1740-80; H6 in blue cross-stitch, sleeves pleated by starching. |
| Physical description | Man’s shirt of linen known as ‘medium holland’ with a thread count of 100 warp × 80 weft, sewn with linen thread. The full width of the linen is unknown—only one selvedge appears on the left side of the shirt—but it was wider than 32 inches (81 cm). It is ‘T-shaped’, constructed of rectangular pieces: body, collar, 2 sleeves, 2 shoulder straps, 2 cuffs, 2 sleeve gussets, 2 side gussets and 2 neck gussets. The collar is 4 inches (10 cm) deep, fastening with 3 Dorset [linen thread) buttons and worked button holes. The wristbands are ⅞ inch (2 cm) deep, with worked buttonholes at each end for fastening with sleeve buttons [cuff links]. The sleeves retain their eighteenth-century pleating held with starch. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'H 6' (Cross-stitched in blue silk near right side seam.) |
| Gallery label |
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| Summary | The shirt was an item of underwear in the 18th century. It served a hygienic function in an age when daily bathing was not a common practice. Shirts were purchased in the dozens if the owner could afford them, so that a clean one could be worn every day. They were usually made of linen, a washable and durable fabric, in a simple construction. A shirt pattern was a series of squares (for gussets) and rectangles (sleeves, collar, cuffs, etc) which ensured that no scraps were left over after the pieces had been cut from a length of linen. The hand stitching on 18th-century shirts is extremely fine, in order to prevent the seams from fraying during the harsh hand-laundering process. In this example, fine pleats have been ironed into the sleeves, to accommodate the tightly fitting sleeves of the coat worn over the shirt. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.360-1984 |
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| Record created | July 20, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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