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Shirt

Clothing
ca.1884-1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Jaeger short sleeved shirt, worn by the playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). From Shaw's personal wardrobe.

Shaw was an enthusiastic patron of the Jaeger Company and wore many of their garments, as did the playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). The first branch of the Jaeger Company was established in 1884. The company promoted the health benefits of Dr. Jaeger's 'hygenic', 'Sanitary Woolen System' as outlined in his 1880 publication Die Normalkleidung als Gesundheitsschutz. The appeal and success of their products was such that, by 1900, the company had opened twenty branches across Britain.

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Discover more about this object
read A brief history of men's underwear From 19th-century ruffle-fronted shirts to 1990s Calvin Kleins, Shaun Cole, Associate Professor in Fashion at Winchester School of Art, explores the hidden history of men's underwear in this edited extract from the V&A book, 'Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear'.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleShirt (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Woven wool, machine stitched
Brief description
Jaeger short sleeved shirt, worn by the playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). From Shaw's personal wardrobe
Physical description
Jaeger short sleeved shirt, worn by the playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). From Shaw's personal wardrobe. The cream shirt is woven from pure wool, it has a soft collar and a centre front opening which fastens with a vertical row of 4 pearlised buttons. The shirt is cut in a simple T-shape, with short sleeves, and curved side vents, it is slightly longer at the rear than at the front. A label marked 'Jaeger, 126 Regent Street' has been sewn into the interior of the collar and a further label, woven in blue with the distinctive Jaeger trademark has been stitched to the interior of the proper left side interior of the front opening.
Dimensions
  • Centre front collar to front hem length: 75cm
  • Centre back collar to rear hem length: 83cm
  • Widest point width: 56cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'JAEGER / 126 Regent St.W.' (Woven text, red thread on cream cotton tape ground. The label is stitched to the interior of the collar.)
  • 'Jaeger's Sanitary Woollen System / Pure Wool Warrented' (Blue text woven on cotton tape, trademark. Label is style to the proper left interior of the front opening.)
  • '-9-' (Marking made in red cotton, stitched to the interior of the collar.)
Credit line
Given by the British Theatre Museum Association
Object history
Given to the British Theatre Museum Association by Barry Jones in November 1973.
Summary
Jaeger short sleeved shirt, worn by the playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). From Shaw's personal wardrobe.

Shaw was an enthusiastic patron of the Jaeger Company and wore many of their garments, as did the playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). The first branch of the Jaeger Company was established in 1884. The company promoted the health benefits of Dr. Jaeger's 'hygenic', 'Sanitary Woolen System' as outlined in his 1880 publication Die Normalkleidung als Gesundheitsschutz. The appeal and success of their products was such that, by 1900, the company had opened twenty branches across Britain.
Associated object
S.1418-1984 (Object)
Other number
1973/A/152 - BTMA accession number
Collection
Accession number
S.1417-1984

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Record createdJuly 1, 2009
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