Circa 1820 Man’s Shirt

Circa 1820 Man’s Shirt – This is one of the earliest men’s shirts we have had; it dates to the second decade of the 19^th century and remains in excellent condition, with one what appears to be small ironing scorch on the back and one small stress hole in the placket . Men’s shirts, in the 1820s, were styled similarly to the 1810s, made primarily of cotton or linen. The fashion was for plain white, with very tall collars sitting under the chin, and tucks and pleats down the front opening, with frills and ruffles for evening wear. This shirt conforms to that description – it has a tall collar that can fold over readily for daily wear; there is a single mother-of-pearl button at the neck area, with a rather frilly, “gauze-like” placket down the front of the shirt; the shoulders are gathered and dropped; there are gussets under each arm and in both tail vents; the cuffs are wide with no closure buttons. The shirt appears to be hand sewn.