Figure 1.--Here we see a blouse worn by a younger American boy in the 1860s. There are not a lot of images showing shirts because most boys in the 1860s wore their suit jackets for portraits. These boys were from Germantown, Pennsylvania. Put your cursor on the imsage to see a Civil war era revenue stamp (1864-66).

We have very limited information on shirts and collars before the mid-19th century when photography was developed. The greatly increased number of images at that time provide a great deal of informatin on shirt-like garments and collars. Shirts with small collars seem the dominant type t mid-century. You can often varely see whay type of collar was being worn when worn with suits. We see a lot of boys wearing plaid shirt-like unics in the mid-19th century. Suit jackets, often cutaway jackets becomne nore common in the 1860s. In fact they are so common we rarely see the shirts boys are wearing. Often only a small collar shows over the jacket and vest. Gradually we begin to see larger collars, usually white collsars. Some were detachabe collars worn with shirt waists. Younger boys might wear Fauntleroy blouses with lace collars. At the end of the decade ruffled collrs were poplar, sometimnes huge, worn both with and without floppy bows. Often school age boys wore blouses with large collars and knee pants. Eton collars were popular for formall wear. The Eton collar continued to be worn in the early 20th century as did blouses with large collars. After World War I collars became smaller. Younger boys might wear blouses with Eton collars or Peter Pan collars. Detachable collars disappeared. Sport collars were popular for a while. Open collars became increasingly popular. Some boys buttoned their collars. Some parents believed it was proper to do this. After World War II, T-shirts without collars became increasingly popular. Preppy styles like Polo-shirts and button-sown collars became fashionable along with madras shirts. Rugby shirts were a popular casual style in the 1970s.

The 18th Century

The 19th Century

We have very limited information on shirts and collars before the mid-19th century when photography was developed. The greatly increased number of images at that time provide a great deal of informatin on shirt-like garments and collars. Shirts with small collars seem the dominant type t mid-century. You can often varely see whay type of collar was being worn when worn with suits. We see a lot of boys wearing plaid shirt-like unics in the mid-19th century. Suit jackets, often cutaway jackets becomne nore common in the 1860s. In fact they are so common we rarely see the shirts boys are wearing. Often only a small collar shows over the jacket and vest. Some blouses do not seem to have had collars. Gradually we begin to see larger collars, usually white collars. Some were detachabe collars worn with shirt waists. Collars by the 1880s had become quite large, some enormous. Many younger boys seem almost enveloped by their collars. Younger boys might wear Fauntleroy blouses with lace collars. At the end of the decade ruffled collrs were poplar, sometimnes huge, worn both with and without floppy bows. While neckwear was optional, the collars were almost always buttoned. Often school age boys wore blouses with large collars and knee pants. Eton collars were popular for formall wear.

The 20th Century

The Eton collar continued to be worn in the early 20th century as did blouses with large collars. We see older boys wearing more adult styles like wing collars. After World War I collars became smaller. Shirts become much more casual. Specifically leisure styles appear. The standard pointed collar became increasingly common. Younger boys might wear blouses with Eton collars or Peter Pan collars. Detachable collars disappeared. Button-on shirts are commonly worn by younger and school-age boys. Sport colllars were popular for a while. Open collars became increasingly popular. Some boys buttoned their collars. Some parents believed it was proper to do this. This gradually becme less and less common. After World War II, T-shirts without collars became increasingly popular. Stripped_T shirts become standard in grammar (primary) school. Rebellious teenagersmight wear white-T-shirts with jeans. Preppy styles like Polo-shirts and button-sown collars became fashionable along with madras shirts. Rugby shirts were a popular casual style in the 1970s. Boys in high school also began wearing T-shirts. Collaed shirts gradually became seen as a formal attire. T-shirts with sports and other logo become a fashion statement. Neckwear gradually became less and less common and by the 1980s was only worn for formal occassions.

The 21st Century

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Created: 6:48 AM 6/16/2007
Last updated: 8:09 PM 7/29/2007