|
HBC has not yet been able to assess English shirts and blouses. Our information is still quite limited. We have, however, done some work on collars, in particular Eton and lace collars. The Eton collar was a major style worn by English boys during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but rapidly declined until after World War I. We notice younger boys wearing fancy blouses, but not nearly as common as in France. British boys commonly wore standard pointed collars. We do not notice boys in the post-World War II era wearing colorful shirts, perhas because school uniforms became so common. Also button-down collars were not nearly as popular as in the United States.
There are three basic shirt types. We note blouses, shirts and shirt waists. The prevalence and conventions of each as well as styles have varied over time. Our information on English blouses is still quite limited. The most common blouse was of course the sailor-styled middy blouse. We notice younger boys wearing fancy blouses trimed in lace and ruffles in a variety of different styles. Some appear to have been for formal occassions like weddings. The boy seen here was probably a member of a wedding party. They were not nearly as common as in France. We notice some younger boys wearing blouses with Peter Pan collars. After World War I, the blouse gradually becme more of a girl's garment, although younger bous might still wear them, especially for formal occasions. Shirts emerged as the standar top after World ar I. British boys commonly wore standard pointed collars. We do not notice boys in the post-World War II era wearing colorful shirts, perhaps because school uniforms became so common. Most boys wore plain grey shirts to school because they did not show the dirt. White shirts were also worn, especially for dress up occassions. Some readers in the 1960s and 70s recall wearing nylon white shirts. Some liked them, ithers thought that they uncomfotable. After World War II we begin to see blue shirts at some scools. Also button-down collars were not nearly as popular as in the United States. Waists have differnt meanings. Shirt waist commonly means a short without a collar. They wre worn with detachable collars, especially Eton collars. This became a common practice when laundry was a major undertaking for the home maker who has to work without laundry detergents, a washing machine, or even hot water tap. Scrub boards were very common and were very labor intensive. They might also be worn casully without a detacable collar.
There are many elements making up sdhirts and blouses. The most obvuous and the one that acually defines the shirt is the collar. There are many collar styles and the size of the collar has varied over time. The sleeves are also important. Wpmen and girls have worn short sleeve dresses for some times. Men and boys for some reason dod not begin wearing short sleeves until the 20th century. Sleeve cuffs were done in various ways. Other important elements include the closings (usually buttns), front placket, waist treatment ctails, and pockets.
The collar is most associated with shirt-like garments (shirts, blouses, shirt-waist, ect.), but are found on many other garments (dresses, smocks, tunics, coats, romper suits, and other garments), The collar fastens around or frames the neck. There are other fashion elements associated with the neck, such as revers and lapels. The destinguishing feature of the collar is usually being fashioned from a separate piece of fabric, rather than a folded or cut part of the same piece of fabric used for the main body of the garment. This is especially true of suit lapls. The modern collar evolved from the ruffle created by the drawstring at the neck of the medieval chemise--a standard garment. It evolved into the Elizabethan ruff and and successors like the whisk collar and falling band. We do not notce any specically child styles Perhas the earliest was the Eton collar. At the same time se see opwn, fancy collars, but men as well as boys wore them. Various collars were worn with the skeleton suit. Collars at mid-century tended to be very small (1840s-60s). The Royal Fmily intriduced the sailor collar asa boys' style whih girl soon copied for heir own. Then we begin to see somewhat largr collars (1870s) With the Fauntleroy Craze we se an explosion of oollarsizes. We do not see boys commonly wearing decicated collar styles until the late 19th entry. They were destinguisable from adult coolars by both size and fancy construction. There are both types and styles of collars. The different type are done in the same styles. The principal collar types are attached and detacable. Separate or detachable collars have exist along with attached collars (since the mid-16th century). This permitted starching and a range of other fine finishing. The attached collars are by far the most common. They are for the most part permanently stiched to the main body of the garment. Detachable collars appeared at the end of the medieval era, but the modern detachable collar appeared in the mid-19th century, an American innovation. Detachable collars want out of style after World War I as more informal styles became popular and home laundry methods improved. Gradually after World War I, boys' and men's styles began to merge, although this took several decades. .
The waist treatment was the basic difference between a blouse and a shirt. A blouse had a draw string closing at the waust and not tails which is why it bloused oit at the waust which you can clarly see with yhe noy here (figure 1). Shirts had taukls which weere tucked into the trousers.
|
We do not yet have much chronological information about boys' tops (blouses and sgirts), especially on the early-19th century beore the development of photography. The 19th century is problem in assessing tops because so often boys wore jackets covering their tops. We do notice Nathanelle and Johnnie Boyd in 1848. They wear open collared shirts with large collars. We think the collars are slightly different. Nathanelle seens to have a scalloped collar and Johnnie a smooth collar. They may be wearing school uniforms. Unlike America, the early phoitographic fecord (1840s and 50s) is rather sparse. Dags and Ambros were not very common. Much less common than in America. Only with the CDV (1860s) do we begin to see large numbers of portaits. But the vast majority of the photographic record is studio portraits in which the tops are civered uo by jackets. For a considerable period (1860s-70s) often all we see is a small collar or frill peeking out at the collar-everying else covered by the jacket. The Fauntleriy Craze brought blouses to the forfront. Some boys began wearing bloses during the simmer without jackets. Mothers wanted show off the fancy lace and ruffles. The dominance of studio photographt meanin children dressed up in thrir best outfits, meaning boys wearing suits, did not change until the turn-of the-century when the Kodak Browin enable ordinary people to take family snapshots. Although formality was still a factor, we begin to see more and shots of the blouses and shirts boys wore. We see a lot of Eton collars in the lkate-19th and early-20th century. Finally after World War I, soft collars became the dominant type of shirt which replaced blouses. Even so the shirts were commonly worn with blazers/jackets or sweaters. British fashion was still mire formal than in America. Only after World War II do you begin to see more informal shirts.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to Main English garment page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Photography]
[Topics]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Glossary]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
