Figure 1.--These three Americans boys were photographed in this RPPC photograph about 1905-10. The boy in the center and at right wear blouses with different collars. The boy at the left wears a shirt waist without a collar. Note the suspenders.

Shirt waists were popular in the second half of the 19th century and very early 20th century. They were essentially shirts without collars. They had tails like modern shirts, but no collars. We believe that most shirt waists button up the front, but some did not. We are not sure how common the shirt waists that did not button up the front were. This is a difficult garment to cover frpm the photographic record because these shirts waists were usually covered with jackets, vests, sweaters, and detachable collars. Thus unlike most other garments, we have relatively few images to draw from. They were popular because the part of the shirt that got dirty quickest was the collar. And laundry was an enormous undertaking for the 19th century housewife who did not have modern laundry detergents, washing machines, or dryers. Thus laundry could be substantially reduced by simply changing the collar rather than washing the entire shirt every day. The detachable collar was invented in the mid-19th century. Quite a range of collar styles were worn. One if the most enduring style for boys was the Eton collar. We notice the Wards' Winter 1927-28 catalog that they used the term waist, but in the ad copy used the term shirt interchangeably.

Chronology

Shirt waists were popular in the second half of the 19th century and very early 20th century. Do not be confused. Shirt wausts were not just shirts. They were also blouses. The detachable collar was invented in the mid-19th century. We believe that this was when the shirt waist appeared, but we are not yet sure about this. The detachabkr collar was a response to the drugey of wash day. It was the coolar that would get dirty the fastest. Having a detachable collar meant that men and boys could repace the collar and continue wearing the shirt waist. We also believe that it was at first a garment for men and boys. Women at mid-century were more likely to wear dresses, especially fashionable city women. This eould change at the turn og thecebtury when the shirt waist became a virtual uniform item for working women. Covering boys shirt waists is a little difficult. We only begin seeing large numbers of images with the CDV by the 1860s. And by this time. Boys almost always when they are having their portatits taken were wearing suit jackets. Thus we do not get to see much of the shirt waist. We only get to see is the coilars--whuivh was not even oart of the shirt waist. We do not believe in everyday life thatbiys always wirevhavkets, but thr 19thbcentury photograohic record is largely studio photography. Which means this is what we have to go on. This changes with the turn-of-the 20th century. The Kodak Brownie created the family snapshot as a major paet of the photographic record. Soon after the snapshot appeared, the shirtwaist and detachable collar began going out of style. Here it wa not just fashion that was involved, but a huge change in wash day. The invention of detergents and washing machines maent that wash day was no longer a huge effort. And there was no longer a need for detachabke collars.

Construction

Men and boys' shirtwaists were essentially shirts without collars. Unfortunately we do not yet hsve any vintage shirtwaists archived. We believe that they had tails like modern shirts, but are not entirely positive about this. Most available discussions of shirtwaists discuss garments for girls and women. There are many detailed images of female' shirtwaists, but we can find very little about the mail garment. The shirt waist is impossible to assess from the photographic record. We do know that they came without collars. We believe that most shirt waists button up the front, but some did not. We are not sure how common the shirt waists that did not button up the front were.

Detachable Collars

Shirtwaists were worn with detschable collazrs. Quite a range of collar styles were available. One if the most enduring styles for boys was the Eton collar. The modern reader may not realize that in the 19th and early 20th century, many shirts came with detachable collars. This was an inovation adopted in the early 19th century, surprisingly in America. Most fashion inovation in the 19th century came from Europe. The detachable collar was invented in 1827 by an American housewife. By mid-century the detachable collar had become quite widespread for dress shirts. This was especially the case with Eton collars, an English fashion which became a staple for boys' wear. Detachable collars were an important labor saving device. Housewives had to wash an entire shirt when it was primarily the collar that wore out. Often the collar of a shirt wore out while the rest of the shirt was still serviceable.

Teminology

We notice the Wards' Winter 1927-28 catalog that they used the term waist, but in the ad copy used the term shirt interchangeably. The term seems to have been used differently for women's clothing. Waist was a term used for the bodice of a dress or for a woman's shirt or blouse styled like a man's shirt. Women's shirtwaists were tailored garments like blouses that did not have tails. Unlike many garments in the late Victorian, Edwardian era, women's shirtwaists were very plain garmrnts without a lot of frills. The British term was 'shirtwaister'.

Assessment

The shirt waist is a difficult garment to study from the photographic record because these shirts waists were usually covered with jackets, vests, sweaters, and detachable collars. Thus unlike most other garments, we have relatively few images to draw from.

Utility

They were popular because the part of the shirt that got dirty quickest was the collar. And laundry was an enormous undertaking for the 19th century housewife who did not have modern laundry detergents, washing machines, or dryers. Thus laundry could be substantially reduced by simply changing the collar rather than washing the entire shirt every day.

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

American workers in the 19th and early 20th century labored in unsafe workplaces with no or little effort by the government to protect them. When one thinks of industrial accidents and unsafe work places, we often think of dangerous mines, steel mills, meat packing plants. The best known industrial accident in America was the fire at the Triangle Waist Factory in New York City where girls and young women were laboring for minimal wages to help their families survive. Child labor was not a rare exception, but a major component of the industrial workforce. Girls as young as 14 died in the Fire. The fire killed 146 mostly immigrant workers. The fire had an enormous impact on America. Not only did legislation follow to protect workers, but the Fire in many ways helped lay the foundation for Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. FDR's Secretary of Labor Francis Perkins was later to say that March 25, 1911 was "the day the New Deal began."

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Created: 11:00 PM 8/15/2008
Last updated: 6:51 AM 6/29/2020