Figure 1.--The detachable collar box seen here is decorated on the lid with a portrait of a young boy in fancy attire--suggesting a woman's box. A man's or boy's box might be decorated differently. |
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Before the industrial revolution put a shirt in our closet for every day of the month, dress shirt collars were detachable to shirts. As explained in the main HBC detachable shirt page, this saved women a lot of washing which was a much more onerous process in the 19th and eraly 20th century than is the case today. One might wonder just where all these collars were kept. The answer is of course that thee were collar boxes. I'm not sure yet how English schoolboys made do. I'm not sure when it was first introduced at Eton School, but many schools subsequently adopted it. The collar was part of the uniform at many English schools for an extended period during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collars would be laundered at school or locally (if it was a
boarding school). An English reader tells us, "I expect boys possessed more basic versions of the collar box to store them.
Before the industrial revolution put a shirt in our closet for every day of the month, dress shirt collars were detachable to shirts. As explained in the main HBC detachable shirt page, this saved women a lot of washing which was a much more onerous process in the 19th and eraly 20th century than is the case today. One might wonder just where all these collars were kept. Obviously unless they were stored with some care they would not give the imaculate, flawless image that they were mean to project. Indeed Victorians and Edwardians had collar boxes. These boxes had a round form in the midle to hold the collars in shape and in place. What we do not know is how common these boxes were for boys. While Eton collars were primarily for boys. Women and men might also wear various styles of Eton collars. We suspect that modest households might have one box for the entire family while the more affluent might have several such boxes.
Detachable collas were made in various materials. These boxes were for the fabric collars. There were aklso throw away paper/celluloid collars.
I'm not sure yet how English schoolboys made do. I'm not sure when it was first introduced at Eton School, but many schools subsequently adopted it. The collar was part of the uniform at many English schools for an extended period during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collars would be laundered at school or locally (if it was a
boarding school). An English reader tells us, "I expect boys possessed more basic versions of the collar box to store them. Kings School Canterbury boys still wear detachable wing collars and I can recall seeing a House Noticeboard listing boys' responsibilities.
One boy had the job of 'collars monitor'."
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The detachable collar box seen here is decorated on the lid with a portrait of a young boy in fancy attire--suggesting a woman's box. A man's or boy's box might be decorated differently. The box is covered in a floral paper and is lined inside with pink satin and red paper. It is 6-1/2" high and 7-3/8" across the base. The top section opens to reveal the form for the collars. The bottom opens to a section where cufflinks, collar stays and jewelry were stored. It has the original hinges and latches. On the bottom, it is dated Dec. 25, 1903 from Mrs. F. P. Spiese, showing that women had these collar boxes as well. I am not sure where she was from, but it may have been Pennsylvania in the United States. The protective coating on the edge of the lid has peeled back to reveal the paper beneath.
The Victorain and Edwardian collar box is a fascinating collector's piece today. It reminds us of the days when detachable collars were worn. People collect these old collar boxes. There were indeed made in many duifferent vaersions which ran the gamit from elaborate for the rich to very basic for more humble families. Thenmothers in working class families might decorate thaeir collar boxes themselves to brighten them up.
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