Figure 1.-- A detachable white collar was stadard wear for well dressed boys in the late-19th and early 20th century. They were worn at many schools and when boys dressed up. This boy's collar is not as stiff as many we have seen.

Mrs. Montague's solution was elegantly simple. As many women at the time had sewing skills, it was something that most could easily accomplish. Mrs. Montague's neigbors, also eager to reduce the weekly drugery of washing day, were impressed and adopted her sollution. Soon backyard production facilities in Troy began making collars and eventually factories were built. Mrs. Montague's husband Orlando who was the first person to wear a detachable collar, decided to manufacture the collars with business partner Austin Granger in 1834. They not only began producing an improved collar but developed the "Bishop" collar, an upright modification of the turn down collar. They also diversified beyond collars, manufacturing "dickeys" (detached shirt bosoms), as well as separate cuffs. Troy, New York became the center of colar production in America. By the late 1880's, detachable collars were being manufactured at various locations throughout America. The immaculate white collar reached extremes for both men and boys in the early 20th century. We see them in both the the 1900s and 1910s. They were worn by boys, men, and women. They were less common though for girls. We see them when boys went to school as well as dressed up. for various occassions. Men common wore them a work. There were variations here as to social class. The 20th century trend toward more comfortable, casual clothing began to be increasingly apparent after World War I. One of the areas most obviously affected was the detachable collar. They were still seen after the War in the early 1920s, but very likely declined in popularity. Here there were social class differences. We no longer see setachable collars for boys after World War II with only a few exceptions.

The 19th Century

Mrs. Montague's solution was elegantly simple. As many women at the time had sewing skills, it was something that most could easily accomplish. Mrs. Montague's neigbors, also eager to reduce the weekly drugery of washing day, were impressed and adopted her sollution. Soon backyard production facilities in Troy began making collars and eventually factories were built. Mrs. Montague's husband Orlando who was the first person to wear a detachable collar, decided to manufacture the collars with business partner Austin Granger in 1834. They not only began producing an improved collar but developed the "Bishop" collar, an upright modification of the turn down collar. They also diversified beyond collars, manufacturing "dickeys" (detached shirt bosoms), as well as separate cuffs. Troy, New York became the center of colar production in America. By the late 1880's, detachable collars were being manufactured at various locations throughout America. Troy was, however, the most important center. At the turn of the 20th century, thee were twenty-five ompnies in Troy producing nearly 100 million collars and cuffs annually. This was about 85 percent of the entire American production. Troy became known as "Collar City". Detachable collars of course were not limited to America and Mrs. Montague's collars were widely adopted throughout Europe.

The 20th Century

The immaculate white collar reached extremes for both men and boys in the early 20th century. We see them in both the the 1900s and 1910s. They were worn by boys, men, and women. They were less common though for girls. We see them when boys went to school as well as dressed up. for various occassions. Men common wore them a work. There were variations here as to social class. The 20th century trend toward more comfortable, casual clothing began to be increasingly apparent after World War I. One of the areas most obviously affected was the detachable collar. They were still seen after the War in the early 1920s, but very likely declined in popularity. Here there were social class differences. We still see them at some private schools, but even here they gradually declined. Comfort ws a factor, but also boys began seeing them as old fashioned. We no longer see setachable collars for boys after World War II with only a few exceptions.

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Created: 4:32 PM 4/2/2008
Last updated: 4:32 PM 4/2/2008