Really? Not Another One!

[L Verge]

My guess would be between 1895 and 1920?? That collar was one that was separate from the shirt, I believe. You used to see a lot of office workers with those. You actually took the collar off and put it in a collar box at night. They were very prevalent.

I have never read anything about these other than it was easier to wash the collar (usually the first thing to get dirty) than it was the whole shirt. They also had detachable cuffs. Even women who entered the workforce had detachable cuffs or would take cotton stockings that had been darned too many times and cut them to slip over the hand and protect the arms of their bodices while working. This was especially helpful in the days when ink did not dry immediately.

If you look at ladies' photos from 1850-1870, you will also see bodices with pagoda (wide sleeves) that stopped at mid-forearm. Underneath these sleeves were dainty, white undersleeves that came to the wrist and were usually adorned with lace and/or ribbons. Again, it was easier to wash those undersleeves (that forearm gets dirty faster) than to wash the whole dress.

We won't even discuss ironing the dresses, shirts, collars, trousers, vests, etc. of our ancestors in the days before electric irons. Frankly, I don't iron much anymore either - I term myself wash and wear.