Please Help ID Mens Shirt (Victorian?)

vintagediva555

vintagediva555

Alumni
Please help me ID this men's shirt. It has one top button on one side; no other closures.
The arm openings are very wide and the arms just slip through.
The fabric feels like linen, but I'm not sure.
Cuffs are ruffled with lace.
I'm really can't figure out which is the front and which is the back!! Is it Victorian?
mens shirt 1.jpg

mens shirt 2.jpg
shirt 4.jpg
shirt 3.jpg
 
Hello,

Without actually handling it in person, and seeing the construction details, stitching, etc., it is hard to say. It appears to be an early Victorian shirt, possibly even pre Victorian in its style, circa 1840. The cuffs look too wide, and may be replacements which would not be uncommon as the cuffs got the most wear and tear. The cuffs (I would think) should have some gathering. Is there a casing for a drawstring on the cuffs?

Hard to say if it is antique or not, but the style certainly is. Can you determine if the stitching is hand sewn or machine sewn? Any close up pictures will help us.

I looks like a very nice shirt!
 
I was also thinking this is not a shirt! :BAGUSE: flap front drawers? are there any fastenings on the square edge or at the sides?
 
I have been trying to wrap my head around this too...something isn't right. There are "enter from behind" men's shirts that require added studs for closure but nothing that looks like this. I also wondered about the drawers angle. Those "sleeves" look like legs.
 
sewingmachinegirl said:
Yep the 'sleeves' really look more like legs to me.
I would need to do up a wee mock version in paper to figure it out- but the 'neck' sure looks big enough to be a waist doesn't it!
Click to expand...

on the first and second photos the 'neck' doesn't look big enough to be a waist, but on the third it does! now i'm very curious to know what the opening measures. i agree, the 'sleeves' do look more like legs :)
 
Yes, looking closer, it could be something other than a shirt. But what is that flap in the front, or back, or whatever it is...I really cannot get a handle on just how this is styled! Now that I look again, the "sleeves" appear as if set too low for it to be a shirt, and they appear as if they start over the chest area, which rules out this being a shirt. Or a shirt for a strangely disfigured person!

Interesting!
 
Wow thank you everyone for your input! Now I see they are drawers. I've never seen them styled this way.
The waist measures 25" across. There are no other closures besides the top button.
I'm still not sure if the flap is in the front or back, but my feeling is the front.
 
Could the flap have originally been gathered up and attached to the rest? I had a Victorian combination that were like that. It was deeply unflattering, a big swathe of fabric gathered up at the bottom. So unflattering I neglected to photograph the rear view on my model, which is a pity because now I can't show you what it looked like.

So: any signs of alteration to the panel at the back? Signs of stitching undone etc?
 
Circa Vintage said:
Could the flap have originally been gathered up and attached to the rest? I had a Victorian combination that were like that. It was deeply unflattering, a big swathe of fabric gathered up at the bottom. So unflattering I neglected to photograph the rear view on my model, which is a pity because now I can't show you what it looked like.

So: any signs of alteration to the panel at the back? Signs of stitching undone etc?
Click to expand...
I've examined the drawers more closely. They appear to be entirely hand sewn. Even the lace edging looks hand crocheted, but I'm not 100% sure.
There is an inside binding all around except for the bottom of the panel. It doesn't seem like they were made to be pinned up and attached anywhere.
There is also a name written in fine ink on the waistband. I'm going to post some close-ups tomorrow.
Now I'm really curious about the history of these drawers!!
 
Oh that's Great, yeah! if you can post more photos to help us figure this out- and Karin, Barbie may not be very true to life, but it would be worth a shot maybe :wub:, as apart from a teddy bear, I really don't have anything here in small scale to experiment with !.
 
Does the panel/flap have a channel along the edge? could it have had a drawstring running through it you tied around the waist?
 
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