Collar

Unknown

1900–1901 · linen · Costume Institute

This is an excellent example of the extreme height and stiffness of the early 20th-century detachable collar. The stiffness was created by multiple layers of linen and is the utmost example of how style prevailed over comfort. In this period shirts were made without collars or cuffs to facilitate laundering and to allow the wearer to change the detachable collars and cuffs as they were soiled. A crisp clean collar was essential as a sign of gentility and the detachable aspect made that readily accessible for men who could afford them. This particular style, without any sort of turn down or wing, would have been worn for very formal occasions. This collar, called "The Dudley" by the manufacturer, emphasizes the social ideals represented and by extension, the status of the wearer. This type of stiff detachable collar went out of fashion by the end of World War I.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1900–1901

Medium

linen

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Maurice Volpe, 1956