Description

Nice coarsely woven checked muslin/cotton fabric shirt in common period pattern with standard gusseted sleeves and a plain banded collar. This simple banded collar pattern without pockets appears to be the most common shirt of the period documented far and wide on both sides in original photos and artifact collections alike. Original examples well documented having never had accommodation for detachable collar, yet could be so modified.  All buttonholes are hand-sewn in the common style. This batch comes with our genuine bone buttons dyed to match. Common commercially manufactured “Ready-Made” shirt pattern of the period with standard underarm gussets. Based on our commitment to break the cycle of “cookie-cutter” mold of available shirts we vary color schemes and styles to better represent the vast and well-established material culture of the era. In response to a recent inquiry concerning cuff button placement, in examining quite a few original shirts over the decades we have taken notice that there seemed to be quite a diversity in button v. buttonhole, and cuff slit placement on sleeves, especially those of the less formal varieties, as opposed to the universal norm today, attempting to more mimic the appearance of the formal French cuff.   Accordingly, we have placed our cuffs and buttons with some diversity also, but the slit routinely placed on the portion of the wrist most easily accessible on the inside with the off-hand, as the common shirt should be configured. To provide a reasonably priced quality shirt with a great look and no sacrifice of authenticity is our goal. Major seams are machine sewn as the majority of shirts produced during the war were. Even in the South, pre-war adverts for personal machines and church and society guilds with communal machines were well known. All “small” work such as button holes, etc. should be hand sewn as most period machines lacked this technology.  (as with all of our similar shirts these are pre-washed and hand dyed utilizing period method to get our exclusive and popular period color shades and schemes. We cannot predict the effect that modern washing machines and detergents and electric tumble dryers may have on certain types of buttons and their finishes and colors achieved with period dye methods. We recommend hand washing in cold water by itself and hang drying, of course what else would a campaigner do?

Note: After examining many documented original period shirts, we looked long and hard to find the coarse woven checked materials we desired to make our common shirts out of. Combined with our period method dying process, we are confident that the result is a very authentic and uniquely available representation of the common quality material available of the day. Contrary to some “progressive campaigner” dogma, while muted and drab colors were common, colorful, even bright color prints and weave shirts were quite popular and prized in the pre-war and wartime period.  Our color schemes and combinations are well researched and documented and run the gamut of  period appropriate. Because the material is produced in the manner of less refined coarse weave cottons, in order to better represent the quality that was mass produced during the period – as opposed to the higher tech produced “finished” cotton shirts of the modern era – there is occasionally some minor anomalies found in the weave. (skipping a thread, small thread pulls, balls, etc) They are not “damaged”, and if discovered after the garment is in production these very minor anomalies are simply left as is on the garment as they represent the types of issues we have observed on similar period undamaged fabric as well. If a thread is actually broken or the anomaly is large enough to require any treatment to avoid risk of real damage, we apply a period type remedy to the fabric, finish the shirt and discount the clothing item in question to cost. Such is the price of authenticity in common mass produced Civil War era material culture. (PLEASE SEE SIZING CHART FOUND AT TOP OF HOME PAGE)