undershirts

[27VA]

I am researching undershirts. I am looking for one that I have seen on a few period photos. The shirt appears to have 2/3 bottons for the neck, and wore tight to body. It almost appears like the top of a modern "union suit", you know the red full body ones with the botton back flap. Is this an authentic garment? This questions stems from a discussion after seeing cold mountain and many soilders wearing these instead of shirts. (I KNOW IT's HOLLYWOOD)
If it is period it would be nice to wear at cold events under your shirt.
Any info?


Shawn Stern
ssterndo@netscape.net
27va

[RyanBWeddle]

Re: undershirts

If you are cold at events, wear two shirts. The "Cold Mountain Underwear" many will tell you is fantasy, not being documented, etc. etc. Stay away from those.

There is an original "undershirt" in the Gettysburg NHP Vistors Center musuem if I recall correctly. It is one of the few "undershirts" of military origin from the period. It is unknown though if this was a true undergarment, or just a shirt.

[BrianHicks]

Re: undershirts

You may want to read through thtis thread, and follow some of the links:

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=850

[Company Tailor]

Re: undershirts

Shawn,
Undergarments in this period were very common. The one piece "union suit" you see in Hollywood though is more of a late 19th / early 20th century item. That being said, there are examples of one piece drawers but they were not nearly common enough to warrant our representing them.

There are numerous surgeon reports and hygenic studies that expounded on the virtues of wearing undergarments, both top and bottom.

I've owned several over the years but by far, my favorite original surviving set is in the Steamboat Arabia museum. It's made from a gray knit wool and it trimmed in a beautiful red chain stitch.

In the period we're trying to represent, cheap, flimsy, mass produced undergarments were inexpensive and readily availble and heavily used.

One thing to remember too, no man with even a shred of decency, not even an Irishman, would parade around (even in male only company) in his undershirt like they do in the movies.

I'll try to post a photo but haven't had much luck in that area so far. Contact me off post and I'll get a scan off to you.

Best,

[markj]

Re: undershirts

Greetings,

Yep, men's undershirts & drawers were common as dirt and were available in variety of styles and fabrics. Here's an extract from an ad for the Indianapolis "Mammoth Clothing House" from the 4 October 1856 Lebanon, IN "Boone County Pioneer":

HANDKERCHIEFS, Neck Ties, Suspenders, Vest Buttons, Stocks,
Undershirts of every style and quality, from
the heavy winter Undershirt at 35 cents each,
to the superb double milled [knit] at six dollars.*

DRAWERS. Silk, Merino, Red Flannel, Canton Flannel,
White Linen, White Muslin, and Drilled.

SOCKS. Silk, White Merino, Fancy Lisle, Cotton, and
Woolen.

*This was clearly a high-end item: "Six dollars" in modern buying power would be roughly $150!

Period newspaper notices of coroner inquests are also valuable since they frequently give specific descriptions of clothing found on unidentified male bodies. These regularly mention undershirts and drawers.

If you'll send me your e-mail address, I can give you a very interesting color image of an well-preserved undershirt found on the exhumed corpse of a teenaged Louisiana boy who died in 1853. I've repeatedly tried to attach jpegs to my posts with no success whatsoever.

As for Pat's comment, "...no man with even a shred of decency, not even an Irishman, would parade around (even in male only company) in his undershirt like they do in the movies," I'm not sure so sure about this since I know of at least one image (which Pat may well have seen too) showing a New York soldier posing in a bizarre, horizontally-striped knit shirt that looks an awful lot like an undershirt. If you need the exact cite for this image, let me know--I dig it up so you can examine it and draw your own conclusions.

Lastly, if you look at that well-known image of 114th Pennsylvania officers sitting around a table playing cards and smoking, you'll note the right-hand man is wearing a light-colored undershirt clearly visible underneath his shirt (he has folded his shirt collar inward). This is apparently identical to the dark-blue Navy undershirt worn in those famous photos of Lewis Powell (aka "Lewis Paine").

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[Cracker Line]

Re: undershirts

Mark,

I to am researching these undershirts in hopes of making one for my civilian impression. If you could, please send me those pictures and what not that you mentioned. I'm especially interested in the pics of the one found on the Louisiana Boy from 1853, and the striped one. If you could, please email me anything you have that might benefit in my making one.

Thanks,
Adam Cripps
schooltea49@yahoo.com

Greetings,

Yep, men's undershirts & drawers were common as dirt and were available in variety of styles and fabrics. Here's an extract from an ad for the Indianapolis "Mammoth Clothing House" from the 4 October 1856 Lebanon, IN "Boone County Pioneer":

HANDKERCHIEFS, Neck Ties, Suspenders, Vest Buttons, Stocks,
Undershirts of every style and quality, from
the heavy winter Undershirt at 35 cents each,
to the superb double milled [knit] at six dollars.*

DRAWERS. Silk, Merino, Red Flannel, Canton Flannel,
White Linen, White Muslin, and Drilled.

SOCKS. Silk, White Merino, Fancy Lisle, Cotton, and
Woolen.

*This was clearly a high-end item: "Six dollars" in modern buying power would be roughly $150!

Period newspaper notices of coroner inquests are also valuable since they frequently give specific descriptions of clothing found on unidentified male bodies. These regularly mention undershirts and drawers.

If you'll send me your e-mail address, I can give you a very interesting color image of an well-preserved undershirt found on the exhumed corpse of a teenaged Louisiana boy who died in 1853. I've repeatedly tried to attach jpegs to my posts with no success whatsoever.

As for Pat's comment, "...no man with even a shred of decency, not even an Irishman, would parade around (even in male only company) in his undershirt like they do in the movies," I'm not sure so sure about this since I know of at least one image (which Pat may well have seen too) showing a New York soldier posing in a bizarre, horizontally-striped knit shirt that looks an awful lot like an undershirt. If you need the exact cite for this image, let me know--I dig it up so you can examine it and draw your own conclusions.

Lastly, if you look at that well-known image of 114th Pennsylvania officers sitting around a table playing cards and smoking, you'll note the right-hand man is wearing a light-colored undershirt clearly visible underneath his shirt (he has folded his shirt collar inward). This is apparently identical to the dark-blue Navy undershirt worn in those famous photos of Lewis Powell (aka "Lewis Paine").

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[va-yank]

Re: undershirts

.... no man with even a shred of decency, not even an Irishman, would parade around (even in male only company) in his undershirt...

Of course, we should all be going vested and never seen in shirt sleeves. Give the poor females the fan-tods.

My impression is that this modesty notion is a bit overdone, and a benefit mainly to flash big-city tailors.

Some of us resent the Irish remark too.

[delawaric]

Re: undershirts

Mr Jaeger,
I am very interested in viewing the undershirt image you have. If you could email me a copy at your earliest convenience I would be very thankful.
~Eric Woodward
Delawareic1978@aol.com

[Richmond Depot]

Re: undershirts

As I recall from some of my numerous visits to Pamplin Park, they have 2 on display in their museum near the CS camp. One of the two was monogrammed with the owners initials.

[nmilbury]

Re: undershirts

Hello all,
I was wondering whether the fellow on the left in the famous three Confederate prisoners at Gettysburg is wearing a tight fitting shirt or an undershirt?
Sincerely,
Nathan Milbury

http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/images/070.jpg

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: undershirts

Greetings,

Yep, men's undershirts & drawers were common as dirt and were available in variety of styles and fabrics. Here's an extract from an ad for the Indianapolis "Mammoth Clothing House" from the 4 October 1856 Lebanon, IN "Boone County Pioneer":

HANDKERCHIEFS, Neck Ties, Suspenders, Vest Buttons, Stocks,
Undershirts of every style and quality, from
the heavy winter Undershirt at 35 cents each,
to the superb double milled [knit] at six dollars.*

DRAWERS. Silk, Merino, Red Flannel, Canton Flannel,
White Linen, White Muslin, and Drilled.

SOCKS. Silk, White Merino, Fancy Lisle, Cotton, and
Woolen.

*This was clearly a high-end item: "Six dollars" in modern buying power would be roughly $150!

Period newspaper notices of coroner inquests are also valuable since they frequently give specific descriptions of clothing found on unidentified male bodies. These regularly mention undershirts and drawers.

If you'll send me your e-mail address, I can give you a very interesting color image of an well-preserved undershirt found on the exhumed corpse of a teenaged Louisiana boy who died in 1853. I've repeatedly tried to attach jpegs to my posts with no success whatsoever.

As for Pat's comment, "...no man with even a shred of decency, not even an Irishman, would parade around (even in male only company) in his undershirt like they do in the movies," I'm not sure so sure about this since I know of at least one image (which Pat may well have seen too) showing a New York soldier posing in a bizarre, horizontally-striped knit shirt that looks an awful lot like an undershirt. If you need the exact cite for this image, let me know--I dig it up so you can examine it and draw your own conclusions.

Lastly, if you look at that well-known image of 114th Pennsylvania officers sitting around a table playing cards and smoking, you'll note the right-hand man is wearing a light-colored undershirt clearly visible underneath his shirt (he has folded his shirt collar inward). This is apparently identical to the dark-blue Navy undershirt worn in those famous photos of Lewis Powell (aka "Lewis Paine").

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

Mark

Could you send me a copy? keepnhoakalive@yahoo.com

Thank you.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: undershirts

The man on the far left is wearing a US Army issue shirt, that is ment to be worn under the dress coat, mounted services jacket, or fatigue blouse.

[Company Tailor]

Re: undershirts

Gents,
Finally dug out the photos of the gray undershirt from the Arabia Museum. This was a wool shirt, but I've seen similar ones made of cotton. It was finished all over with a red chain stitch.

I'll be doing a run of these soon, hopefully before the Mansfield event.

[manevin]

Re: undershirts

Having only been in this hobby three years, I find it funny how so many can claim that "this was the way" or "that was the way". I agree with the boyo who says that the modesty thing is overplayed. Heck, is there a photo of a bunch of fighting men stark naked bathing in a creek. First thing I want to do after drill is change my shirt. With only a dog for shelter, where else am I supposed to go?

Michael Nevin ( is this the way to post?)

[flattop32355]

Re: undershirts

One thing to remember too, no man with even a shred of decency, not even an Irishman, would parade around (even in male only company) in his undershirt like they do in the movies.

Hey! I represent that remark!!!!! Oh, wait, I'm Scots/Irish...never mind. :wink_smil