The more you look, the more you see.

One of the many things I have found fascinating so far about this research process is that by having the luxury of time to look at and study something in great depth, the more you look the more you see. Things that I barely noticed initially become fascinating elements requiring thorough visual study to understand construction.

I have also found that by starting to read about costume history alongside this it has made me interrogate the garment differently. A good example of this is that I read about a shirt in a museum collection being made from one piece of cloth for the body, folded at the shoulders. Now I had assumed (crucial error!) that the shirt was made from a front and back piece joined at the shoulder because I had seen a line of stitching there. On closer inspection after reading this I have ascertained that sure enough the main shirt body is one piece of fabric. The stitching across the shoulders is the addition of a narrow strip of fabric, stitched to the inside of the shirt, possibly this would have strengthened the garment.

So I feel more than ever that although it is good to look, study and record without bias, we already have bias and assumption. What is needed sometimes is further information to help us frame relevant questions.

Below are some more details that help to unpick the form and function of the shirt.

Button and buttonhole at cuff

Side vent/gusset

Triangular neck gusset

There is a very good reference to this neck gusset and other elements of the shirt in 'Cut My Cote' by Dorothy K. Burnham.

Laundry mark

From this tiny embroidered laundry mark I decided to chart the individual stitches for means of documentation and comparison. It was easier said than done because the entire group of motifs measures just 14mm in height and the tiny cross stitches are the smallest I have ever seen. It was difficult in some cases to see if it was one stitch or two, even when magnifying. Below is my best effort, which is as close as I think humanly possible.

The laundry mark is on the right-hand side of the shirt front, next to the side gusset. It comprises: at the top, a crown shaped motif, in the centre the letters A.F and at the bottom the numerals 36.

The embroidery is stitched with very fine thread and the back looks neat, although there are some trailing threads between motifs and areas of the design.

Later I will be comparing this laundry mark with other examples and I hope this will prove a very useful vein of research.

Some shirt details