Several adjectives come to mind as I begin to write the copy for this next offering... adorable, endearing, sweet and desirable just to name a few! This boys Sailors Shirt that does include a hand made hanger, would be a perfect addition to your textile collection while lending childhood charm to your homestead!
The best representation of the true color in this calico can be seen in images 2, 3 & 5 as the lighting changes throughout the day and does distort the correct color immensely.
These sailor shirts are not commonly found and this one sports a beautiful calico, "cadet blue" fabric that dates from 1880 ~ 1910. The style of this shirt is handsome indeed boasting a wide square collar on the back with a separate lapped over waistband that holds three buttons on the front. The placket holds four buttons, two Mother of Pearl and two replacement older plastic buttons. The buttons on the bottom waistband are also antique Mother of Pearl.
It looks as though there were two different fabrics used on this piece as the inside is a much stronger blue that looks quite like ticking compared to the outside calico but this is not the case. See image 19. The inside fabric holds whispers of the calico print that have disappeared though time and wear as the inside is not lined. The collar was hand stitched, see image 9. However the rest of this garment could have been completed using a treadle sewing machine.
This shirt does have some faded areas in the front where the placket is, on the collar, the edges of the sleeves, on the waistband (font & back) and also in the middle area of the back. Please see images, 6, 10, 16, &18. There are also some stains located on the front placket, images 6 & 7, at the bottom of the waistband in the back, image 10, three tiny dots underneath the collar see image 9 & 11. (image 11 is the same image without the collar showing) and lastly several very light tiny stains on the front to the left of the button holes.
A small hole as indicated in images 4 & 5 on the inside near the edge of the left placket can barely be seen on the outside edge. There are no rips or any unpleasant odors to report. Harry fashioned this fabulous hanger from annealed, dark wire specifically for this shirt. It has a simple primitive look that is a terrific compliment to this adoring textile!
Overall condition is good and this sweet boys Sailors shirt will certainly be an endearing piece that will create whimsy and fun to any shaker peg rack it is hung on! Enjoy!
The shirt measures 16 1/4" Tall (from shoulder to the bottom waistband), 26" across (from the edge of both sleeves across the front), 15" across the breast & 11 3/4" across the waistband.
