Shift
Date1780-1810
OriginAmerica or England
Mediumlinen (fabric, thread)
DimensionsLength: 48"; Width: 44"; Hem fullness: 80" approx.
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1986-207
DescriptionWoman's white linen tabby shift or undergarment. Wide low neck faced with 3/8" tape, with two eyelets for drawstring at center front of the neckline. Ungathered sleeves with plain hemmed edges and gussets under arms. Two reinforcing bands at top of each shoulder and at joining of sleeve to body. Long full body, cut on angle from shoulder to hem, with triangular pieces to create extra skirt fullness. Sewn with linen.Label TextShift
England or America, 1780-1810
Linen
1986-207
The shift of the eighteenth century was both underwear and nightgown. A shift made of white linen or cotton was the bottom layer of a woman's ensemble, acting as a washable liner to protect the outer clothing from perspiration and soil. Equally important, the shift protected the woman's skin from abrasion by the boned stays, hoops, woolen petticoats, and other discomforts of fashionable clothing. Because they were considered underwear, shifts were not worn out in the open except by slave women working in rural areas and free women far removed from public settings. Many women slept in the same shifts they wore during the day. Those with larger wardrobes had separate night shifts.
