Images(2)

Under Shirt

Date1700-1750

MediumCotton, Linen

DimensionsCenter Front: 7 inches Center Back: 7 inches Width Across Back Including Sleeves: 16 inches Sleeve Width: 3 inches

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2022-64,2

DescriptionAn infant’s hand knitted under shirt made from a fine cotton yarn. The shirt was hand knit in the round and cut up the center front to make the opening. The center front edge is turned to the interior and faced with a fine linen tape. The neck edge is bound in the same linen tape.
Label TextParents in the first half of the 18th century continued to practice swaddling their children, protecting them from the cold. One of the many layers could have been a small knit undershirt. Knit in the round and then split up the center front, these shirts seemed to be very popular among newly minted parents. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation owns four knit undershirt that are nearly identical.
ProvenanceA collection of 28 pieces of infant clothing (all 2022-64 accession numbers) descended through various branches of the Medlycott family of Ven House in Somerset, England. The baronetcy was created in 1808 and became extinct in 2021 with the death of Sir Mervyn Tregonwell Medilycott, the 9th Baron of Medlycott. Sadly these garments do not have association with specific members of the family, but were all found stored in The Manor House, Sandford Orcas, in Dorset, England, the home of Sir Mervyn Tregonwell Medilycott, the 9th Baron of Medlycott.