Shirt

Date1700-1750

MediumWhite linen tabby, trimmed with linen hollie point needlepoint lace and linen bobbin lace. Sewn with linen.

DimensionsOL: 11 1/2" OW: including sleeves: 22 1/4"

Credit LineGift of Anonymous Donors

Object number1971-1570

DescriptionInfant's shirt of fine white tabby (plain-woven) linen, trimmed with hollie point needle lace. Shirt has rounded neckline without a collar and is open down center front without buttons or other closures. The tops of the shoulders are trimmed with insertions of white hollie point in a design of a potted flower turned on its side; on either side of the hollie point insertion is an area of drawnwork, hemstitching, eyelets, and detached buttonhole stitched scallops worked through the linen of the shirt. Long sleeves are gathered at top of arms, with gussets under the arms; sleeves end with bobbin lace trim, without cuffs or wrist bands. Body of shirt is cut straight; all edges are hemstitched and hemmed.
Label TextBaby clothes were usually sewn with minute seams and fine stitches. All raw edges in this example have been turned under and neatly finished to prevent chafing and to keep seams from raveling during laundering. Hollie point was a needlework technique that used buttonhole stitches with an extra twist to create lace.
ProvenanceEx. Coll. Mrs. DeWitt Clinton Cohen; Tomlinson Collection. Old hand-written exhibit label reads "Baby Shirt-very fine linen, with Hollie or Holy needle-work on shoulders. 16th century-English."