Shirt
Date1805-1825
OriginAmerica, Maine
MediumLinen, white
DimensionsOW: 72"; OL: 41"
Credit LineGift of Kathleen E. Van Deusen.
Object number2004-30
DescriptionMan's shirt of white plain-woven linen with finer white ruffles on either side of the center-front opening placket. The collar stands 4 3/4" high, buttoned at center-front with 2 mother-of-pearl buttons and buttonholes. Long sleeves with underarm gussets end in 3" cuffs, each with a single button and buttonhole. Body width (not selvage-to-selvage) measures about 27 3/8". Two vents at sides extend 9" up from bottom hems, and are reinforced with gussets at top. Narrow hems. Hand sewn throughout. Tails at back are worn thin and have tears.ProvenanceProbably worn by Reuben H. Green, who was born in 1783 in New Hampshire. He married Dorcas Storer in 1806 and the couple lived in Maine. The shirt's provenance is given on a paper document that reads "These gentlemen's linen shirts [2004-30 and 31] came from the family of my grandmother's 1st cousin, Sarah Green Wood, d. of Dorcas Storer Green." The companion shirt is signed with the name R. H. Green.
