Shift
Date1800-1825
MediumCotton
DimensionsLength: 45 1/2"; Width: 35" (at hem)
Credit LineGift of Virginia Lee
Object number2015-251
DescriptionWoman’s chemise undergarment made of plain-woven white cotton. Chemise is made with ungathered bands or straps over the shoulders, short sleeves gathered into narrow bands high on arms, and underarm gussets. Front and back casings have drawstrings to adjust the size of the wide squared neckline. Body of chemise is cut to angle out at hem for fullness, without a defined waistline. 7/8-inch hem at bottom. Very finely hand stitched throughout.Label TextDuring the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, women wore white cotton or linen undergarments as liners between their bodies and the clothing worn above, such as corsets and gowns. In the eighteenth century, these were called shifts, but the name and styling changed in the nineteenth century. The nineteenth-century “chemise” undergarment had shorter sleeves to accommodate new fashions of that era. As cotton became less expensive and more readily available, chemises began to be made of cotton fiber.
ProvenanceRalph Musher family member or ancestor; Debbie Nickols; donor
