Figure 1.--This 1902 photograph from the Newtown School in Hebburn shows how younger English school children were dressed at the tunn of the century. The girls wear pinafores. The boys wear both lace and Eton collars.

Actual shirts or as they were often called at the turn of the 20th century, shirt waists, were of little importance in the development of school uniform during the last half of the 19th century. Except for France which had inroduced smocks in the 1870s, England was the only country where many boys wore uniforms. Almost always the uniform involved covering up the shirt. Rarely would boys go to school in their short sleeves. Even boys at state schools where uniforms were not required, with the exception of a cap, would dress similarly. All that was visible would be the collar--and the collar that predominated would be the Eton collar. Younger boys might wear lace collars. The senior boys at many public (private secondary) schools in England after the turn of the 20th century were allowed to wear more adult looking rounded collars. Interestingly the button down shirt collar developed at first for polp players, has never been worn for school uniforms. Almost always the collar of a school uniform shirt is a plain collar.

Shirt Waists and Detachable Collars

HBC readers may want to review the information HBC has collected on detachabe collars hat were worn with "waists" or "shirt waists" to better undersand the collars worn by boys in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Shirt waists

The term "waist" which is no longer a term commonly used in the sence of a garment. HBC notes that "waist" in the late 19th and early 20th century was used to mean a blouse or shirt. The modern term blouse probably captures the sence best as it was a shirt without tails. HBC has generally considered a "waist" to be a garment or part of a garment covering the body from the neck or shoulders to the waistline, which was commonly used in womens' and childrens' clothing. We have discovered, however, that "waist" was also used to mean a child's undergarment to which other items of apparel were attached by buttons or clasps. This appears to be a term also used for stocking supporters. Sometimes mothers used pins to attach stockings to regular underwear rather than a specialized waist.

Detachable collars

The modern reader may not realize that in the 19th and early 20th century, many shirts came with detachable collars. This was an inovation adopted in the early 19th century, surprisingly in America. Most fashion inovation in the 19th century came from Europe. The detachable collar was invented in 1827 by an American housewife. By mid-century the detachable collar had become quite widespread for dress shirts. This was especially the case with Eton collars, an English fashion which became a staple for boys' wear. Detachable collars were an important labor saving device. Housewives had to wash an entire shirt when it was primarily the collar that wore out. Often the collar of a shirt wore out while the rest of the shirt was still serviceable.

Collar Styles

HBC has noted a variety of different collar styles used with school clothing.

Eton collars

The Eton collar was so closely associated with the suits worn by boys at school and for dress wear for so many years that it can not be omitted in any discussion of school suits. The Eton collar was most closely associated with England, but it was widely worn in America, France, and several other countries. They began to be worn widely in the 1860s and dominated school wear through the 1910s. Only in the 1920s did schools begin adopting soft collars for boys, although even in the 1930s some traditionally oriented continued insisting on Eton collars.

Lace and ruffled collars

Lace and ruffled collars are not generally thought of a a boys' school garment. But in fact in the late 19th an early 20th century, many yonger school boys did wear lace and ruffled collars. We note this in England, America, and continental European countries as well. At the turn of the 20th century, we note classes with boys wearing both lace and ruffled collars and Eton collars. Boys in the same shool a yer or two older would almost all be wearing the Eton collars.

Sailor collars

One of the most popular style of boy's collars was the sailr collar on middy blouses. Boys commonly wore middy blouses to school, especially in Germany and many other continental countries in the late 19th andcealy 20th century.

Peter Pan collars

Many younger boys at th turn of th 20th century through the 1920s wore larg rounded or Peter Pan collars. These collars, unlike Eton and lace collars were an integral part of a blouse or skirt. These Peter Pan collars were popular in England and elsehere in Europe as well as America. Thy were not only worn as hirt collars, but we ao notice them on Italian chool smocks and to a lesser extent French school smocks. Increaingly the style, oweve is today sen as a girl's style, at least for school-age children.

Rounded collars

The senior boys at many public (private secondary) schools in England after the turn of the 20th century were allowed to wear more adult looking rounded collars. They were less conspicous and did not extend over the jacket.

Plain pointed collars

Button-downs

Interestingly the button down shirt collar developed at first for polp players, has never been worn for school uniforms. Almost always the collar of a school uniform shirt is a plain collar.

Created: November 18, 1999
Last updated: March 10, 2002