Lace Shirt - M/L

One of one · 19th century · American

Provenance

Cut from a 19th century American lace dining table linen, finished with a scalloped hem. In the 19th century, a fine lace tablecloth was among the most status-laden objects in the domestic interior — brought out for formal dining, carefully laundered, and stored between uses as a marker of household refinement. Lace of this quality was rarely made at home; it was purchased, gifted, or inherited, and treated accordingly.

The Making

The jacquard loom, invented in Lyon in 1804, was one of the most significant technological developments in textile history — it used a system of punched cards to control individual warp threads, allowing weavers to produce intricate figured patterns that would have been impossible by hand. By the mid-19th century, jacquard weaving had spread through the textile regions of Northern France, where workshops produced furnishing fabrics for the growing middle-class interior. The patterns woven into this cloth — likely floral or foliate, in the tradition of French decorative textiles — were designed to endure, both structurally and aesthetically.

The Garment

Vintage-inspired fit with dropped shoulders and a slightly tapered waist. Because this is cut from a single antique textile, there will never be another one exactly like it.

Fit and Measurements

Size medium/large
Chest circumference: 47"
Shoulder: 19.5"
Front length: 29"