Victorian Nightshirt (NW400)
This nightshirt is adapted from an original dated around 1860.
It is a very full authentic garment, ideal for Scrooge, Rochester or any other night stalkers.
Available in Sizes:
Small recommended for a 38in chest. Length 52in
Medium recommended for a 40 – 44in chest. Length 52in
Large recommended for a 44in – 48in chest. Length 54in
Made in England
Now made in two fabrics, a soft plain off white cotton twill which is sufficiently dense to be worn on stage. 100% cotton
30 degree wash
Matching nightcaps are available.
This interesting reference is taken from the V&A website:
Nightshirts changed very little in shape and style throughout the 19th century.
They had a plain turned-down collar and were buttoned at the neck, and the centre opening extended a long way down the front. They usually had slits up the side, often reinforced with gussets, to facilitate ease of movement. They were made of cotton, lawn or linen.
It is very easy to confuse a nightshirt with a man’s shirt, as these also tended to be long. Until the middle of the 19th century nightshirts were often worn together with a nightcap.
By the 1860s these had gone out of fashion for the younger generation. During the 1880s pyjamas began to replace the nightshirt.
The outfit consisted of a jacket and trousers made of wool or silk in various colours and often striped.
By the 1890s the nightshirt was so out of fashion that the Tailor and Cutter of 1897 reported: ‘The doom of the sleeping shirt is written. Those possessed of any ought to preserve them carefully so that they can show to succeeding generations the wonderfully and fearfully made garments their forefathers slept in … The pyjama sleeping suit is to take its place … of oriental origin, of silks, etc., generally striped.’
