Collared: Celluloid, masculinity and class

Abstract

Abstract Modern discussions of nineteenth-century-male fashion claim that this was the period when male dress was standardized into a uniform of acceptable respectability. Indeed, to twenty-first-century eyes, the prevailing image of the Victorian male seems to be a homogenous mass of black suits, bowler hats and stiff collars. Contemporary observers were able to instantly size up a man’s character, class and professional ambitions by a mere glance at their clothing. The collar, whether paper, linen or celluloid, became the locus of social distinction, and is therefore the best example of the nuanced associations attached to male clothing during the late nineteenth century. Taking a material culture approach, with additional support from popular literature and visual sources, may help historians to better understand and interpret the strict hierarchy of Victorian men and the uniforms that prescribed their social existence. Questions of sincerity, aspiration and moral uprightness are also inextricably linked to this topic, and the conclusions drawn may have additional implications for how scholars and historians understand the corresponding feminine sphere during this period.