Improvements in Shirts.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
Improvements in Shirts.
I, CHARLES A. HASCALL, of Portage, in the County of Columbia, and State
of Wisconsin, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide a shirt which will secure to the wearer
the greatest convenience, comfort, and service, at the least expense of material,
and
My invention consists in the novel construction as hereinafter fully described;
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.
In said drawings:
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a shirt constructed in accordance with my
invention, and
Figure 2 is a like view of a modified form of the shirt.
Referring to the above-described drawings, A designates the main body of the
shirt, to one side of the upper front portion of which is secured the bosom B, which
has a free edge D, and which is provided with a series of fastening devices a, a,-
one of which is at the upper free outer corner and one at a central point in the
neck band in the front. For convenience I show buttonholes to be used with
ordinary collar-buttons, and I prefer such mode of fastening, but I do not limit
the invention to such form of fastening, as any suitable device may be used.
The bosom is free along one-half of its bottom and is separated from the shirt
by a notch, and the skirt of the shirt has an overlapping fly E, which is adapted to
be secured to the opposite side of the opening by a button b, at its upper free
corner, while the opposite side of the flap is fastened to the fly E at d, at a point
about on the line of the center of the bosom, thus providing a double skirt in front
which is easily opened on account of its free overlapping edges.
The neckband proper F, of the shirt A, is connected with the bosom B in front
only as far as the center.
"
At G, the bosom is "recessed so to speak, and the bosom extends on a line
below the bottom of the neckband up to the point of fastening and the neckband F
extends around from the point G to the same point where it laps and is fastened by
any fastening, but preferably by a collar-button.
By this means there is no unusual thickening of the neck portion where the
bosom overlaps the body of the shirt.
The advantage of having the bosom free at the bottom is two-fold. First, it
prevents the bosom from doubling up, and second, it is cooler and prevents the
bosom from being pushed up from the bottom and forcing the collar-button and
neckband against the neck of the wearer. By separating the skirt-flap E from the
bosom it enables the wearer to open the flap without disturbing the bosom and by
having the skirt overlap as it does, it makes the skirt double at that point making
a complete cover for the wearer, that will not accidentally open or gap, and at the
same time when desired, it may be readily opened and closed at will.
In the form of shirt represented by Fig. 2, the body of the same is open in front
from top to bottom, and the outer flap B' is provided with a series of buttonholes a
down the edge, and at the beginning of the flap at the waist is a single button hole C
in practice from four to six inches back of the edge of the flap. The opposite flap Di
is adapted to lap beneath the flap containing the buttonholes, and is provided
with a row of buttons E', and a single button F. The under flap D' is tapered in
outline from the upper neck-band portion down to the point where the single

page_text: button-hole C goes over the single button F¹, thus leaving a continuous strip of
material tapered in outline from the point F1 to the neck-band.
The flap from this point down is straight, thus forming a double-breasted flap
from the point where the lower buttons and button-holes occur to the bottom.
This style of shirt is adapted for use to go under the straight edge from the collar
to the bottom and also the part connected to the flap from the collar-button to the
place where it buttons at the notch.
It is obvious that various forms of fastenings may be used such as buckles,
strings, hooks and eyes, or other equivalent fastening devices well known to the
trade. By the use of a shirt of the modified forin, a very slender or a very portly
person may be fitted perfectly, which is a great desideratum in the manufacture of
such articles of wearing apparel.
The described improvements are clearly adapted for use with every form of
shirt, ladies' and gentlemen's vests, etc.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A shirt open in front from top to bottom and having an overlapping bosom
attached to one of the flaps and adapted to overlap the opposite flap and provided
with means for securing the free edge of the bosom to the side opposite the side to
which it is permanently secured, the skirt of the shirt having an overlapping flap
portion E, which is separated from the lower outer portion of the bosom by a
notch, said flap portion E adapted to overlap and be secured to the opposite side of
the skirt.
2. A shirt open in front having flaps provided with fastening devices, the flaps
of the shirt adapted to overlap at the skirt and one of the flaps made tapering
from the collar portion to the skirt and provided with fastening devices at the edge
and at the meeting lines of the upper end of the vertical portion of the skirt and
lower end of the oblique line extending from the collar to the skirt and also
provided with a row of fastening devices which register with a row of fastening
devices on the first flap and an independent fastening adapted for engagement with
the fastening at the junction of the vertical line and the oblique line on the first
flap, all constructed substantially as described and constituting a shirt double at
the flap in front only and forming practically a single breasted shirt, as set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.