Bands

Originally the name given to the collars which (in the 17th century) replaced the ruff of Elizabeth’s reign. At first they were made of stitched linen or cambric edged with lace, stiffened so as to stand up round the neck. Contemporary with these were the falling bands. The engraving (by Hollar, 1640) shows a merchant’s wife with collar or falling band of cambric edged with lace. The term bandbox has descended to us from those days, when similar boxes were made expre ly for keeping bands and ruffs in. (Fig. 58.)