The detachable shirt collar was invented in 1827 by a housewife in Troy, New York. Her name was Hannah Lord Montague. Her idea caught on and became a commonplace during the rest of the nineteenth century. Shirts were expensive and time-consuming to sew. The collar was the most likely part of the garment to wear and become soiled. Having a changeable collar solved a problem for many young men and their wives or mothers.

Detachable collars could be made of linen, cotton, paper or fabric laminated to paper. Linen and cotton collars were heavily starched to make them stiff. They were held in place by studs or buttons. Styles came in stand up, lay down or wing tip. Detachable cuffs were also available.

After 1870, collars were made of celluloid. During the 1890s and into the twentieth century more and more young men and women began to work as clerks, sales people and bookkeepers. They were expected to present a neat appearance while on the job. Wearing celluloid collars helped them achieve it.

Celluloid was invented in 1870. It is naturally transparent and flexible. The basic ingredients for making celluloid are nitrocellulose and camphor. Celluloid is considered the first thermoplastic as it could be molded and shaped into a variety of products. The disadvantage of the product was that it burns at 150 degrees F. In other words, it is very flammable.

Celluloid was first used as an ivory replacement. It could be made to look like natural materials. Jewelry, hair accessories, picture frames, buttons, buckles, fountain pens and dolls were some of the many items manufactured from it. The Seth Thomas mantel clocks even had “marble” columns made of celluloid as part of the decoration.

In the 1880s, ping pong, a parlor game from England, used celluloid for the “bouncy” little balls. They are still made of the same material today. Guitar picks and some musical instruments are made from celluloid.

The invention of moving picture film was made possible through the use of celluloid. There were two disadvantages: the film could burn because of the intense heat of the projector bulb and the chemicals in the film disintegrated over time. That is why so many early movies no longer exist. In 1888 George Eastman was able to use celluloid film in his first camera. It led to the use of cameras by ordinary people and the collecting of snapshots by the millions in photograph albums.

While attending Lombard College Carl Sandburg and his friend, Fred Dickinson, sold celluloid collars to the other male students. They even wore the collars themselves, partly as a convenience and partly as a sales device. They had the agency for only a short time. They didn't sell many of the collars, probably because they were uncomfortable to wear.

Interestingly, it could be claimed that wearing a celluloid collar, in addition to being uncomfortable, was hazardous to the health. A Boston streetcar motorman was subjected to attacks of dizziness and fainting. After being examined at Massachusetts General Hospital, it was determined that when he turned his head, his celluloid collar pressed against his carotid sinus and caused the attacks.