Were "boiled shirts" once really boiled, or is that a figure of speech?

HoganMueller

A boiled shirt typically refers to men’s dress shirts worn in the 19th and early 20th century. The boiled shirt may also be called a boiled front shirt. the boiled shirt was boiled in starch to create an really really stiff shirt that would resist wrinkles and remain that way in appearance for a while. Aug 13 09, 11:42 AM

ilikeguinness

The reasons for creating boiled shirts were twofold. As men’s dresswear, boiled shirts needed to be very white and clean, and without washing machines, the best way to make a shirt as white as possible was to boil it. Secondly, the boiled shirt was boiled in starch to create an extremely stiff shirt that would resist wrinkles and remain impeccable in appearance. As people who wear period costumes will tell you, the boiled shirt can be somewhat of an adjustment to wear since it doesn’t bend well and feels much stiffer than most men’s dress shirts of today http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-boiled-shirts.htm Aug 13 09, 12:03 PM